The HCH II here in Canada comes pretty well equiped. Traction control, 4wheel disc brakes etc for the 09.

My only worry now is the reliability because I hear of so many problems with the previous models but for the 09 models, I guess it is too new so very few problems are reported yet. was there a significant change when they went from the HCH I (05) to HCH II (06-09) or even the 08-09?

There aren't too many left so I think at 5K difference, they are going to sell pretty fast so I need to make up my mind soon.

 

There was a significant generation change from the HCH I to HCH II. The '09 is nearing the end of the HCH II run and was fitted with some improvements such as cosmetic changes to front and rear exterior, rear-wheel disc brakes, vehicle stability assist, redesigned 3-spoke steering wheel, and Bluetooth HFL (if equipped with Navi). I'm guessing the '10 or '11 will be the last of the HCH II.

This video was released when the HCH II was announced, and explains the engine + IMA improvements in the HCH II over HCH I: http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/200...05b/index.html

 

Ok, I was just going from Honda Canada website spec., maybe it has a typo, or there's more than one level:

http://www.honda.ca/HondaCA2006/Mode...2009/Specs?L=E

In the "Chassis" section:

"Power-assisted, ventilated front disc/rear drum brakes"

 

May I know what is thiis feature and how do they work?

Listed at Comfort & Convenience
Programmable automatic power door locks

 

You can set up a few things with the power door locks. We for instance, set the option so that the doors automatically lock when you first drive off, as soon as you reach a speed the 15km/hr. There's a few others, like to automatically unlock all the doors when you remove the key, or something like that.

I've noticed another car I've been driving recently did something like that, it's not that big of a deal.

Ok, here's some cut-and-paste from the '06 Owners Manual. I'd post more, but it is a pita doing c&p from pdf's:

The auto door locking feature has three possible settings:

* The doors lock when the vehicle speed reaches 9 mph (15 km/h).

* The auto door locking is deactivated all the time. This is the default setting.

* The doors lock whenever you move the shift lever out of the Park position.

The auto door unlocking feature has three possible settings:

* The driver’s door unlocks whenever you turn the ignition switch to the ACCESSORY (I) position.

* The auto door unlocking is deactivated all the time. This is the default setting.

* The driver’s door unlocks when you move the shift lever to the Park position.

To set/unset any of the above, you do various combination things as outlined in the manual: turn this, press-and-hold that.

 

I should add a few other points. I'm at 44.6K miles on my 06 Prius and haven't had any trouble other than some rattles and coolant heat storage (thermos) pump replaced under warranty due to squealing. There was a TSB on it. That pump and thermos have been ditched on the 2010.

There are some Priuses w/tons of mileage on them such as those mentioned at http://www.hybridexperience.ca/Toyota_Prius.htm and http://www.autospies.com/news/Prius-...no-time-17638/. http://john1701a.com/prius/owners/jesse4.htm had a 1st gen that went to 349K miles before its life was cut short.

Again, do look at the Honda and Toyota hybrid PDFs at http://avt.inl.gov/hev.shtml.

Although not related to reliability, per http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...view/index.htm
I have online access to CR and the HCH got an 80%, the second highest for small cars. The highest was that Fit w/83% and the lowest in that category was the Cobalt w/45%.

The Prius is on the list of most reliable cars at http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...ed-cars-1.html. The HCH and Prius are mentioned at http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...liability.html. Looking at CR, the Prius definitely has an edge over the HCH in terms of reliability. However, all this is based on previous gens. CR for the Prius mentions "Based on 2008 models, we expect reliability of new models will be 72% above average." For the HCH, "Based on 2008 models, we expect reliability of new models will be 35% above average."

The previous gen Touring Prius got a best value award at http://pressroom.consumerreports.org...alue-list.html.

 

I guess it just wasn't working for them, but still, I thought the coolant thermos was a brilliant idea.

 

It's been replaced by an exhaust gas heat recovery system. I'm guessing this might be cheaper and perhaps the pump was unreliable/just another point of failure.