Updates refine the Prius

Taking the ‘safe’ option of an upgrade rather than a redesign has worked wonders for the Prius, says Damien O’carroll.

with a soft, dead and utterly muted pedal being a result of the hybrid’s regenerative braking system, but the new car has largely fixed this. That’s only “largely fixed” it, that is, because the Prius still doesn’t offer brakes bristling in feel, and the pedal is still quite soggy, but it is far, far better than it was. Now we come to the exterior. By far the most challenging and controversial aspect of the new Prius, people tend to either love it or hate it. Well, mostly hate it if I’m being completely honest. But I am not one of the haters and, by the end of my time with the Prius, was starting to find its bold, angular looks quite appealing. Reminiscent of the even more challenging Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car, the new Prius certainly can’t be accused of being boring any more, certainly not in a visual sense. And that is a large part of what I liked about the Prius – it is a bold and challenging-looking on the outside, fantastically refined, comfortable and hightech on the inside, almost stupidly frugal, not awful to drive and, dammit, interesting. Never a collection of words I ever thought I would write about a Prius. Whether or not these are things traditional Prius customers want in a car is open to debate, but if you have never considered a Prius before and want something that is interesting, comfortable and frugal, then you owe it to yourself to give it a look.