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Model/Engine size: T Spirit / 1.8 litre petrol plus electric motor
Fuel consumption combined: 70.6 mpg
The new, third generation Toyota Prius hybrid is here; it's even more economical, but is it better to drive?
Ask the average motorist to name a green car, and the chances are that they'll probably come up with the Prius. This is testament to the huge success that the Prius has been in marketing terms for Toyota. However the outgoing model is still seen as slightly quirky rather than mainstream.
Toyota is hoping that the third generation version irons out the areas of weakness in the previous model. Green-Car-Guide has always celebrated the fact that the Prius has been the most efficient car in its class by a huge margin - however it fell short of other rivals when it came down to the driving experience, so we were hoping that this area in particular would be addressed with the new model.
Let's start with the basic concept. If Toyota's marketing has worked, it is expected that most people will know that the Prius is a hybrid. This means it has a petrol engine, plus an electric motor powered by a battery. The petrol engine propels the car most of the time. However at low speeds and low engine loads the electric motor alone can be used to power the car. This means zero emissions.
Then there is the situation where the petrol engine can draw on the electric motor to add extra power, such as when accelerating, so the petrol engine and motor both work together. This results in a total of 134bhp being available - compared to just 98bhp from the petrol engine alone.
When decelerating, the car has regenerative braking, so any energy that would normally be wasted is instead captured and put back into the battery.
This concept is no different to the previous, second generation Prius. However the whole system has been optimised, resulting in considerably improved efficiencies.
Interestingly, just at the time when many other manufacturers are 'downsizing' their engines, the new Prius - the green car icon remember - actually gains a larger engine. The old 1.5 litre petrol unit is replaced with a 1.8 litre engine. This addresses one of the shortcomings of the old car - the lack of power at higher speeds. However as well as resulting in more power, it also results in better economy. Surprised? Well the smaller engine had to be worked too hard at higher speeds, and the economy suffered as a result. The new engine can spin at lower revs on long runs and so is more efficient - Toyota claims this makes it 10% more economical at motorway speeds.
The battery and electric motor technology has also been improved, meaning that the car can use this source of power for more of the time.
Not only has the drivetrain technology been optimised, but so too have the aerodynamics. The third generation Prius boasts a drag coefficient of just 0.25. This means that the more efficient engine has less work to do, as the revised bodyshell passes through the air even more cleanly.
The result of these improved efficiencies is an amazing 72.4mpg, and emissions of just 89g/km CO2. These really are incredible figures for a car of this size - after all it's a large five seater hatchback with a good-sized boot. However there are slight variations depending on the model you choose. The larger 17 inch alloy wheels, as on the top-spec T Spirit models, reduce fuel consumption to 70.6mpg and increase emissions to 92g/km CO2. According to the official figures, the combined and urban mpg are both exactly the same (thanks to the hybrid system).
It also looks good. Although the styling is very much evolutionary rather than revolutionary, it does look more sculptured, and it has a wider stance, especially when specified with the 17 inch alloy wheels on the top of the range models (as fitted to our test car). The base model gets 15 inch wheels with wheel covers, which makes the wheels look very weedy - like a manufacturer's typical 'eco-special'.
However you also end up with the 15 inch wheels if you specify solar panels on the top spec car (the solar-powered sunroof powers the air con while the car is parked, but it also adds to the weight). It seems strange that if you want a top spec car, Toyota makes you drive round with wheels that look as though you have the lowest spec car.
So the burning question - is the new Prius any better to drive? Thankfully the answer is yes. A key factor why the new car is better is the fact that it now has three drive settings. Eco mode is the normal mode that drivers are supposed to use. This manages the engine so it accelerates very slowly - but economically.
However there is now a Power mode. This results in a huge change in the responsiveness of the car. The Prius now accelerates like an eager hatchback - helped of course by its new, larger engine. For everyday driving, this will be the mode that enables you to safely accelerate out of junctions and overtake other cars. However the economy will suffer - on our test, the fuel consumption dropped from 60mpg+ in Eco mode to mid-40's in Power mode.
There is also EV mode. This means that the car is powered solely by its electric motor, meaning zero emissions, and virtual silence. However the battery needs to be well-charged to enable you to select this mode, and although Toyota claims a 2km range at speeds of up to 31mph on electric power only, we feel it is unlikely that most owners would achieve this in real-life.
