Test drive: Toyota Prius. Efficiency and cutting-edge design taken to the highest level

This week we’re joined by a revolutionary vehicle, a pioneer, the king of efficiency. A car that draws every eye wherever it goes, whether for its design or for its refined hybrid mechanics.

We are referring to the fourth generation of the Toyota Prius, launched just a few weeks ago, which marks a significant change in character, moving away from the taxi world to reach an audience looking for something different: an eco-friendly car with a futuristic design, very different from what we are used to.

The Toyota Prius first saw the light of day back in 1997, although that first generation was available only in the domestic market. It was the first production model with a hybrid powertrain combining electric propulsion with a petrol combustion engine. To date, the Japanese brand has sold more than 9 million hybrid units.

Exterior design

The Toyota Prius is a car that people love to look at. Children, adults and grandparents all wonder what car that is. The aesthetic change compared with the third generation has been dramatic, leaving behind its bodywork, which was practically that of an MPV, in favour of a futuristic saloon look.

The Prius bodywork measures 4.54 metres long, 1.76 wide and 1.47 high. Its wheelbase is 2.7 metres. The front view breaks every design convention we are accustomed to, especially in European models. The central section is dominated by the brand logo finished in blue tones, representing its hybrid nature, and chrome profiles. Just below the badge we see the very slim air intake for engine bay ventilation. On either side are sharp, stylish LED headlights shaped like a boomerang, to which a small appendix has been added for the indicator lights. Their termination in the central area gives rise to tension lines running across the bonnet in a V shape, adding more strength to its look.

In the lower part it receives a new air intake, now with more conventional proportions. At the ends, a triangular-shaped light is integrated, acting as daytime running light (with three small LEDs) and fog light.

If we look at the Toyota Prius from the side, we can appreciate the essential smoothness of the silhouette lines, which is crucial for gaining those tenths in efficiency and achieving an aerodynamic drag coefficient as low as this car’s: 0.24. The roofline begins to fall even before the centre pillar, running past the rear door and rear window before ending in a flat area that acts as an integrated spoiler. Once at this point the drop is completely vertical, leaving a very high tail. In short, it has a very low nose and a high rear cut off flush.

Looking at the details, we see that it features a “floating roof” effect by painting the rear pillar black, two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, and recesses to add visual strength, one at the top of the side and another at the bottom. On the front wings the inscription “hybrid” appears, as is customary on the hybrid versions of the Toyota.

The glazing of the rear section is divided by a small part of the bodywork running across it, acting as a spoiler. Although this is not very common, it is not the most striking feature of its rear. In the lower part of the bulky bumper there is a false diffuser finished in black.

Where our eyes inevitably go is to the thin, vertical light clusters. Their glazing combines red and white colours. The eye-catching thin lightning-shaped line houses the rear light (position/dipped beam), which makes it immediately recognisable when seen from afar on the road.

Interior design

Moving inside, the first thing that inevitably catches our attention is that white tone used on the plastic parts of the steering wheel, the lower area of the central console dedicated to transmission control, and the front section of the transmission tunnel. But let’s take things one at a time.

The materials used combine a soft touch (though not overly spongy) in the areas most exposed to touch, and harder ones elsewhere. In any case, the fit between all the parts is very good, and pressing on each component it is hard to hear any “creak”, so the impression is one of good quality.

All the instrumentation is located in the central area of the dashboard. In its upper part there are two 4.2-inch colour TFT screens, displaying the typical information of an instrument cluster, with many configurations and the ability to view multiple vehicle data; perhaps too many. On the right side it informs us of the transmission position, lights, driver assistance systems, etc.

Lower down, on the central console, is the 7-inch multifunction touchscreen. Through it we can control the entire audio system (JBL, by the way), navigation, Bluetooth and multiple vehicle settings. We have not had much trouble with glare on this screen and overall operation has been good but, as is common, finger grease quickly leaves our marks. The same happens with the glossy black plastic around its perimeter. Immediately after is the dual-zone climate control system.

