FIRSTDRIVE TOYOTA PRIUS THIRD GENERATION:Honda may challenge Toyota over who brought hybrid to market first, but the Prius brought it to the masses, writes MICHAEL MCALEER, Motoring editor
NOW IN its third generation, the poster car for the petrol-electric alternative to simple fossil fuel engines is still the closest most people can come to powering themselves along on electric power for at least some part of their journey.
There might be much talk of plug-in cars on the way and several small “quirky” full electric models on the market, but in this car, Toyota has managed to mix a mainstream supplier – with all its guaranteed support – with cleaner technology. No wonder it has become a favourite for a world of celebrities and image-conscious politicians.
So what’s generation three like? As expected, it’s an evolution from the original, complete with a host of improvements.
As Prius prepares to become a model for the general masses and not just early adopters, the new car has become more like every other family car. It’s retained some of the original’s design DNA but the overall offering is a more mature take on the family car market.
The inside is very well laid out, there’s ample back legroom, the boot offers 445 litres with the rear seats up (1,120 with them folded down) and there’s the array of extras one can expect from a family car including cruise control and some nice steering wheel controls.
It’s true the interior plastics could be better quality, particularly those tactile areas near the driver. However, the overall fit and finish is on a par with most family cars these days, including Toyota’s own Avensis.
However, this car is not simply about design and practicality. The Prius is really about the powertrain. Here Toyota has taken on board criticism of the outgoing generation. This centred mainly on the lack of control the driver has over the use of electric power and the difficulty in matching claimed fuel consumption figures, particularly when the car was on long motorway runs. While around town you might spend plenty of time on battery power, on open roads it was really just another 1.5-litre petrol car.
Toyota has addressed these issues. For a start, the driver can choose three modes: EV or Electric mode; Eco mode; and Power. In the first mode, which operates at under 50km/h, the car can be driven solely on the battery for up to 2km before the engine plays its part. The other two modes are pretty self-explanatory.
In terms of dealing with fuel consumption at motorway speeds, the decision to opt for a larger 1.8-litre engine is actually a fuel-saving measure. The larger engine runs at lower revs when travelling at motorway speeds and offers less resistance. The end result is a claimed average fuel consumption figure of just 3.9l/100km.
We tested the car over a fine mix of Swedish roads and motorways and managed a very reputable 5.6l/100km, with most of the time spent in Power mode on the first day. When we opted for Eco mode, fuel savings were even better. One pair of colleagues even managed to complete a run of about 40km with an average of just 2.3l/100km, which is very impressive, though unlikely to be maintained over the long-term.
On the city streets of Stockholm – where Prius ownership is the highest per capita in Europe – we pottered around in the eerie silence of electric mode, emitting not a gram of carbon or using a drop of fuel.
It’s all very impressive, and all the more so because this is no longer some tree-hugging excuse for a car: this is a proper, competitive family car. In terms of handling, it’s never going to offer a challenge to the sharper dynamics of the likes of the Ford Mondeo or the Opel Insignia, but it does have better handling characteristics than its predecessor.
Part of the blame lies with a rather slow-reacting CVT transmission that often takes a few seconds to translate your throttle demands into power delivery. That’s even when in Power mode and something that can perhaps be tweaked by Toyota.
One feature that Toyota is keen to underline is the Prius’s reliability. With nearly 12 years of Prius and 1.2 million sales under its belt, Toyota claims the Prius has recorded a warranty record equal or better than the rest of the Toyota fleet. It matches the likes of the Corolla and Avensis in terms of reliability – a pretty impressive feat.
Prius is facing increasing challenges in its third guise, with the imminent onset of plug-in rivals and several other hybrid competitors.
Nevertheless, its evolution from environmental crusader to everyday clean car is nearly complete and, with prices likely to match the predecessor, we can expect the Prius to be an increasingly common sight in car parks, giving Toyota’s other big-selling models a real run for their money.
Engine: 1,798cc four-cylinder petrol engine offering 98bhp and 142Nm of torque; separately there is a 650-volt electric motor capable of 80bhp and 207Nm; battery is a nickel-metal hybrid putting out 36bhp; total maximum output from the hybrid synergy drive is 136bhp
Top speed: 180km/h
0-100km/h: 10.4 secs
Fuel consumption: urban – 3.9l/100km; extra-urban – 3.7l/100km; combined – 3.9l/100km
CO2 emissions: 89g/km
Bootspace: 445 litres
Price: €28,000 (estimated)
On sale: October