This third generation Prius is a technology powerhouse.  Its available in 2 models; the standard model we tested, and the i-Tech version with even more high tech systems (see footnote).  Toyota New Zealand stated that the i-Tech Prius is technologically the most advanced car they sell, even more so than their Lexus models.  When you drive one,  even the standard one, it’s very believable.

Let’s start with the economy.  This car is known of course for its low fuel consumption and therefore low emissions, it has the lowest official figure of any petrol car at 3.9 L/100km.  This figure is matched by the Mini Cooper D and bettered only by the outgoing VW Polo BlueMotion.  I reset the trip meter B when we picked up the car and we travelled 641km and the overall average consumption was 3.7 L/100km.  This included our standard city and highway testing, a 7 km “best-I-could-do” test, some performance testing and a weekend running around doing the standard family stuff.  The official fuel consumption number is achievable in normal day to day use - more easily than many cars.

For the record our standard peak traffic Howick-Takapuna-Howick city test used 3.3 L/100km (86 mpg).  This the lowest of any car that we have tested so far.  The city test is where the hybrid system really excels.  Its ability to capture the car’s kinetic energy that is usually wasted as the car slows in traffic pays the biggest dividends in this situation.  Our Highway test used 3.7L/100km (76 mpg) at an average speed of 79 km/h. Our City and Highway tests were not driven to see what the best possible fuel economy was, they are always driven at realistic speeds using good practices that any driver could do.  That means that the test figure we quote should be achievable by anyone who drives using a considered approach.  In traffic we always flow with the traffic and on the highway we stay close to the speed limit and allow the car to slow uphill and run-on downhill, thereby maintaining realistic average speeds.

Just for fun, and as an experiment, we drove a 7km route through the Pakuranga and Howick suburbs of Auckland to see what was the best economy I could get.  It used just 2.2 L/100km (128 mpg) over the 7 km. While this was in no way scientific, it was fun to do a drive and just see.  Of course it doesn’t mean that this is achievable everywhere.

The Prius has 4 drive modes available, the default normal mode, an EV electric only mode, an economy mode and a power mode. During our test we only used the normal mode not the eco mode.  Even for our little “best we could” do economy test.  If you’re looking for the ultimate in economy from the Prius then stay with the standard 15” rims and 195mm tyres rather than the optional 17” rims and 215mm tyres (I estimate these would increase consumption by 3% or more).

I quickly discovered that a slightly different driving technique worked best with this car.  The technique I used was to accelerate up to the speed I wanted quickly, then release the throttle completely and re-apply as gently as possible to maintain the speed.  This often meant that it would use the battery for a large percentage of its propulsion.  This technique works particularly well around town or below about 65 km/h where the car will allow use of the electric system as the major driving force.  On the highway at speeds around 100 km/h I used our normal techniques.  The hybrid system can recover and reuse the car’s kinetic energy effectively at any speeds, however the benefits really show up when driving in the city.

The Prius has an incredibly sophisticated braking system.  When depressing the brake pedal and asking the car to slow, the Prius’s systems work out how to provide that amount of retardation using both the hydraulic brake system and the regenerative charging system in tandem.  The system can alter the proportions contributed from each system and does so seamlessly.  The resistance on the brake pedal does not alter while all these actions are taking place - at least not that my foot could feel.  The brake system has a perfectly normal feel to it, in-fact a nice feel that makes it easy to modulate the correct amount of braking force and to come to final rest smoothly.  Its possible to manipulate the amount of regeneration by purposely braking lightly at times to promote regeneration in response to road conditions ahead.  To do this you have to look well ahead and anticipate the conditions.

An interesting feature for a car in this price bracket is the head up display. This displays the speed or the speed and Hybrid System Indicator by projecting the data onto the windscreen.  Its a neat feature as it means you don’t have to move your view to check your speed.  The fact that the focus point is further away than a standard speedo means you can read your speed and refocus on the road ahead more quickly and easily than usual.  It is of course considered a safety feature but it really is a very practical tool - not a gimmick.  Head up displays will become more and more common in the next few years.  They are great.

Interior wise the Prius is slightly too plasticy for my taste.  In an effort to make the whole car as environmentally friendly as possible Toyota have used ecological plant-based plastics in several areas throughout the new Prius, including the scuff plates, deck trim and seat cushions.  The steering wheel grip is also plastic (urethane), but fortunately it has a pleasant and grippy texture.  The instruments are offset slightly towards the centre of the car, unusual yet very functional.  The steering wheel has quite a few controls and they operate with a touch sensitive (Touch Tracer Display) system that shows you in the main instrument cluster which control your finger is positioned on.  This means you don’t have to look down and focus on the steering wheel.  The Gear lever position and look is much more normal than previous models and this will help drivers to feel comfortable with the controls.

The exterior shape is much improved to my eye and now has quiet a sporty look, especially in lighter paint colours.  Of course great attention has been paid to the aerodynamics.  The drag co-efficient is 0.25 which I believe is about the lowest of any production car.  Aerodynamics are particularly important as the vehicle speed rises.  When a vehicle’s speed doubles, the aerodynamic drag goes up 4 times.

