Do you remember how you felt when you finally passed your driving test? And what about the moment you gripped the steering wheel of your very own car for the first time? This newfound independence suddenly meant that wherever the journey, however congested and necessary it was, you were free and happy behind the wheel.
Just like any relationship, the honeymoon period fades. Driving is stressful. Fighting for every inch of road, non-stop gear changes, red traffic lights, endless congestion, pedestrians and cyclists with their own agendas…
It’s time to remember what it felt like to love driving, to experience the joy rather than the pain. It’s time to fall in love with driving again: behind the wheel of a Toyota Hybrid, where we believe the stress and frustration can fade away.
We put this theory to the test and filmed 30 drivers, over 120 hours, as they navigated some of the busiest roads in Europe. Driving a non-hybrid and then a hybrid car, we observed changes in their emotions as they faced the everyday challenges of city driving.
Carried out under the watchful eye of Professor Jonathan Freeman, Managing Director of i2 media research in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths University London, the drivers in our unique experiment reported a universally positive experience of hybrid, with over 80% feeling less stressed, frustrated and angry. They really did end up calmer and happier behind the wheel.
So sit back and meet the 30 drivers as they experience their highs and lows, the pleasure and pain of driving in a city that would get the coolest driver hot under the collar. The first stop on our journey was Rome…
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Toyota at Paris Motor Show 2018