THE Hybrid Theory
The Toyota Prius carries on Toyota’s efforts to bring sustainable energies into everyday motoring. In its fourth generation, the Prius has attained cult status, from being the butt of jokes involving Vegans, to even family dog, Brian Griffin of the adult themed cartoon, Family Guy owning one.
Hitting the start button starts the car silently. You’d be forgiven as a first time user, if you keep pressing the ‘Start’ button again. The Prius will only start the engine when needed. Meaning that if you do keep the car in pure EV mode, you are able to start rolling the car out of the car park, past others who might still be sitting in their cars waiting for the engines to ‘warm up’. Only with heavier acceleration, will you see the engine cutting in to assist the hybrid drive.
Acceleration for the Prius is decent, with the 0-100km/h timing at 10.8 seconds. Gear changes are non-existent thanks to the CVT transmission, which takes in power from the engine and electric drive. You will get a bit of a whine from the transmission under hard acceleration, where the engine kicks in, giving it full torque, of 142Nm, which peaks at 3,600rpm.
While the Prius is a capable car at speeds, the purpose of buying one is really mileage and optimum fuel efficiency. The combination of the 1.8 VVTi engine, together with the Hybrid Drive gives the Prius an excellent 27km/l.
Ride comfort is excellent, with long suspension travel, and with the help of the long 2,700mm wheelbase, the amount of cabin judder is minimal. There is some roll when pulling the car around tight corners, but the rear wheels hold on well thanks to Toyota investing in a rear double wishbone suspension (these things are more expensive to produce, compared to a simple torsion beam).
Upon braking, the Hybrid Drive will use the energy dissipated to recharge the Nickel-Metal Hydride battery, which is located under the rear seat, helping to keep the car charged as you go along. It does get quite fulfilling when you see the economy meter dipping into ‘Charge’.
While it is a compact car, it still is not small. Thankfully, there is a reverse camera which assists in backing the car into a lot.
The range that you can get on this compact fuel sipper, equates to more fuel savings, and less detours to the fuel station. Sure, it may not be the prettiest thing around, but if you do have a need to clock higher mileage, especially if your line of work requires you to run around for appointments, the Prius offers a viable alternative to a diesel car. And yes, no need to be a Vegan here, you can still have your beef and eat it.
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