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Since this past Sunday I got designated the familial long-term airport parking and shuttle bus for the holiday, I had a chance to check out the packability (among other things) of the Youngest Brother's new Prius. Dang, those things are bigger inside than they are outside! The seats-folded cargo bed has about the same footprint as my current Ford Escort wagon. It isn't even clear that the overall cargo volume is reduced by its being a hatchback, since the high point of the roof is taller than the wagon and the low point isn't all that low.

On closer examination, what confused me is that the overall shape of the Prius proclaims "compact hatch-back" but the actual size is definitely "standard" rather than "compact". It's sort of like those deceptively-shaped SUVs that have the same silhouette as a little hatchback except the dimensions are all 1.5x larger. (I also got a brief tour of various other features of the car, although I didn't push for a test drive. 'Course ... I have the keys, and he's on the opposite coast ....)

I do confess to being a little disappointed that I've removed the need to show up at the Toyota dealership with my harp in tow to ask for a "test-pack" Ah well.