You have other choices...

The Prius is truly an amazing car. It will get you 45mpg much of the time and has nifty features unavailable in most other models. But I didn't buy it.

The competition is slim for this car. Maybe the Honda Civic Hybrid, perhaps the Toyota Camry, and maybe the Chevy Malibu.

Of these, you can write off the Honda as underpowered. Just drive it one and see. It's also small and doesn't have a lot of features or comforts. And it isn't cheap enough to compensate for what it lacks.

The Malibu is getting some fantastic reviews so maybe that's your car. It's about as much as the Civic and is bigger, nicer, more comfortable, and has better features. But it's inn it's first year and Chevy doesn't exactly have a good rep long term for it's cars. I wouldn't risk it, but you might.

That leaves us with the Prius or the Camry.

The Prius is an exceptional car. It's been around long enough for us to know that it is reliable, gets great gas mileage, and is supposedly mid-size.

Let me dispense that first myth. It is a small car. It is cramped in the rear and can sit only 2 adults comfortably, despite what you might hear. Much of the interior space is wasted. You have tons of room beyond the dash but no one uses that room. You have a hatchback which is big enough but not truly a mid-size.

Storage is poor. Side pockets are smallish, cup holder exist but are on the entry-level mode. The back seat is akin to a Sentra, Civic, or other small car.

However it is that this car qualifies as a mid-size is a mystery to me.

Size aside, the car is the best in class if you consider it a small car. It's pickup is fantastic. It drives and corners well, there are ample safety features, and it has a lot of "cool" features.

For example, the rearview camera is wonderful, if you opt for it. You can just look at the screen where nav is supposed to be and see what's behind. I loved that feature, but it is not standard.

Nav is pushed on you. In fact, you often don't get the rearview camera without nav, and that adds about $2K.

Leather is available but not standard.

On the low end, this expensive car ($22K), offers you few features other than exceptional gas mileage. No camera, cloth seats, a tinny interior, etc.

On the high end, it's much better. That camera is included, you'll get leather, the ride will be quieter, and you'll get some "luxury" features. Now we're talking $26K.

And it's still a little hatchback.

Driving it takes a bit of learning. It's not hard, but since it's an electric start, you push a button vs. turning a key. It's only available in automatic since it has a CVT (continuously variable transmission), meaning that it adjusts the number of cylinders you need based on your driving.

Shifting is new to learn. Essentially "tell" the car to reverse and it will do that. "Tell" it to go forward and there it goes. It's a fast learning curve but new to most drivers.

The car tells you your mileage and that's great. Many new cars tell you that too, however, like the Volvo S80, the Chevy Impala, etc. It's a great feature but hardly unique.

If you don't get the nav system, you still have a nifty screen. The features of that screen are limited, however, depending what you pay. If there's no camera, you get no rear view. At the base level it will show some graphics of when hybrid is working and when it is using gas. OK, but not unique except for the graphics.

Annoyingly, you can't find a new Prius. You have to pay a $500 deposit to get one and if and when the dealer gets one, you have to accept or decline what they get and pay for it if you really want it.

This is a very bad deal. There are no rebates. No negotiation. No way to get this car below sticker. You might, depending where you are, have to pay more than sticker.

Huh? No one ever pays sticker... except for this particular car. It is so popular that you can hardly find it sued.

Very bad. For what you might save, you'll pay a premium. As much as I think this car is an excellent vehicle, the numbers do not work out.

I'll return now to the car I didn't compare this to - the Camry hybrid. You'll get less mileage (10mpg officially) but you'll find these on the lots and maybe with discounts off the sticker.

You will get more features, a bigger car, and it will cost you maybe 2-3K more than a comparably equipped Prius.

Here you find my reason for not buying the Prius - an excellent car by any measure. The Camry, in a nutshell, is available. The Prius is not. The Prius exceeds sticker price. The Camry sells below. The Prius is small. The Camry is truly mid-size.

I don't mean to diminish the Prius but it is too expensive for what it is. It is the epitome of gas-efficient cars but for a small mileage difference, and a small price difference, you have choices. Not many, but look around.

The Prius, while an excellent car, is fast approaching the cost of much bigger and nearly equally efficient other models.