I like the idea of writing reviews about cars in GT4, but it would be much better if they sounded like those in magazines such as Car & Driver, Motor Trend, etc. For example, here's a quick review I just wrote in less than fifteen minutes (so please excuse the minor errors I might have in it):
Second-Generation Toyota Prius
Fun, but in a different way.
By Epinionator89
Gran Turismo 4 is a game full of cars, from the early days of the Ford Model T to the concept cars of today like the Mitsubishi i Concept. But what really makes Gran Turismo fun is the fact it mimics that of Grand Theft Auto; you can play the game however you want, with whatever car on whatever track (well, mostly anyways. You can't rally a Model T in Tahiti). You may want to drive the fast cars, while people may want to cruise along in their Fiat 500F.
Well, I got a different obsession.
Toyota got into the Hybrid business in the United States by launching their first hybrid vehicle, the first-generation Toyota Prius. This vehicle, when driven at slow speeds, could drive solely on its electric motor until the driver needed more power. In that case, the CVT-run gasoline engine would start up and help out. The goal? Get the maximum gas mileage you can while not sacrificing power, comfort or convenience.
Here we are now with the second-generation Prius, one with Toyota's signature "Hybrid Synergy Drive" system. With more power, better performance, larger batteries and an interior that would challenge the size of a Camry's, can the Prius be a good performer on the track?
On the outside, the 2004 Prius is obviously different. But while the Prius may get odd looks by passerbys, the driver will be smiling since the design has a low drag coefficient. This, in turn, also improves mileage since it slices through the air like a hot knife through butter.
Power is put to the front wheels through a CVT transmission, as mentioned earlier, so it's not surprising that the engine gives a continuous flow of power; while those in a competing car with a convention transmission will sacrifice speed by shifting, the Prius will instead vary the gear ratios; time is not lost. What results is a 0-60 time of about 13 seconds depending on your reflexes and track conditions. After multiple full-throttle starts, the wheels will never spin. I have never seen the traction control light blink for just accelerating.
With patience, the Prius is a good performer just on its electric motor (as long as you aren't actually competing in races and like to take your time). What results is eery quietness until the engines starts up at around 45 miles per hour. In places such as the Nurburgring, the Prius can easily go up to 60+ miles per hour on just the electricity. In fact, if you are really patient (give or take an hour's worth of your time), the Prius can use as low as .045 gallons of gas driving one lap of said track. This equals to nearly 300 miles per gallon. Impressive.
The Prius is not in GT4 just for gas mileage, however, so it is disappointing sometimes that the vehicle will get lower than 15 miles per gallon when you floor it constantly. What would have been better is a gas mileage monitor that measured based on how much gas you used divided by distance traveled instead of how far you'll go based how how far you press the go-pedal. Under such extreme usage, the battery power will slowly decrease, and after 25% of the power is used up, the engine will run to help charge it. Regenerative braking, when pressing the brakes lightly, can help as well. When the battery is all used up, the Prius' 0-60 time is twice as long, and acceleration is borderline depressing. Having all acceleration mods will allow the car to just run on its gas motor above 114 miles per hour, too.
What is also not surprising is the handling. As with all other front-wheel-drive cars, the Prius likes to understeer--lots. In sharp corners, whether it be the corkscrew at Laguna Seca or the the first few corners of Circuit De La Sarthe I & II, the Prius hapilly veers towards the grass unless the understeer-correcting ASM is activated. But do not set it too high (over 10), or else the Prius will happily oversteer depending on how you use it.
But what is a high point is its neutrality in larger corners like that before the finish line on Tsukuba Circuit. In the Sunday Cup, the Prius will understeer unless your steering inputs measure to full lock, when it suddenly starts to hug the corners nicely. Safe handling is not far though, because understeer will be most pronounce if you let off the steering just a little bit.
Braking is probably a Prius low point, too, with ABS kicking in early and stopping the car with distances averaging on the long side, evident of me having to brake earlier than on any other car similar to it. This is thanks in part to economy-sized tires, made more for saving gas than hugging corners. Further testing is needed for accurate distances.
The Prius is a bit sluggish off the line in competitions, so even with the Sunday Cup races that start with the vehicles stopped, the Prius will take a long time to catch up to its competitors. But while it doesn't beat cars like the Volkswagen Lupo to acceleration, it does make up for it in cornering. You will more than likely finish first place by literally cutting corners and using the AI like bumper cars.
Overall Toyota did a good job with the Prius, but even with performance-enhancing modifications to help acceleration (maximum horsepower= about 130) it struggles in even the easiest races. It is best recommended for those "economy runs", trying to see how little gas you can use while doing a lap around each track that GT4 has. It's not beneficial to you or your statistics, but it is neat to see how little gas you can use despite having a gas tank that only goes up to 9.999 gallons on the gauge and never runs out.
Like I said, it's fun, but in a different way.
B-
Highs:
*Fun to save gas
*CVT transmission gives shiftless performance
*Corners nicely on larger corners that don't ask too much of the car.
Lows:
*Almost embarassing understeer with stock suspension and no ASM
*Almost embarassing acceleration in races.
*Stopping power with sports tires is not exactly great.
Best for: Personal fun when not competing.