At the end of the console we find the small gear lever, the P position button for the gearbox, a button to select the three driving modes and another for EV mode.
In the transmission tunnel there is a generous recess that allows inductive charging of our mobile phone (although we could not test it because our smartphones do not support it), and two bottle holders. All of this is in the white colour seen in the images. It creates a strong contrast that some will like and others will not.

The driving position is very good. The seats are very comfortable, holding our body well without being bothersome when getting in and out of the car, and they have electric lumbar adjustment. The remaining adjustments are manual. In addition, both the driver’s and passenger’s seats are heated, with two intensity levels. The poor placement of the buttons controlling the heating is surprising, as they are practically hidden.

The steering wheel has a good feel, but it is somewhat overloaded with its 18 buttons across the two horizontal spokes, plus the cruise control pod. It takes time to learn to operate all of them by touch alone without having to look away.

The Toyota Prius features the Head-Up Display system, which projects the speed onto the windscreen, avoiding constant glances down at the main speedometer. It also projects a graphic showing the real-time behaviour of the hybrid system and the road signs picked up by the camera mounted on the windscreen.

We leave the front seats and move to the back. The rear seat space is good, but not as comfortable as the front seats. The weakest dimension is headroom, where the early drop of the roofline takes its toll. On the other hand, legroom is quite good compared with the front seat. Although it is not very narrow, as in most saloons, when all three rear seats are occupied, squeezing is practically unavoidable.

If we fold down the central rear seat backrest we find an armrest with two cup holders. This makes the backrest of this seat harder and less comfortable. Furthermore, headroom is more limited here, as the seat cushion rises in this area. On the other hand, there are no air vents in the central tunnel, but there is a cigarette lighter-type power socket, as well as very easily accessible Isofix anchorages.

The boot is one of the new Toyota Prius’s strongest points. The boot offers 502 litres, which means it gains almost 60 litres over its predecessor, but only if we do not opt for the puncture repair kit. Apart from the generous load volume, its shape is very practical and the loading lip is not too high from the floor, making it easier to load and unload our items, especially heavy ones. It also helps that the boot uses a tailgate rather than a lid. It does not use a rigid tray but a roll-up cover, which is considerably more practical.

To fold down the rear seats we must use the buttons located next to the side headrests; this operation cannot be performed from the boot. With the seats folded down the load volume rises to 1,633 litres.

Driving

This new generation of the Toyota Prius has lost a few horsepower compared with its predecessor, going from 136 to 122 hp. The powertrain remains the same, combining the 1.8-litre petrol engine running on the Atkinson cycle with the electric motor. The loss of power is due to a new tuning of the combustion engine that prioritises efficiency, now reaching an energy efficiency of 40%. Toyota has also increased the battery capacity, extending the time we can drive without the petrol engine starting. The Prius is sold exclusively with this engine and, for now, no plug-in hybrid variant is available.

The Japanese brand homologates acceleration figures of 0 to 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.

When we take the controls of a hybrid model, our driving style subconsciously changes. In the case of this Toyota Prius, the exceptionally smooth operation together with the cabin’s silence, even when the petrol engine is running, makes us relax and drive calmly. The atmosphere we perceive invites it.

The response of the powertrain is completely linear, pushing with the same energy whatever speed we are travelling at; everything depends on how far we press the accelerator. The e-CVT automatic gearbox avoids jerks and gear shifts, raising the engine speed more or less according to our right-foot demand. When pulling away from a standstill and in slow manoeuvres, such as parking, it is very easy to modulate the power and it is not at all abrupt, performing better in this respect than other automatic gearboxes.

When entering a roundabout with heavy traffic or leaving a junction where we need agility when pulling away from a standstill, the Toyota Prius, like most hybrids, performs very well. As soon as we press the accelerator, the car delivers a large amount of torque and in the first few metres we gain more speed than in a diesel or petrol car.

