PRIUS REGAINS ITS SPARK (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

In fifth generation form, Toyota's Prius is a very different proposition. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 53

Toyota's Prius needed to reinvent itself for this new era. It has. It's now a Plug-in Hybrid, but a much more sophisticated one, with a smarter look, longer range and sharper handling. Still want that mid-sized EV? If you're considering that and don't want an SUV, check out one of these as well.

Backgroundword count: 235

As EV sales falter, Hybrid powertrains are elbowing their way back into the sales spotlight. An appropriate time then, for the return of the car that started the Hybrid revolution, the Toyota Prius. First launched in 1997 as 'the car for the 21st century', the Prius went on to find 5.05 million owners over four generations, pioneering the 'Synergy Drive' Hybrid tech that now underpins just about every Toyota you can now buy and forcing rival makers to get serious about electrified engines. By the end of the fourth generation model's production run though, hardly any private UK customers were choosing a Prius; in 2021, just 563 models were sold here (mostly to Uber drivers), compared to nearly 18,000 Toyota's C-HRs. So when the radical new fifth generation Prius model was launched at the 2022 LA Motor Show, the Japanese maker announced that it wouldn't be appearing in UK showrooms. But then came the hiccup in the EV market and a renewal of customer interest in the kind of Plug-in Hybrid powertrain that Toyota only offers in the priciest versions of its C-HR and RAV4 SUVs. Suddenly, that decision to can Prius sales was starting to look somewhat premature. Hence the brand's U-turn on the subject in early 2024 and the decision to sell this MK5 design here after all, though only (for the moment) in PHEV form. Let's take a closer look at it.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 278

This fifth generation Prius is exclusively a Plug-in Hybrid; for the time being, the 2.0-litre self charging Hybrid unit offered with the car outside Europe isn't available here, but as we've already seen with this model line, decisions like that can change very quickly with market conditions. The PHEV drivetrain's pricier of course, but it's the one you'd ideally pick with this car if you can afford it. We don't get the entry-level 191bhp Prius PHEV you can get in other countries; the UK is offered only the full-fat 220bhp version (99bhp more powerful than the previous generation Prius Plug-in). That's generated by a combination of a 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine and front-mounted twin electric motors energised by a 13.6kWh battery. Performance is far more rapid than anything a Prius driver will have experienced before, 62mph dispatched in 6.8s en route to 110mph. In other markets, Toyota offers a tuned-up '24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition' sporty version. Handling should be also be a pleasant surprise for long-term fans of this model line. To that end, Toyota has widened the track and based this MK5 Prius on an evolved version of its well-regarded TNGA platform. The result is a car that's stiffer, more refined and more stable than before. Traction is aided by the 235/50 R18-inch tyres that ride on the larger aerodynamic wheels. Indulge this fifth generation model's newfound agility and you're probably make a sizeable dent in the available EV range, now rated at up to 53.4 miles. That's about 8 miles less than you get from a rival PHEV Golf, but it's about 10 miles more than was returned by the previous generation model.

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