Toyota Prius Street Check

Product/Engine dimension: T Spirit / 1.8 litre petrol plus electrical motor

Fuel consumption combined: 70.6 mpg

The new, third era Toyota Prius hybrid is right here; it's even more affordable, but is it greater to drive?
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Request the average motorist to identify a green vehicle, and the chances are that they'll most likely come up with the Prius. This is testament to the large achievement that the Prius has been in promoting terms for Toyota. On the other hand the outgoing product is nonetheless noticed as slightly quirky fairly than mainstream.

Toyota is hoping that the third era version irons out the locations of weakness in the earlier design. Green-Vehicle-Manual has always celebrated the fact that the Prius has been the most efficient automobile in its class by a big margin - even so it fell quick of other rivals when it came down to the driving practical experience, so we had been hoping that this area in particular would be addressed with the new model.The Best Car Gas Mileage

Let's get started with the simple concept. If Toyota's advertising and marketing has worked, it is expected that most persons will know that the Prius is a hybrid. This signifies it has a petrol engine, plus an electric motor powered by a battery. The petrol engine propels the car most of the time. Nevertheless at very low speeds and reduced engine loads the electric motor by yourself can be utilised to power the vehicle. This implies zero emissions.

Then there is the situation wherever the petrol engine can draw on the electric motor to add further electrical power, these kinds of as when accelerating, so the petrol engine and motor each function together. This outcomes in a total of 134bhp getting obtainable - in contrast to just 98bhp from the petrol engine on your own.

When decelerating, the auto has regenerative braking, so any vitality that would commonly be wasted is rather captured and place back again into the battery.

This principle is no different to the past, 2nd era Prius. Nevertheless the complete process has been optimised, resulting in substantially enhanced efficiencies.

Interestingly, just at the time when numerous other suppliers are 'downsizing' their engines, the new Prius - the green vehicle icon bear in mind - truly gains a bigger engine. The old 1.five litre petrol unit is replaced with a 1.8 litre engine. This addresses a single of the shortcomings of the outdated automobile - the lack of electrical power at higher speeds. On the other hand as properly as resulting in much more energy, it also benefits in much better economic system. Amazed? Effectively the smaller sized engine had to be worked too very difficult at larger speeds, and the overall economy endured as a outcome. The new engine can spin at lower revs on extended runs and so is much more efficient - Toyota claims this tends to make it 10% a lot more economical at motorway speeds.

The battery and electrical motor engineering has also been improved, which means that the car or truck can use this resource of energy for additional of the time.

Not only has the drivetrain technologies been optimised, but so as well have the aerodynamics. The 3rd era Prius offers a drag coefficient of just .25. This indicates that the much more successful engine has significantly less operate to do, as the revised bodyshell passes by the air even additional cleanly.

The result of these enhanced efficiencies is an remarkable 72.4mpg, and emissions of just 89g/km CO2. These genuinely are outstanding figures for a auto of this dimension - following all it's a significant 5 seater hatchback with a good-sized boot. Nevertheless there are slight variations depending on the product you decide on. The more substantial 17 inch alloy wheels, as on the top rated-spec T Spirit models, lessen fuel consumption to 70.6mpg and improve emissions to 92g/km CO2. In accordance to the official figures, the mixed and urban mpg are equally exactly the identical (thanks to the hybrid technique).

It also seems to be very good. Though the styling is quite a lot evolutionary fairly than innovative, it does glimpse much more sculptured, and it has a wider stance, specially when specified with the 17 inch alloy wheels on the leading of the variety designs (as fitted to our check car). The base product gets 15 inch wheels with wheel covers, which can make the wheels seem extremely weedy - like a manufacturer's standard 'eco-special'.

Nonetheless you also stop up with the 15 inch wheels if you specify photo voltaic panels on the best spec car or truck (the solar-powered sunroof powers the air con whilst the auto is parked, but it also adds to the fat). It appears to be unusual that if you want a leading spec auto, Toyota tends to make you drive round with wheels that search as even though you have the lowest spec car or truck.

So the burning question - is the new Prius any superior to drive? Thankfully the solution is yes. A essential aspect why the new vehicle is much better is the reality that it now has three drive settings. Eco mode is the standard mode that drivers are meant to use. This manages the engine so it accelerates extremely slowly and gradually - but economically.

Nonetheless there is now a Energy mode. This outcomes in a enormous alter in the responsiveness of the car or truck. The Prius now accelerates like an keen hatchback - aided of course by its new, more substantial engine. For every day driving, this will be the mode that allows you to safely speed up out of junctions and overtake other automobiles. Nonetheless the economic climate will endure - on our test, the fuel consumption dropped from 60mpg+ in Eco mode to mid-40's in Electrical power mode.

There is also EV mode. This suggests that the automobile is powered exclusively by its electric motor, which means zero emissions, and virtual silence. Nevertheless the battery wants to be effectively-charged to allow you to pick this mode, and even though Toyota claims a 2km variety at speeds of up to 31mph on electrical power only, we sense it is unlikely that most proprietors would achieve this in authentic-life.