It is true that the slipping sensation typical of this type of transmission is not very pleasant when accelerating hard, but the new configuration prevents the engine speed from rising too much at the slightest hint from the right foot. In addition, the engine insulation work is very well achieved, and the level of noise reaching the cabin is lower than, for example, in the Toyota Auris Hybrid.

As for fuel consumption, it depends quite a lot on how the car is used, but it is fairly modest. In fact, it may be the car that consumes least of all those I have driven. The manufacturer homologates 3.3 litres for all three measurement conditions, namely urban, extra-urban and combined. Throughout our test we averaged 4.5 litres per 100 km, higher than the homologated figure, but by no means is it a thirsty saloon.

We achieved partial figures of 2.7 l/100 km on stretches at medium speedsIts greatest advantage is in urban roads and on roads between 80 and 100 km/h. On a stretch of about 15 kilometres on the M-40 road around Madrid, at speeds between 80 and 100 km/h, being very careful with the accelerator and taking advantage of inertia, the partial recorded an average consumption of just 2.7 l/100 km. Even when driving at these speeds, if the power demand is very light and the battery has enough charge, the petrol engine stops working, running solely on electric power.

In more normal driving, without concern for fuel economy, on motorways at 120 km/h with cruise control engaged, readings are usually close to 5.5 litres.

It features four driving modes: PWR, Normal, ECO and EV mode. In the first three, the main difference is the mapping of the accelerator pedal, making it more or less responsive, and the way the climate control is managed through the load imposed by the air conditioning compressor. EV mode can only be used below 60 km/h and when the battery has sufficient charge, as it tries to keep the electric motor running alone for as long as possible without starting the petrol engine. It is very useful for short urban journeys, especially if we have to tackle steep gradients, as that is where a combustion engine consumes the most.

The steering has little feel, like all electric power-assisted steering systems. It is very light and soft, which makes urban driving easier. Despite being so soft, its precision has surprised us. It does not force us to make corrections mid-corner, and that is a real advantage. That said, we would have liked some option to adjust its firmness.

The chassis setup is perfect for this type of car. As for the chassis tuning, its calibration suits this type of car perfectly. The suspension absorbs road irregularities very well, even on quite broken asphalt, where we do not feel the typical rebound that knocks the car off its line. If we drive dynamically, the bodywork will roll, but not excessively. In our view, the people at Toyota have hit the nail on the head with the configuration of this saloon, which does not aim to put smiles on faces on a mountain pass, instead prioritising, once again, ride comfort. At the front it uses MacPherson strut suspension, while at the rear it employs a deformable torsion beam.

What does take some getting used to is the brake feel, but after a few minutes on urban roads we become accustomed to it. Braking is progressive as the pedal is pressed down, but we do not get that sensation of a direct connection between our foot and the brake calliper pistons.

And since we are talking about brakes, there is one aspect we did not like. The Toyota Prius is a car with a lot of technology and cutting-edge features, even futuristic in some respects. However, it surprised us that, at a time when more and more cars use electric parking brakes operated by a simple button, Toyota has opted for a parking brake that is neither hand-operated nor button-operated, but pedal-operated. This pedal is also mounted very high, so much so that when it is released and we want to “apply” it, we have to raise our left leg excessively. Honestly, we would have preferred a simple little button.

How much does the hybrid of choice cost?

The Toyota Prius can only be chosen with one powertrain and one trim level. We can only customise it by choosing one of the seven available body colours; our test car was in Cobalt Blue, which costs €500, and with a leather-upholstered interior that our test unit did not include and which costs €1,500.

That said, it is a fairly well-equipped vehicle as standard, with multiple airbags, heated seats, lane departure warning, rear camera, adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charger, Head-Up Display, blind-spot sensor, parking assistance, pre-collision safety system with pedestrian detection, and the Toyota Touch 2 & GO infotainment system.

The total price of our test unit at the time of the test is €29,740, including the Plan PIVE scrappage scheme and promotions.