All the way through the immense upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and the years to apply, our tiny automobile nook of the arena was once visible some strangeness, too. Clearly, car shows had been out the window, however with vaccines changing into to be had and trying out procedures being established, automakers and press discovered techniques to fulfill up right here and there. In 2021 and 2022, Toyota hosted media at its sprawling campus in Plano, Texas for what mainly had been Toyota-only auto shows.Â
The occasions had been known as HQ Undisclosed, they usually featured a number of meetings and bulletins about up to date Toyota merchandise. However the extra fascinating facet was once the “Confidential” facet. Every match let press get a sneak peek at utterly unutilized fashions. Teams could be taken indisposed some immense halls to a convention room that were deserted out to have a unutilized type on show. In 2021, they confirmed the new Tundra, and in 2022, they confirmed the Crown and the Prius. And in that closing show, I used to be way more intrigued and within the Prius. That ultra-low wedge surrounding and blank flanks, even in a lifeless, fluorescent-lit convention room, had been crowd pleasing, particularly after to the busy and relatively bulbous Crown.
What I used to be stunned by way of, even though, was once the truth that the Prius ended up being the endmost of the ones 3 to be formally visible and introduced. Fittingly, I’m additionally using the Prius upcoming I’ve pushed the others. No longer solely that, but it surely’s additionally my favourite of the trio. And it’s maximum for sure the most productive Prius ever made.
1. Yeah it nonetheless appears to be like cool
I do know, I do know, we’ve mentioned this numerous occasions, but it surely’s nonetheless true, the unutilized Prius is in point of fact cool taking a look. Not anything at the highway has as wildly swept again a windshield, and the low nostril competitors legit sports cars. The rear doorways are well deemphasized with the undercover door handles. And upcoming years of kinda lumpy and cluttered strains on Prii (sorry, Priuses), it’s wonderful to peer one with blank, incline strains and panels. It doesn’t sacrifice at the type’s heritage, both, because it nonetheless has the kammback tail and fastback roofline. It’s only a superior piece of design.
2. There are compromises for the appearance
After all, there’s a worth to pay for the way, even though now not essentially within the techniques it’s possible you’ll be expecting. As an example, getting within the entrance seats remains to be somewhat simple. However if you’re there, you realize that you just get some good-looking severe aimless spots from the ones super-raked pillars. And within the shipment segment, a mix of a prime flooring and coffee roof makes for much less field than it’s possible you’ll hope from the hatchback. Future everybody’s wishes are other, I feel the tradeoff is completely virtue it.
3. It’s strangely sporty
Now, in the event you’re on the lookout for an untouched efficiency car across the $30,000 worth space, there are higher choices. But when you wish to have a commuter with some playful spunk, the Prius can if truth be told lend. The suspense is at the company facet, and the chassis feels good-looking bright and somewhat inflexible. With all-wheel force like my tester, having that tiny little bit of rear-wheel propulsion is helping ban out a little bit of the understeer in corners. And with 196 horsepower, proper on par with a Honda Civic Si or Kia Forte GT, it has some actual get-up-and-go. The one susceptible issues are relatively lackluster turn-in, and a sunny penchant for understeer if it weren’t for that rear motor. That and …
4. That engine, even though …
What blunts one of the crucial amusing at the powertrain, even though, is the inner combustion engine. In what’s change into all too ordinary on Toyotas, specifically the hybrids, the engine is noisy, coarse and droning. And for the reason that engine contributes a immense quantity of that 196 horsepower, you’ll be listening to it ceaselessly whilst you’re accelerating with any gusto. The CVT exacerbates the condition, too. Fortunately, between the forged energy and reasonably bright weight of the Prius, a minimum of you get to cruising pace sooner than Toyota’s greater or much less tough hybrids.
5. I need extra now
I’ve move on very inspired with the Prius. It may well do absolutely anything now. However the ones weaknesses have had me pondering that Toyota may just do much more. For something, one thing that will immediately resolve the refinement defect life probably expanding the auto’s environmental credentials could be to construct an electrical model of the Prius. That is one thing I used to be even stunned at after I noticed the instance in Texas and noticed the shifter for the tried-and-true Toyota hybrid powertrain. It simply turns out like with the type’s sturdy affiliation with green driving, and Toyota’s want for an EV win, the Prius could be a superior candidate.
Later there’s the sporty facet. Some grippier tires, some extra competitive suspense tuning like a robust rear anti-roll bar, and a splash of energy and remaining taste, and you have to have a in reality cool and amusing inexperienced system. You must name it a Prius TRD, or a GR Recreation Prius. I don’t assume it might whip a lot, and the praise may well be superior. Much more so with extra energy. May you consider a Prius Prime with a far larger rear motor, like from the RAV4 Prime? Or what if it was once all EV? It would have a number of torque and fancy energy distribution.
A few of this may well be simple, a few of it much less so. However my level is, the Prius is just right, and it possesses potential to be even higher. I’m hoping Toyota can profit from that.
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