The 2008 Prius is an important vehicle to Toyota for the hatchback market segment. The Touring is a member of a series of two trim levels for the Prius which include Touring and Base. The four-door car with its front-wheel drive is positioned to aggressively fill this niche for Toyota. There is strong competition from vehicles from Acura.

Engine Performance

The restyled Prius Touring is equipped with a Toyota 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that utilizes a total of 16 valves. The engine is paired with a N/A 4-speed transaxle. This configuration has proven to be a successful design for Toyota.

The Prius uses power-assisted brakes, with 4-Wheel ABS support. The front brakes are disc while the rear brakes are drum. Steering is handled through a power-steering rack-style configuration. The car uses coil and coil springs front and rear respectively.

Prius Touring Statistics

The dimensions of the Prius Touring are 67.90 inches wide by 175.00 inches long. It sits a comfortable 58.70 inches off the ground. It seats a standard five passengers, with 4 doors. The wheelbase of 106.30 allows for limited leg room for the backseat passengers.

The original manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $22,475 when new, with a dealer invoice cost of $20,695. This price was in line with the industry average price for a 4-door Hatchback.

Fuel Efficiency

The fuel system for the 2008 Prius is a traditional SFI, running on ELECTRIC/GAS fuel. The fuel is controlled by an electronic system and is a fuel-injected MFI design. The capacity of the fuel tank is 11.90 gallons.

The 2008 Prius gets 45 miles/gallon on the highway and only 48 in the city. This is average for a hatchback car.

Conclusion

There are several reasons why the Toyota Prius Touring sold well in 2008. Mainly the increase in availability and a marked improvement in quality meant the buying public was more apt to choose a Toyota, specifically a Prius.

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Tags: 4-Door, Hatchback, Touring, Toyota Prius, United States market

This entry was posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 5:42 pm and is filed under 2008, Prius, Toyota. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.