I would really like to know how the heck people are driving these cars to get such poor mileage?? I'm in Ottawa as well, with a 2001 Prius and this winter, I've been getting 5.3 L/100km on the MFD and 5.39 L/100km calculated.. In the summer, I normally get 5.0L/100km or better.. The only times I get worse are if I take many short trips or the few occasions when I'm really in a rush and have to push it... I would expect that a 2006 model would do far better than my old 2001 model.. In the winter, certainly, some of the degradation may be blamed on the cold weather and the increased warm-up that the engine must do, as well as the lower energy winter formulated gasoline, but my own observations are that warm-up and gas formulation aside, I tend to see *lower* instantaneous mileage readings during the winter vs. the summer in my car: people tend to drive a bit slower in the winter which has a direct contribution to gas mileage and in the winter, the Prius' battery management system changes its battery usage strategy, which also has an effect..
On the topic of pricing, I agree that the Canadian pricing of the Prius is way too high, especially considering the US MSRP and exchange rate.. Even with import taxes, etc, it probably *would* be cheaper to buy a US Prius and import it, plus you get a much wider choice of options vs. what Toyota Canada offers..
Luckily, I'm not in any hurry to swap my car- it's been utterly reliable, and the hybrid battery is still just fine after 5-1/2 years and close to 200,000 km on it, although I think the gas engine is due for a valve adjustment this year.. In any case though, my next car definitely will be another hybrid- I wouldn't pick a conventional vehicle ever again..
