If you’re a fan of the unorthodox or simply want one of the best-built cars on the road that
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
just happens to pass by more fuel pumps than anything not purely electric, the new Prius is for you.
The countless Prius taxi cabs with insanely high mileage clearly attest to the car’s dependable build quality whereas its unusual new styling certainly speaks loudly for itself, as does 4.4 L/100km city, 4.6 highway and 4.5 combined. The only thing left is deciding how you want to option it out.
The Prius before you is top of the line, kind of. If you attempt to “build” one via Toyota Canada’s online configurator you’ll initially see the Prius Touring as the priciest model with a suggested window sticker of $29,330 plus freight and dealer fees compared to this Technology which starts at $28,730 (the base model starts at
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
$25,995 plus freight and dealer fees), and the price difference visually makes sense as it boasts a sharp looking set of angular fog lamps, larger 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and standard leather-like Softex upholstery, items that are noticeably missing from Technology trim, so if you don’t bother to configure the less expensive model you might never realize it can be had with a $3,260 Advanced package that ups its content to include a lot of features not available with the Touring such as rain-sensing wipers, a head-up display unit, auto-dimming rearview mirror, universal garage door opener, eight-way powered driver’s seat with powered lumbar support, heatable front seats (that are optional with the base model but unavailable with the Touring… yes, how ridiculous is that here in Canada?),
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
front clearance and reverse parking sensors, Toyota’s Intelligent Parking Assist (self-parking), laminated side glass (for noise reduction), blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and a tire repair kit in place of the spare tire, plus the Softex pleather upholstery that comes standard with the Touring model. In other words you get a much-improved car minus the sportier, more attractive aluminum wheels and ultra-stylish fogs. Incidentally, there’s a top-line model in the U.S. that includes everything, but for reasons I can’t begin to fathom Toyota Canada has left this car off the menu and therefore we’re stuck making a nail-biting decision, do you go with style or substance?
I know what I would do. I’d opt for all of the Technology’s kit, buy the fog lamp fittings
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
from my local dealer’s parts counter, and then upgrade the wheels with an even sweeter set of aftermarket rims, because I wouldn’t want to do without the anti-glare benefits of an auto-dimming rearview mirror, the added comfort from a multi-adjustable powered driver’s seat, the convenience of rain-sensing wipers (they’re really helpful on the wet coast), and wow factor plus safety benefits of a head-up display system, and speaking of safety I’d feel more comfortable with blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert (they’ve saved me from near certain fender benders before). There’s just one more problem. Well, it’s not a problem for me per se, because I live in one of the cities where you can purchase the Prius Technology, but if you reside anywhere else but metro Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver you’re out of luck.
After
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
seeing the Prius Touring, the Technology model seems like it’s missing something when viewed up front or from its side profile, the dimpled black plastic covers at each corner of the lower front fascia leaving it toothless and smaller 16-inch alloys making it appear as if I was too cheap to step up for a better equipped car, but the Prius’ general design is eye-catching to say the least. The radically shaped standard LED headlamps grab initial attention unless viewing from the back at which point its equally stunning LED taillights shock with delight, followed by a body boasting myriad complex folds and curves from any vantage point and all angles, the car’s overall silhouette more of a four-door coupe than hatchback, although its overall functionality made obvious as soon as you take a peek inside.
It’s large, even more so than the car it replaces with 61 millimetres (2.4 inches) of
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
additional length and 15 mm (0.6 inches) of extra width, albeit a slight drop in height of 20 mm (0.8 inches), yet it rides on an identical 2,700-mm (106.3-inch) wheelbase. This results in even better space optimization than the outgoing model with loads of room up front, even more in the comfortable back seat and a cargo compartment that’s increased by 85 litres (3.0 cubic feet) over the outgoing model, expanding from 612 litres (21.6 cubic feet) to 697 litres (24.6 cubic feet). My Technology tester has yet another 79 litres (2.7 cubic feet) of stowage space because of that aforementioned tire repair kit, resulting in a total of 776 litres (27.4 cubic feet) behind the rear seats. Of course there’s more space when you lower those 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, making the Prius good for loading in bicycles, furniture and other large items.
Enough
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
about practicalities, what about luxury? Luxury in a Prius? True, Toyota listened to customer wants and needs as well as we auto journalists’ constant complaints and improved the latest model’s cabin considerably. They even went so far to wrap the front roof pillars with fabric, a totally unexpected upgrade that lends the car premium ambience, although not as much overall richness as the luxuriously soft synthetic instrument panel and similarly supple front door uppers, whereas the comfortable armrests have been upgraded as well as the seats. Toyota finished the instrument panel, the door inserts and the seat surfacing of my tester in an attractive Harvest Beige hue, standard with its $255 optional Hypersonic Red exterior paint, which makes for a stylish two-tone design. Those door
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
inserts are made from a nice soft painted harder plastic that you’ll find difficult to tell apart from the soft stuff due to the same grain and matte finish, plus it feels better than the old car’s plastics and absorbs sound better too.
