Toyota Prius hybrid spruced up with added tech and safety features
Toyota’s Prius hybrid is the car that championed ecoconsciousness in the motoring world. It made green living hip long before Tesla arrived on the scene.
Now the fourth-generation model has been refurbished for 2021. Upgrades include Toyota Safety Sense, which brings safety aids such as a precrash system, adaptive cruise control, an automatic high beam, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert and lane trace assist.
Standard safety features include ABS brakes and vehicle stability control.
It is still available in eight exterior colours but pearl white has been replaced by a new platinum white pearl hue.
On the inside the Prius gets nifty tech in the form of a headup display, a reverse camera, a high-definition multi-information display, seat heaters, wireless mobile phone charging, dual-zone climate control, rainsensing wipers and an autodimming rearview mirror.
There is a higher-resolution
touchscreen infotainment system with a six-speaker system that supports media playback through auxiliary, USB ports and Bluetooth. It is updated to include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Toyota Connect, which is installed as standard and caters for in-car Wi-Fi connectivity with a complimentary 15GB of data on purchase, serves as a telematics interface with the MyToyota app.
The Prius still uses a hybrid 1.8l four-cylinder petrol engine mated to an electric motor and a CVT transmission. Total system output is 90kW and 305Nm.
The car uses deceleration, braking and the petrol engine to regenerate battery energy to support full electric vehicle mode, which is accessible only at speeds below 40km/h.
The powertrain is adjustable in three ways: solely on the petrol engine, the electric motor or a combination of the two.
The Prius model comes with a three-year/100,000km mechanical warranty, an eightyear/195,000km hybrid battery warranty, and six services/90,000km service plan.
It is priced at R566,400.
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES INCLUDE ABS BRAKES AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL