Opposites Attract Attention

No such luck for the drivers behind him, of course.

Builta also likes the fact that other drivers get out of his way. "People just move," he said, having no trouble navigating through rush-hour traffic. "It's nice."

Parallel parking isn't as hard as people think, he said. It helps that the side-view mirrors move automatically to make it easier. It's finding parking garages that he can get into that's the real problem.

As tough as Hummers look from the outside, they are every bit as luxurious on the inside. Builta's model has warmers on all its leather seats, front and back. A touch-screen computer controls the air conditioning, defrosters and other staples, as well as satellite radio, an onboard navigation system and the OnStar emergency communications system. A phone is hooked into the steering wheel and has a hands-free option that uses the car's speakers, while a digital readout tracks gas mileage from moment to moment.

The view from Janowsky's front seat is equally uncommon. Information for the driver -- and there is tons of it -- is also on a small touch-screen computer.

Displays show where the gas and electric engines are (regular engine in front, electric in back), which engine is being used and how much power is left in the electric motor. Another display tracks gas mileage on a bar chart in five-minute increments.

The oddest part of the Prius is how it starts. There is no key; Janowsky just puts her foot on the brake and presses a button. (Drivers carry a transponder that automatically unlocks the door and is needed in the car to start it. A set of instructions is available for confused valets.)

Then it gets weirder. The car makes no sound when it is turned on because it isn't using its gas engine at this point. The uninitiated have no clue that it is ready to drive.

A couple of things Janowsky would like people to know about her Prius: It doesn't have to be plugged in. The battery automatically recharges when drivers brake. And the pickup is just fine, thank you.

"It's a normal car," she said. "It just happens to get 50 miles to a gallon."

Janowsky said her car always starts slow, and, indeed, the gas mileage on the computer readout for the first five minutes is a not-so-impressive 25 miles a gallon. But it shoots up from there, quickly hitting 52 miles a gallon. The big payoff is when Janowsky hits traffic and the Prius automatically switches from gas to electric. Then the mileage meter registers a whopping 78 miles a gallon.

Janowsky doesn't run into that much traffic, though, because she is able to use Interstate 66 on her commute from Falls Church to the District, even though it is restricted to carpoolers.