It’s not often that a single automotive nameplate becomes virtually synonymous with a powertrain technology. Yet over the course of almost two decades, that’s exactly what has happened with the Toyota Prius. When you think hybrid electric, Prius is likely the first and probably only name that comes to mind. Late 2015 brought us an all-new fourth-generation Prius with some of the most substantial changes to date and I finally got an opportunity to drive it recently.
Toyota didn’t invent the concept of the power-split hybrid electric drivetrain, that honor belongs to some TRW engineers in the late-1960s. However, the technology to really make it viable just didn’t exist at that time. When the electronics and batteries did catch up in the 1990s, Toyota was first to market and has done more than any other company to popularize the idea. Since launching the original Prius in Japan in 1997, Toyota has sold more than 9 million hybrids globally and almost two-thirds have been Priuses. No other brand is even remotely close.
The most obvious change to the fourth-gen Prius is the design. While the basic fastback, hatch layout that we’ve had since the second-generation model debuted remains, the previously smooth body panels now feature some significant sculpting. Prior Priuses had a style that achieved the surprising combination of distinctive and dull. The new model tilts the scales heavily toward the distinctive end of the scale.
There is a clear influence from the Mirai with a boldly sculpted front fascia that mimics the large cooling air intakes of the fuel cell-powered car. The rear quarters also draw heavily on the Mirai’s boldly sculpted wheel arches and the glass that wraps around the rear also provides a similar effect. Given that the Mirai has benefited significantly from the cost optimizations made to the electric drive and electronics of Toyota’s hybrid efforts, it makes sense to give back in some way.
Whether you find the new Prius design to appealing will be a matter of personal taste. While it is a bit more futuristic looking, I’m not terribly enamored with the aesthetic. The other design element of the Prius that has always rubbed me the wrong way and continues to is the centrally mounted strip of instruments on top of the dash. Call me old school, but I still like my instrument cluster directly in front of me. At least the Prius I drove was equipped with a heads up display that floats out above the hood, although with my usual polarized sunglasses, it fades into almost unreadability.
Shot through a polarizing filter, this is almost as bad as the Prius screen looks through polarized sunglasses
On the other hand, the screen for the audio system was in the right place in the center of the dashboard, but the display chosen by Toyota is among the worst I’ve used recently. Off-axis viewing without glasses was just so-so and my polarized lenses distorted the view to the point where I had to lift my glasses each time I looked at the screen. This is clearly not an unsolvable problem as most other automakers now use displays that have little or no fade through sunglasses, most notably Hyundai/Kia and Ford.
Fortunately, the Prius information displays were my biggest functional complaint about the car. As has been written elsewhere, the new chassis setup has transformed this car into something that definitely drives better than a typical appliance. Until now, the Prius has always been about getting from point A to point B with the least amount of impact on the environment or the driver’s pulse. Older generations could best be described as lifeless with little or no feedback about what is happening at the road. While an enthusiast probably won’t want to consider swapping their FR-S for a Prius, the new double wish-bone rear suspension system has both improved the ride and made the car feel much more nimble despite the weight being virtually the same. The steering could still use some work and it might be better on upper trim levels with the 17-inch tires, but there is only going to be so much you can do with the low-rolling resistance rubber that Priuses run on.
Behind the plastic covers, you’ll find actually cast aluminum wheels
One interesting thing to note about the rolling stock is the wheels. The lower trims run on 15-inch wheels with plastic wheel covers. In the past, you would typically only find these on steel wheels, but the Prius actually has some decent looking cast aluminum wheels hiding behind the plastic.
You can’t talk about Prius without discussing powertrain, since this nameplate is so completely tied to the power-split hybrid electric layout. The basic architecture remains unchanged for 2016 but that doesn’t mean Toyota has been sitting still. The biggest change is the battery. The entry-level Prius Two retains the same nickel metal hydride technology that almost all Toyota/Lexus hybrids have used since 1997. Stepping up to any other trim level brings a smaller, lighter lithium ion battery that is now installed under the rear seat. That has allowed Toyota to lower the cargo floor, increasing the volume under the hatchback from 22 to 27 cubic feet.
The four-cylinder engine is a significant update of the 1.8-liter used in the past two generations of Prius. Thanks to revised combustion chambers, reduced internal friction and full-time cooled exhaust gas recirculation, Toyota claims this engine now gets over 40 percent thermodynamic efficiency. Considering that most modern engines barely get above 30 percent, that’s pretty impressive.
One other interesting detail is that Toyota has added a system that uses the exhaust gases to help heat the engine coolant, allowing for faster warm-ups. Since most of the emissions produced by modern engines come in the first couple of minutes after a cold start, before the catalytic converter heats up, once a hybrid starts its engine, it is kept on until the catalyst is functional. That means an engine may run for several minutes before auto shut off is enabled. The Toyota system enables the Prius engine to shut off sooner, usually within a minute, something that was definitely noticeable.
The other thing that was noticeable was the engine noise during acceleration. Let’s just say this is not one of the more refined sounding engines on the market. It runs pretty much devoid of vibration in light acceleration or steady state, it’s almost unnoticeable. But as soon as press deeper into the accelerator, it seems out of character. But that’s a minor quibble.
Let’s cut to the chase though. People don’t buy the Prius for its engine sound or its looks or its infotainment screen. They buy a Prius because they want one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road short of a full battery electric. Prius has been challenged many times over the years, most notably by Honda with two generations of the Insight and while those are gone, the Prius is still here. The most promising contender will arrive later this year from Hyundai when the new Ioniq goes on sale and rumor has it that it may well beat the Prius on fuel economy or at least come very close. But until we get hard numbers from Hyundai, we have the Prius. The EPA rates it at 54 mpg city, 50 mpg highway and 52 mpg combined, an improvement of 2 mpg over the 2015 model. I averaged 53 mpg over a week of driving but frankly when you’re in the 50 mpg, a couple of mile per gallon isn’t actually going to amount to much. The EPA calculator puts the savings at $50 per year over 15,000 miles.
As equipped with the $1,925 technology package my tester came to $29,842 including delivery charges. Among cars currently available without a plug, the Prius is as efficient as you’re going to find and if you don’t mind the spacey design and quirky interior, it now actually drives pretty well. If you want more efficiency, you’ll have to get a plug and use power from the grid. This fall, Toyota will be adding the Prius Prime to the lineup with much more battery and electric range than the previous generation plug-in hybrid. We don’t yet have details on pricing of that one but if you don’t want to wait, the current generation is fine as long as you skip the polarized sunglasses.
Click here for full specifications of the 2016 Toyota Prius