Of course if you want a Prius you have no choice but to also have its CVT transmission. If you don't like changing gear, you'll probably like CVT transmission, but it's not to everyone's tastes. However it does seem to transmit the power more directly now; when accelerating in the old car you were often left with a feeling of high revs, lots of noise, and no improved progress.
In addition to giving the third generation Prius the power it needs, Toyota has also been busy improving the steering and suspension. The steering has better weight and the car feels less wallowy around corners. But it still doesn't have the driving dynamics of class-leaders in this area such as the Ford Focus.
One strange weakness is that although the car is certainly very comfortable on motorways, it doesn't feel particularly stable at high speeds. And of course the Prius is front-wheel drive, which again may not be to everyone's liking.
If you've never driven a Prius before then on your first encounter with the interior you'll find it very high-tech. The entire dashboard is very different from the average hatchback. For second generation Prius owners who loved the detailed miles-per-gallon readouts and graphical history of their economical driving, together with the ability to view which bit of the drivetrain was doing what at any particular time, the new car can do all that. But the information has moved smaller and in a slightly different format in a high-level display which replaces the central screen found in the previous model. This central screen remains but is reserved for other information such as that of the SatNav.
All models now also have a head-up display - a digital readout projected onto the windscreen in front of you showing your speed.
We're not keen on the handbrake that sits to the left of the brake pedal and which is operated by your foot - especially in conjunction with neutral being difficult to pin down on the gear selector.
The gear selector still features the 'B' setting - this is a position into which you have to physically move the gear lever to capture maximum energy recovery from the engine, ie, when decelerating down a hill. Bearing in mind all the other technical advances of this car, you would imagine that Toyota would find a way to make this feature automatic rather than relying on the driver to do this (we imagine very few people make the effort to do this).
The quality of the interior is good, perhaps with the exception of the two glove compartment covers, which feel very cheap. The driving position also feels like it could be improved, as the steering wheel always feels a bit big and too close for comfort.
If we described all the technology of this car it's likely that you'd be asleep well before we'd finished. However it is worthy of mention that Toyota has persisted with 'old-fashioned' nickel metal hydride battery technology rather than adopt the newer lithium-ion cells as the company believes this to be more reliable.
In fact the old Prius has proved to be very reliable overall and has come out on top in many customer satisfaction surveys.
So what about price? The Prius is available in three specifications: T3, T4 and the range-topping T-Spirit. Each is well-equipped, the base T3 coming as standard with the new head-up display, seven airbags, climate control and keyless go. It has the smaller 15" wheels, which strangely are actually alloys with wheel trims on top.
Toyota has actually kept two out of the three models at the same price as the old car, with the range starting at £18,370 for the T3.
The mid-spec T4 trim adds bigger 17" wheels, cruise control, Bluetooth and an eight-speaker sound system, for £1,620 more.
For £2,840 more than the base model you get the range-topping T-Spirit that adds sat nav, park assist and a hard disc music storage system.
There is the option of a leather interior for £1,395, and the solar sunroof for £1,450 - but remember that you lose the 17" alloys if you want the sunroof.
In summary? The new Prius improves on the best bits of the previous model. It also addresses most of the weaknesses of the old car. It's comfortable, quiet, and reliable. And it comes with the sort of technology that you would only have found on spacecraft a few years ago.
We would suggest that the Prius offers good value for a car that is so ahead of the competition in the areas of economy, emissions and technology - while also being a good-sized five seat hatchback.
Perhaps most interestingly, Toyota has found a way to beat the system. It has achieved amazingly low official emissions for this size of vehicle, at 89g/km CO2 for some models. So you can benefit from free road tax, and company car drivers will pay the lowest 10% for Benefit-in-Kind company car tax. The Prius also remains congestion charge exempt.
However we think it's likely that once they're using the car, many drivers will keep the Prius in Power mode and get the performance and responsiveness that only a car in a higher tax bracket can deliver. Surely this is the holy grail for all cars. It has a button to enjoy low tax, and once you've achieved that, there's another button to enjoy power. How long will it be before other manufacturers - and the government - catch on...?
Fuel consumption extra urban: 74.3 mpg
Fuel consumption urban: 70.6 mpg
CO2 emissions: 92 g/km
Green rating: VED band A - £0
Weight: 1370 Kg
Company car tax liability (2009/10): 10%
Price £21,230 (From £18,390 to £21,230)
Insurance group: 6
Power: 97 bhp (petrol) 80 bhp (electric) system 134 bhp
Max speed: 112 mph
0-62mph: 10.4 seconds
Paul Clarke - Green Car Guide (http://www.green-car-guide.com).
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