Toyota Prius 2016: the fourth generation arrives

The fourth generation of the popular Toyota hybrid has just been presented, and its futuristic design is strongly inspired by the Toyota Mirai, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It features improvements to the chassis, fuel efficiency, increases the charge of the nickel-metal hydride battery and grows in size. Pending details about its engine, performance and range, the Toyota Prius 2016 has already been classed as a completely new car.

Starting with its exterior design, the redesign of the model completely changes its look. It features a design strongly inspired by the Toyota Mirai, especially in the shape of the bodywork, where the rear side line ends in an integrated spoiler that divides the rear window. At the front, the light units are new in design, the logo sits lower and the grille is smaller, including LED daytime running lights on each side. The side view shows a silhouette strongly defined by the body lines at the bottom of the doors and the upper line that starts at the rear doors. The rear, for its part, features an integrated spoiler, vertical lights and a rear diffuser.

The interior of the Toyota Prius 2016 has a minimalist design, with a redesigned centre console finished in glossy black, where the infotainment system screen is integrated, the instrument cluster remains at the top of the dashboard, and the automatic gearbox selector is arranged vertically, accompanied by the electric parking brake. It also has an inductive charging point for phones located under the gear lever.

On the other hand, the new Prius is built using the Toyota New Global Architecture, which has brought a series of improvements over the predecessor. The chassis is now 60% more rigid, while the centre of gravity is lower, which has helped improve comfort and stability, allowing the powertrain to be positioned lower. Although Toyota has not revealed much data about its engine, it claims a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency and a thermal efficiency increase of more than 40%. Some parts and components of the hybrid system are now smaller, as is the smaller, newly developed nickel-metal hydride battery, which is said to be more durable and offer better charging performance.

The dimensions of the Toyota Prius 2016 have grown, being 60 mm longer, 15 mm wider and 20 mm lower than the previous model, and also more spacious in both the cabin and the boot. It features a new front suspension and a double-wishbone rear suspension, while in terms of safety it offers systems such as lane departure warning, pre-collision system, radar-based adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams and an exclusive European traffic sign recognition assistant.

Source | Toyota