Better Prius offers sportier driving

A sporty Prius? It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but the latest version has better handling and a more modern look. John Oxley reports.

The Toyota Prius is many things. Practical, economical, quiet, and quite roomy. But sporty and good-looking? Not a bar of it – until now. Toyota has taken a long hard look at the Prius, and decided to make it more attractive to more buyers. Although its little brother the Prius C has been claiming the biggest share of the hybrid market in NZ lately, the Prius has shown declining sales since 2010, and its popularity as a taxi has been usurped by the bigger Camry Hybrid. Toyota NZ marketing boss Steve Prangnell hopes the new model will reverse that trend despite low fuel prices which are making the Prius’ legendary fuel economy less of an issue to buyers. It’s the first model to be developed under the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) programme, which will become the basis of several other new models, and which is designed to offer a more involved driver experience and better occupant protection via an all new chassis and an improved drivetrain. It’s also bigger and more spacious, 60mm longer, 15mm wider than the third generation car and with the same 2,700mm wheelbase, but the cabin is 205mm longer and 20mm wider for more interior room. Front seat hip points have been lowered by 59mm and the steering wheel angle has been changed for better driveability. Three key measures on the Prius have been to lower the centre of gravity by moving the battery under the back seat – a move which also frees up some boot space – as well as a new, more sophisticated, double wishbone rear suspension, plus a more rigid body, the latter helping not just the handling, but also reducing vibration and noise. However, for many people it will be the looks of the new Prius that will be the most attractive feature. On the outside the front end is lower and the whole body more aerodynamic, with a funky new look that’s modern and trendy, with new automatic bi-beam LED headlights with automatic levelling and a single lens to reduce the height of the bonnet, and providing a striking appearance with the curved LED daytime running lights. And at the back, large high mounted tail lights and a roof spoiler give the new Prius a distinctive look. The interior has been redesigned to make the most of the extra space, with black soft-touch panels and gloss white accents. We loved the former but hated the latter – harked back to the Holden Volt’s white plastic interior! Which is a pity, for the rest of the car was excellent. There’s a revised dash and centre console layout, with the seven-inch audio display plus two 4.2 inch multi information displays side by side. Data and images are presented in full colour with high-resolution graphics, and for the first time induction charging of cell phones is available. The new Prius also has in improved powertrain, with reduced friction in the 1.8-litre engine, for claimed overall fuel economy of 3.4L/100km. Three models are available: GX, at $47,490, GX Touring, at $49,990, and ZR at $54,990. Standard features on the GX include a reversing camera, 15-inch alloy wheels with covers, DRLS, smart key entry, climate aircon, Bluetooth, voice recognition, 60/40 split rear seats which can increase boot capacity from 457 litres to 1,507 litres, and LED front fog lights. The Touring package adds a leatherrimmed steering wheel, satnav with SUNA traffic alert, and 17-inch alloy wheels, while the ZR adds leather upholstery, eight way power adjustable driver’s seat, dual zone driver’s and front passenger seat heaters, blind spot monitor, and rear cross traffic alert. Other features across the range include a colour head up display, lane departure alert, all-speed dynamic radar cruise control, and automatic high beam. On the road the car was even quieter than we remember from the previous model, and a lot nicer to drive. It was especially interesting to note that in its bid to enhance the driver experience, Toyota has made the Power mode an adaptive system which monitors acceleration and G force to determine if the car is being driven “enthusiastically”, whereupon the system will then allow sportier acceleration and deceleration.