This hybrid system can switch between propulsion systems and use either the petrol engine or the battery alone, or use them both at once in any proportion. The mixing of these systems happens seamlessly from the drivers point of view.  I find it amazing that it does this without any surging, hesitation or shocks as systems are switched in and out.  Its a fantastic piece of engineering to have multiple power sources start up and contribute power imperceptibly.  This means it drives like any normal car.

There aren’t any downsides that I could perceive in driving but there are significant upsides.  One of the biggest advantages is the fact that the petrol engine often operates at a relatively low output.  This contributes to making a very quiet car - think Lexus.  When the propulsion is electric only, quiet tyre noise and a slight whistle that you really have to listen for are the only sounds.  It is an incredibly quiet car.  Practicality wise there is no disadvantage either as the hybrid components are tucked away in the car without effecting the interior or boot space. There’s even a large additional storage compartment under the boot floor and the spare wheel is tucked under that.  The rear seat folds down just like any other hatch or lift-back.  So, the driving and packaging of this car is as good as any conventional car.

It amazes me just how many features can be squeezed into a car’s interior and the amount of effort that has obviously gone into the design.  I really like the new bridged console system that Toyota has in the new Corolla and now the Prius.  This provides an additional storage area in the console under the gear lever and also lifts the gear lever closer to your hands.  Ergonomically this seems very sound.  The amount of rear legroom in the Prius is also surprising and makes it really quite luxurious in the rear. 

We have a young child and fit his car seat into every car we try. Toyotas always seem to be the easiest to fit.  They have Isofix attachment points of course, like nearly all modern cars.  But they also have Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) and Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) functions on all 3 of the rear seatbelts.  ALR function allows the user to lock the seatbelt retractor at a set position (also called child restraint mode).  European cars tend to only have the ELR belts and Isofix attachment points.  The top tether point is also on the seat back itself which means that the strap doesn’t interfere with your rear view or the rear luggage.  This all adds up to being able to fit either an Isofix seat or a belt fitted seat very securely; top marks.

Hybrids have a reputation of being boring, slow and with numb handling.  While this Gen 3 Prius is no rocket-ship, the new Atkinson cycle 1.8 litre engine combined with the electric motor provides a surprising amount of thrust when asked.  As for boring I think the additional technology, instrumentation, road manners and looks of this car add up to this model being more interesting that other cars of a similar size and performance.  Dynamically this is a capable car from both a handling and road-holding point of view and from what I can remember, is a real step up from the previous model.  The 195 mm tyres offer a good road-holding and economy balance.  Ride comfort is high also.

This is one of the few cars using the Atkinson Cycle engine principle.  When writing this, I looked up when the Atkinson cycle was invented - 1882, so its not new technology.  The original Atkinson cycle engine included two additional components connecting the engine crankshaft to the pistons.  These components meant that the 4 strokes were not all the same length.  However the way the Prius engine controls its intake valve alters the effective length of the intake stroke to that of the Atkinson cycle in principle.  With the Prius engine the intake valve closes well after the intake stroke is complete (significantly later than a normal engine), during the compression stroke.  During this phase the throttle valve is opened up allowing air and fuel to flow more freely into the cylinder, therefore reducing the energy used to suck the mixture into the cylinder.  The intake valve then remains open allowing some of the excess mixture drawn into the cylinder to be pushed out again.  The intake valve is then closed at the appropriate moment to contain the required amount of air and fuel for combustion.  This is called a reduction in pumping losses.  It has taken the latest valve control technology to be able to use the Atkinson principle, which provides greater fuel efficiency but a lower maximum output than conventional engines of the same capacity.

The downside to this system is that the cylinder can never fill to its capacity and therefore cannot produce as much power for a given engine size.  In time, as new valve control systems are developed, the throttle valve will disappear altogether and the intake valve will be used instead.  Then the benefits of the Atkinson concept and the conventional Otto cycle can be completely integrated.

The word sophisticated kept springing to mind when writing this review because the Prius is exactly that.  Overall this is an amazingly advanced yet simple to use piece of technology.  Its to all intents and purposes a conventional car but with extraordinary fuel economy; the best of both worlds.  When I worked for manufacturers hybrid customers had concerns about the life, reliability and cost of the hybrid battery pack.  These fears have proven unfounded.  And to prove it, Toyota warranty them for 8 years or 160,000km!

Its a shame more people wont be able to afford one.

i-Tech Prius, has the following systems.

Solar ventilation system

Remote air conditioning system

Intelligent parking with back monitor

Touch tracer display

Head up display

Climate control air conditioning

Satellite Navigation system with 7" EMV screen

MP3/WMA CD changer with 8 speakers

Bluetooth handsfree phone capability

Audio input jack

Smart entry and start system

Pre crash system

Radar cruise control system

LED headlights