by Toyota began in 1997 – 25 years ago – a success story with the Prius, which was initially completely new in the automotive sector, with the creation of a vehicle equipped with a battery that reduced emissions and fuel consumption. fuel.
In this first approach to electrification, the success of the model was not impressive, but, like many technologies and many products, an investment is necessary to then have a return and this was the case of Toyota with the Prius.
In the new generations, the Prius gains notoriety when several Hollywood stars begin to buy these cars, the still irreverent design becomes more consensual and the reflection is that sales explode, with 20 million units sold including 4 million in Europe.
Personally, I liked the model as a whole, especially since I had tested it and, in England too, it was a car that I used a lot as a taxi, the different drivers sending the message: durability, efficiency and low maintenance cost. Today, the acronym of the brand is QDF – quality, durability and reliability.
I particularly remember a taxi driver who told me that he had traveled more than 400,000 km and that some cells had already been damaged, but had been exchanged for ridiculous values. What is certain is that it was already a comfortable, robust and well-built vehicle.
Nowadays we look at the fifth generation and I am pleasantly surprised because the Prius has become a very nice model and even more stands out in the launch color, mustard yellow or blue. Viewed from the side, it is extremely aerodynamic with the front window extending from the bonnet and the rear ending in a coupé-like style, with the rear wheel arch being wider giving it a more robust and sporty appearance. . .
The front is thin, very aerodynamic, with several deflectors to improve efficiency, dynamics and wind noise, with the automatically opening grille.
I believe that, once again, we will have another Toyota model that will turn heads because it is visually appealing.
The engine that equips it is a 2.0 l which, together with the battery, has a maximum power of 223 horsepower, which allows it in exclusively electric mode up to 70 km of autonomy, and in the top version of range, equipped with a sunroof, it can recover 6 km per day from there.
The interior is shamelessly Toyota, which means a well-built vehicle with good quality materials. The vegan leather seats are comfortable and supportive! The instrument display is fully digital, small but readable and with the necessary features. The horizontal central panel concentrates the remaining functionalities of the model and, below, it has the air conditioning buttons.
On the central console we find the gear lever, the different driving modes and also the possibility of driving in fully electric mode, of being able to charge the battery with the combustion engine, of storing the battery for later use and, in the case of cities that have low emission zones and, using the navigation system, the Prius automatically saves the necessary battery so that we can then drive in this area in electric mode.
Speaking of technology here, the Prius has also innovated with the air purification system and the automatic parking system, where outside the car we can also control it to park it in the right place.
And on the road how does it behave?
The Prius is an all-new car and has upgraded many of its well-known qualities to the next level. That’s why we found a comfortable car, with very good behavior, an available engine and precise steering with good sensations. In the few kilometers we covered in town and on the road, we should mention the good soundproofing and the reduction of engine noise during hard acceleration.
Leaving for a deeper analysis in a more detailed test but mentioning that the Prius has three ranges – Exclusive, Luxury and Premium with values between 42 and 50 thousand euros.
In summary, Toyota has a model here that will captivate many customers of the brand and others outside it, because adding to the value that the brand has in Portugal and around the world, the design of the model is captivating enough to take customers to the dealership. . It is therefore a sure brand value.
