THE Prius, Toyota's petrol/electric hybrid car, is really taking off in Britain - with sales of the newest version already more than five times greater than last year's total of 149.

That's probably down to two factors: Toyota's advances in performance and design over the original model, and our growing army of IT managers who want something straight out of a Star Trek episode.

But labelling a family-sized motor "the most technically-advanced car anywhere in the world" must surely be a double-edged sales sword.

While bells-and-whistles bods will find the Prius pure joy, there are drivers who will find the car's flush of frontier-busting technology a fearsome thing, too daunting to approach.

So while the car itself is certainly no gimmick, Toyota needs one to get more people into it, to prove what a really good all-rounder it is.

The lure of near-70mpg fuel averages and fresh-air friendly CO2 emissions might do it, but the Prius' ability to pack in a full family, and holiday luggage, and produce an unbelievably smooth and quiet ride needs underscoring, too - as does the driver's all-around vision and passenger comfort.

But what drives the front wheels on this hybrid car? The mainstay is the 1.5-litre, 76bhp petrol engine, which interacts with a 67bhp electric motor, constantly charging as you journey along. The latter produces around the same power as a one or 1.2-litre petrol engine, and electronic management constantly switches from petrol to electric, depending on your needs.

You can manually switch over to electric-only, albeit only for a very short distance - a mile or so - and then up to 30mph. So leave it to the system to handle the power, and produce that famed frugality.

Nothing in the Mondeo-size car range matches the Prius' 65.7mpg on the combined cycle, and the electric/petrol marriage is wedded bliss when it comes to speed and acceleration.

Little wonder that the fuel tank is a city-car sized 45 litres. Just 10.9 seconds is all it takes to reach 62mph, and, with a 106mph top limit, that's more than enough speed and acceleration for the average motorist.

The six-speed automatic gearbox operates via a dash-mounted lever, and it's a dream to use. The short stick flicks up and down with incredible ease but it's generally a case of "into drive, and forget it" for most outings.

The Prius sits on the Corolla platform, and gives excellent service in the ride, handling, and stability departments.

On the specification level, the T Spirit's gadget list goes on forever. There's a multi-vision display screen with touch-screen controls for audio, air, and the satnav system, it has a telephone interface, cruise control, push-button start, electric windows and door mirrors, and steering powered by electric motor.

Take state of the art security, safety, and drive-by-wire technology all for granted in this machine.

But there are drawbacks to being radically different. The starting-up routine, array of information and general "hi-techness" of the Prius will take at least a week to settle into.

It is not one of those cars you immediately feel comfortable with, and even a 25-year-old IT whizzkid would find it hard to argue with that.

The steering wheel alone, for instance, has built-in buttons that will perform 16 different functions.

But if you stick with it, the rewards are great, both financially and in terms of driver/user satisfaction.

And for company cars drivers? Well, you've a head-start on the annual tax form, with an ultra-low AA Vehicle Excise Duty banding, and owning the Prius will certainly impress customers who have a caring environmental outlook.

The tested T Spirit is at the top of a three-model Prius line-up, the other two being T3 and T4.

The price doesn't include the Government grant support available for "green" cars under the Powershift programme.

Toyota dealers will have details of what you can claim back from the Treasury.

For more information, call Inchcape Toyota in Basingstoke on 01256 406500.