The Prius reflects a paradox in the world of motoring, a clash of conscience for many motorheads; the fondness of this dirty little planet and a desire to get to 60 mph from start in the blink of an eye and with the teeth-rattling roar of a petrol engine consuming the oil reserves of a small Middle East protectorate.
There was always a basic rule in motoring: petrol for performance, electricity for air conditioning. Mixing the two can either lead to a loud explosion of your person, or an implosion of your public standing (owners of Sir Clive Sinclair's C5 stand up).
Yet, if there's one firm that can be trusted to manage the marriage of the two and create a proper car, it's Toyota. After all, it did invent lean production, is the most profitable car firm in the world and is now the first to sell a truly acceptable hybrid car.
Prius is Latin for "ahead of its time", and that's exactly what the first model was. The story goes that Toyota has had a team working on petrol-electric technology since the 1970s oil crisis, but it was discovered by bean-counters who demanded they bring in some revenue from their work, so a car was duly released, but aesthetics and design came a long way down the team's list of priorities. This time development was much more in sync with regular models.
This Prius is right for its time and the real story is that many of its competitors are behind the times. While the US and European firms have put all their eggs in the hydrogen basket, opting for fuel cell technology - which won't make it into mainstream production until at least 2015 - Toyota has wisely concentrated on creating a medium-term option for the here-and-now.
We'll get to the technology later, but suffice it to say that the latest Prius manages to mix a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an 500-volt electric motor better than its predecessor, and offers the sort of power output that, while it might not persuade boy racers to cast aside their Subaru Imprezas, could certainly persuade some diesel drivers to turn their back on the oil burners.
Then there's the extremely low emissions and the frugal fuel efficiency. Officially it's claimed at over 60 mpg, but we've never managed to meet manufacturers levels and with the Prius got 44mpg over 400 miles of testing, still well ahead of anything we've managed with diesels.
The real story with the new model, however, is that while the technology may be "Prius", the design and layout is retro, good looking and for the here and now.
Although Toyota has long been recognised as the most proficient car manufacturer, its engineering-dominated culture has squeezed the creativity out of its car designs. Toyota are busy addressing this problem with the Yaris and now the Prius a good sign for the future.
The new Prius looks far superior to the frumpy first edition. With this model, Toyota can thank compatriot Nissan for ensuring the Prius's rather bulbous shape doesn't look too futuristic, for it resembles a larger version of the Primera, though it also has hints of older Citroëns.
Apart from exterior looks, the new Prius has been blown up inside, with the sort of space that would put it up to several midi-MPVs. The new Prius is more than five inches longer than its predecessor, and sits on the wheelbase of the larger Avensis model.
The high roof makes the cabin very airy. Back seat legroom is excellent and there's plenty of room in the boot, with the extra utility of 60:40 folding rear seats.
The steering wheel seems to be the control centre for the car, housing no less than 16 separate functional controls. There's also a much-improved touch-screen display.
All this lends to a less cluttered dash. The only disapointment we had was with the bland interior trim and plastics, a fall back to "old Toyota". Yet overall the new model has a feeling of a finished product.
Driving the Prius is also more like a regular car, once you get the used to the stubby gear knob, that resembles a 1980s video game joystick.
Thanks to smaller, more powerful batteries, Toyota has been able to fit a full complement of drive-by-wire features, including the throttle and a totally electrical braking system. There's also electro-mechnical steering.
So to the science. The engine and the motor work separately or in tandem, depending on the driving conditions. The batteries are recharged by the petrol engine and the brakes. Whenever you accelerate, freewheel or brake, power is sent back through the system to the batteries.
If the battery charge is low, the petrol engine will also stay on at idle, but generally if you're idling at traffic lights (or driving very slowly) the electric motor operates on its own; when you speed up, the petrol engine takes over. Then, if you need extra power for overtaking, the electric motor comes on, bolstering torque.
Power arrives far more smoothly than in the previous model, though the handling is still pretty heavy and the engine screams when you call upon the CVT transmission for rapid acceleration. Power from the 78 bhp 1.5-litre engine is up 8 per cent on its predecessor, while output from the electric motor is up 50 per cent, and it now generates 68 bhp.
Consequently, the new Prius will reach 60 mph in under 11 seconds, not quite a rally driver's choice, but not at all bad for a "green" car and on a par with several of its diesel competitors.
Overall, it's a comfortable spacious cruiser worth adding to the company fleet, and an enormous step in the right direction in terms of making the new technology acceptable to the masses.
It puts it up to middle class environmentalists, giving them no excuse to buy something else.
Toyota envisages producing 80,000 units a year, 500 of which will be destined for Ireland. Next Year it will be joined by a hybrid version of the Lexus RX300.
If these two succeed in winning general approval - and order books would say the Prius is already there - then it will not be too long before we see a hybrid Avensis and Corolla. Meanwhile the rest of the industry is still trying to wire the plug.
