Adrian wrote:

Certainly I think I was only dreaming about any connection from the
steering wheel to the front wheels on the one that I drove - although the
noise levels and poor ride would certainly have woken me up in short order.

We discussed the Pious at work today. A couple of people have owned one,
several have been given one as a pool vehicle.

Anyone who has been in one comments on the ****-poor fuel economy, the
noise "gearbox sounds like a bag of spanners", poor acceleration,
indifferent ride/handling and nasty build quality.

Which reinforces the opinon that Drivel either (a) has never driven a
decent car or (b) has never driven a Prius or possibly (c) both of the
above.

It's worth noting from the Torygraph article that several respondents
claim that it is possible to get 60mpg in the Pious if one "learns how
to drive it for economy." Umm well yes, but the same techniques will
ensure one gets greater MPG from any vehicle. Hell, during the petrol
strike I got 32mpg from a Jag.