The primary gauge cluster once again resides at centre atop the dash, and while visibility has never been optimal in this position (the head-up display helps in this respect) it’s a much finer unit than the one prior thanks to crisper resolution, brighter colours and better graphics, while it’s filled with two driver-configurable 4.2-inch colour multi-information displays for monitoring energy use, the flow of ICE (internal combustion engine) and hybrid system energy, plus your Eco score, while also providing driver support systems, audio info, navigation info, and much more, whereas the seven-inch infotainment touchscreen on the centre stack is a particularly
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
well executed bit of digital art and filled with a split display, rearview camera with guidelines, accurate navigation system, advanced voice recognition, Toyota’s App Suite, six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio with aux and USB ports, plus Bluetooth hands-free with phonebook access and streaming audio, whereas a Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charger sits in the lower console just below.
Where the infotainment display and nicely designed single-zone auto HVAC interface are surrounded in black lacquered plastic that’s thicker at centre before tapering as it nears the doors in a very nice example of artistic interior design work, that lower console is oddly formed from white lacquered plastic that’ll either leave you loving it or hating it. I like it a lot, as well as the glossy white used for the small shifter panel just above and same application for the steering wheel spokes, but I must admit to finding it strange that the only other car to employ anything
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
similar was the previous generation Chevrolet Volt. I went on at length about the design team’s choice to mimic a competitor in my review of the Prius Touring so I’ll leave it at that this time around, but I’m still a bit bewildered.
Styling aside, my Technology test car included a lot of kit not yet mentioned such as heatable powered side mirrors, proximity-sensing entry with pushbutton start, tilt and telescopic steering, dynamic radar cruise control, active grille shutters, auto on/off Bi-LED projector low- and high-beam headlamps with LED accents and auto high beams, LED DRLs, LED tail lamps (all the LEDs are actually pulled up from the base model), ABS-enhanced four-wheel
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
discs, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, Smart Stop Technology, traction and stability control, front seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, active front headrests with whiplash protection, a pre-collision system and lane departure alert, plus all the usual airbags as well as a knee blocker for the driver and a front passenger seat cushion airbag. So equipped the Prius earns an IIHS Top Safety Pick + rating, while all trims achieve five stars from the NHTSA.
Noteworthy, Technology and Touring models also feature pedestrian detection as part of their standard Safety Sense system, a feature that incorporates millimeter-wave radar within the windshield-mounted camera’s recognition data, while the headlamps get near-infrared-ray projectors to help detect pedestrians at night, very helpful when driving down a dark road at high speed.
High
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
speed in a Prius? Don’t laugh, the previous model wasn’t exactly a performance car but it went well enough, but this new one is an altogether more entertaining five-door. Just flick the fabulous electric blue shifter knob into “D” before pressing the Drive Mode selector past Eco to Power mode and then head for the hills. Hopefully you’ll find some nice long straights to let its legs stretch on your way, although it really impresses in the curves. Yes, I’m still talking about the Prius, and while this Technology isn’t quite as nimble as the Touring due to its smaller rims and higher profile tires it’s still a mover, hustling quickly through snaking backroads and feeling poised and confident during the process.
In order to achieve such grace under pressure Toyota’s engineers recalibrated the steering
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
for better response and even more importantly replaced the old torsion beam rear suspension with a more capable independent double wishbone design as part of a change to the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), while the battery is now placed under the rear seat for a lower centre of gravity (and that extra cargo space noted earlier) plus the body shell is much more rigid, all combining for deft handling characteristics. The new suspension design also makes the Prius smoother over pavement irregularities, while all the added stiffness mentioned a moment ago makes it a quieter car too.
Additionally, the new Prius felt quicker at takeoff and stronger during passing maneuvers, but its on-paper performance makes it appear as if it should be slower
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
than the old model. Really, last year’s Prius was said to be good for 134 net system horsepower and this year’s only puts out 121, but take heart as it has more to do with changes to the Japanese rating system than anything electromechanical, the performance improvements are quite real. Despite the Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine’s identical 1.8-litre displacement and variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) it’s a completely new powerplant that’s now capable of 40-percent greater thermal efficiency, depending on operating conditions, while Toyota redesigned each and every component of its Hybrid Synergy Drive system so as to improve efficiency while reducing size, weight and cost.
Both the Technology and Touring include the upgraded 0.75-kilowatt per hour lithium-ion motive battery, which means I haven’t yet tested a Prius with its base 1.2-kW/h
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| Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
nickel-metal hydride power unit. This said the fact that there is now a choice between two batteries is a first for the Prius, other than the plug-in model that carries forward this year in the old body style, 4.4-kW/h L-ion battery and all. The benefit of two batteries in the new car is twofold: the older NiMH unit allowing for a less expensive entry-level price point and the introduction of L-ion technology elevating the new Prius’ image.
I don’t know about you, but the new 2016 Prius certainly doesn’t have an image problem. Along with its daring exterior design and much-improved interior comes heightened performance yet even better fuel economy, a win-win combination if there ever was one. While Toyota will want to remedy its optional trim issues quickly so buyers who want a Prius with the works aren’t seen arguing with their dealer about not being able to get fog lamps and 17-inch alloys on the techiest version of this ultimately high-tech hybrid, the car itself is a major improvement over the previous model that was already one of the best HEVs on the market. Expect to see this new Prius just about everywhere soon.
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