Gran Turismo 2 is full of surprises. I've had this game almost a year now, yet had no idea a hybrid gas/electric car sat lurking at the Toyota dealership all this time. Go figure.

The first-generation Prius makes its quiet appearance (literally...) in this game as a sedan. The original Toyota Prius sedan I'm focusing on for this review is based on the Echo, which is the Prius's fully gas-powered twin. This car (the Echo) is not in GT2 or any other GT, not that I'm complaining. 

By the time GT4 was released in 2004, the Prius had become a model in its own right, with distinctive styling not shared by any gasoline-powered cars Toyota makes, but the earlier Prius G sedan is still featured in this game (and in GT5) as a used car. Some may find the Prius (1st generation or 2nd) odd, some may find it fugly, but the fact of the matter is they're selling like hotcakes in real-life. So they must be important, right?

Let's discuss this car from game to game.

GT2
The '97 Prius sedan isn't fast, as we can't modify its engine or motor, so the lack of available suspension parts aren't missed. About the only thing to do is get better tires to kill occasional understeer...and really, tires aren't full-on necessary.

The funniest thing in GT2 is that you can't buy suspension parts, you can't buy transmission or engine parts. You can't buy brakes for a Prius, but you CAN buy the 50,000 credit traction and stability controls! Ha!..like you'll really need them! Who pockets all this money? Somebody must be getting rich here!
 

GT4
The Prius appears as two different models in this game. The '02 sedan is the only one I've driven so far.  

This is one of those cars that (on Sport tires) hasn't got enough speed to really merit any difficult understeer concerns under power. The car's CVT transmission seems to limit the amount of power being forced to pavement, so wheelspin is also a rarity. Entry-corner understeer only applies if the driver brakes too late.

With power hopped-up, things aren't really that much different. Plenty of traction, there's a mild fear of entry-corner understeer (as well as plenty of leaning), but there just isn't enough power to cause wheelspin or understeer on-exit. Once the transmission is changed to an aftermarket unit, the Prius behaves more like a typical front-drive, although there still isn't enough power to really cause any major catastrophies.

GT5
In this game, there are a surprising number of Priuses, so many, I've already lost count of them all. I've already got four of these cars, and haven't even left the Beginner's Hall yet.

Several Priuses are given as prizes, you see, but I've also bought a couple as used cars. So far I've got an '02 G Sedan and an '03 Touring model. This Touring Model is from the 2nd generation, though, the one with the funny shape. There are standard models and Premium models, new and used. But what do they all have in common? They all share the same driving qualities, more or less, which makes our job easy.

Understeer is still our main concern. All models also suffer a bit from leaning, which tends to pull these tall cars about if they're entering a turn too fast, and this can cause some racing-line dilemmas.

Both of these issues are much more pronounced than they were in GT2 or GT4. This is mainly since the Prius's stock Medium Comfort radials in GT5 offer a lot less grip than the Normal tires of GT2, or the Medium Sports of GT4. One can equip lesser tires in these earlier games, of course. I never drove the Prius on simulation tires (GT2), nor did I record my experience with N tires (GT4) when I tested the G Sedan. You can go ahead and do this, of course, if you've got some burning desire to really get to "know" these cars on all levels.  

But it's not just tires, it's also the fact that in GT5 the Prius accepts some small power mods, bringing power up to 127 hp. Eventually (amazingly) the driver WILL need to spend some money on Sport tires in this game if they manage to find some arena where the Prius can safely compete at a higher level. I'm not even sure such an arena actually exists, yet. Hmmm.. Perhaps during some Seasonals it occasionally will.  

There's not much to tune here, otherwise, even though all the pertinent parts are offered. Clutch upgrades, flywheel upgrades, full-tuned suspensions, and (why?) a limited-slip are all available. So are chassis reinforcements, chassis and engine rebuilds, and weight reductions. The lowly Prius can also be shod with any grade of tire in this game.

With all these upgrades, I'll be honest; I did start wishing there were more power available. Yea, go ahead and laugh, but after zapping my way thru the three Beginner-level events the Prius Sedan feels comfortable with, I wanted to tackle the Clubman. But there just isn't enough power. Damn.   

Summary
Overall, Priuses haven't got much use as racing vehicles, but some enthusiasts (such as myself) can't help but sink a bit of money into them anyways. Curiosity and all that.

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