Of program if you want a Prius you have no selection but to also have its CVT transmission. If you don't like transforming gear, you'll probably like CVT transmission, but it's not to everyone's tastes. Nevertheless it does look to transmit the energy far more straight now; when accelerating in the aged car or truck you had been usually left with a feeling of higher revs, tons of noise, and no enhanced progress.

In addition to giving the 3rd era Prius the electrical power it wants, Toyota has also been hectic bettering the steering and suspension. The steering has better fat and the automobile feels much less wallowy all around corners. But it nevertheless doesn't have the driving dynamics of class-leaders in this location such as the Ford Concentrate.

1 peculiar weakness is that while the auto is certainly quite snug on motorways, it doesn't come to feel particularly secure at large speeds. And of program the Prius is front-wheel drive, which once more may well not be to everyone's liking.

If you've by no means driven a Prius just before then on your very first encounter with the interior you'll come across it really substantial-tech. The entire dashboard is quite diverse from the regular hatchback. For second era Prius owners who cherished the comprehensive miles-per-gallon readouts and graphical background of their economical driving, with each other with the capacity to see which bit of the drivetrain was performing what at any specific time, the new vehicle can do all that. But the data has moved scaled-down and in a slightly distinct format in a large-level show which replaces the central display discovered in the past model. This central screen remains but is reserved for other info these as that of the SatNav.

All types now also have a head-up exhibit - a digital readout projected onto the windscreen in front of you displaying your pace.

We're not keen on the handbrake that sits to the left of the brake pedal and which is operated by your foot - specially in conjunction with neutral currently being difficult to pin down on the gear selector.

The gear selector still capabilities the 'B' setting - this is a place into which you have to physically transfer the gear lever to capture greatest power recovery from the engine, ie, when decelerating down a hill. Bearing in head all the other technical developments of this automobile, you would consider that Toyota would uncover a way to make this function automatic instead than relying on the driver to do this (we imagine quite handful of individuals make the work to do this).

The top quality of the interior is good, maybe with the exception of the two glove compartment covers, which feel quite low cost. The driving place also feels like it could be enhanced, as the steering wheel always feels a bit major and as well near for comfort.

If we described all the know-how of this car it's probably that you'd be asleep properly prior to we'd completed. On the other hand it is worthy of mention that Toyota has persisted with 'old-fashioned' nickel metal hydride battery engineering fairly than adopt the more recent lithium-ion cells as the company believes this to be additional trustworthy.

In truth the old Prius has proved to be really trusted all round and has arrive out on leading in numerous buyer satisfaction surveys.

So what about cost? The Prius is accessible in 3 specifications: T3, T4 and the assortment-topping T-Spirit. Every single is very well-outfitted, the base T3 coming as regular with the new head-up show, seven airbags, climate handle and keyless go. It has the smaller 15" wheels, which strangely are basically alloys with wheel trims on top rated.

Toyota has really kept two out of the 3 designs at the exact same value as the aged automobile, with the array commencing at £18,370 for the T3.

The mid-spec T4 trim adds even bigger 17" wheels, cruise manage, Bluetooth and an 8-speaker sound technique, for £1,620 far more.

For £2,840 far more than the base model you get the variety-topping T-Spirit that adds sat nav, park help and a difficult disc music storage program.

There is the solution of a leather interior for £1,395, and the photo voltaic sunroof for £1,450 - but don't forget that you drop the 17" alloys if you want the sunroof.

In summary? The new Prius improves on the finest bits of the past model. It also addresses most of the weaknesses of the aged auto. It's snug, tranquil, and dependable. And it comes with the kind of know-how that you would only have observed on spacecraft a handful of a long time ago.

We would propose that the Prius delivers excellent worth for a vehicle that is so ahead of the competitors in the locations of economic climate, emissions and know-how - although also becoming a excellent-sized five seat hatchback.

Maybe most interestingly, Toyota has discovered a way to beat the technique. It has accomplished amazingly minimal official emissions for this dimension of car, at 89g/km CO2 for some designs. So you can advantage from free of charge road tax, and organization auto drivers will spend the lowest 10% for Benefit-in-Type firm car or truck tax. The Prius also remains congestion cost exempt.

However we assume it's most likely that when they're employing the vehicle, several drivers will maintain the Prius in Energy mode and get the overall performance and responsiveness that only a car in a increased tax bracket can supply. Surely this is the holy grail for all autos. It has a button to appreciate very low tax, and when you've attained that, there's another button to appreciate energy. How lengthy will it be ahead of other producers - and the authorities - catch on...?

Fuel consumption excess urban: 74.3 mpg

Fuel consumption urban: 70.6 mpg

CO2 emissions: 92 g/km

Green rating: VED band A - £

Bodyweight: 1370 Kg

Firm auto tax liability (2009/ten): ten%

Price tag £21,230 (From £18,390 to £21,230)

Insurance coverage group: 6

Energy: 97 bhp (petrol) 80 bhp (electric) technique 134 bhp

Max pace: 112 mph

-62mph: ten.four seconds