Getting to know your Prius

As the proud owner of a new Prius, I love driving my car knowing I'm doing a little bit every mile to lower my carbon footprint.

But I have to say, getting acquainted with the Prius has been unlike any of my previous cars. It took a little time to get used to the start button in place of a key ignition, that funny little gear shift knob located on the dashboard, and the fact that it's so quiet you can hardly tell it's running.

My first few spins felt a bit like being in an episode of a Jetsons cartoon, zooming around in my space-age mobile.

I can't say the experience hasn't come with some annoyances, like when I put the car in reverse and get an incessant beeping sound from the inside.

Shouldn't I already know I'm in reverse, especially since the TV-sized monitor shows the backup camera view? (This, by the way, is a funky new feature I do like, especially when parallel parking in tight spaces.)

All I can say is thank goodness for PriusChat.com, a website devoted to the growing contingent of Prius owners who want to get to know their new wheels, share how to troubleshoot problems, and, yes, how to override default settings such as those annoying beeps, which some sharp hacker figured out (thank you!).

You can also shop for custom-fitted accessories and find out how to pimp your ride with accessories such as replacing the whip antennae with a groovy shark fin.

Folks on this unique site also love swapping numbers about the mileage they're getting and how to increase mpg even further. (I'll share: 41 most days, which you can find out from the car's handy "consumption" screen.)

And unlike other social networking sites, most people don't post photos of themselves -- they post pictures of their beloved cars or an avatar of the model they have.

For those considering their next car, it's a great way to find out if the Prius is right for you. I've certainly been pleased with my purchase so far and with gas prices going nowhere but up -- beep or no beep -- you can't beat the mileage.

This car is certainly worth chatting about!