The awkward ugly duckling has finally morphed into a graceful swan. In car-speak, we’re talking about Toyota’s all-new, fuel-sipping hybrid Prius.
While the last generation Prius had about as much visual appeal as Willem Defoe in Poor Things, this brand new version is nothing less than a chiseled Timothée Chalamet on wheels.
See it on the streets, whirring oh-so-silently by, and you risk whiplash from trying to catch a glimpse of this other-worldly, rolling computer mouse.
Toyota designers should take a bow for knocking this one out of the park. From its bold, hammerhead-shark nose, to that close-to-horizontal windshield, to that swooping arc of a roofline, this new Prius verges on the exotic. Jason Statham in a one-size-too-small tux wouldn’t have this many bulges.
And it’s not just a pretty face. The plug-in hybrid Prius Prime I’ve been driving, combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas motor with a beefy 13.6 kilowatt-hour lithium battery pack and two electric motors to produce a combined 220 horsepower.
That’s nearly 100 hp more than the previous Prius Prime. Pedal to the metal it translates into 0-to-60 mph sprinting in a positively zippy 6.5 seconds, up to 44 miles of range in pure electric mode, and close to 600 miles on a single tank.
So what’s not to love? Actually there’s quite a list. And most of it, for me, revolves around that Jetson-like swoopy windshield, low roofline and slanty rear window.
Sliding into the driver’s seat requires the kind of bodily contortions usually reserved for limbo dancing. You slump down into the seat, tilt your neck, and duck beneath that crazy-angled front roof pillar.
Climbing into the back requires similar degrees of body bending and usually ends up with a whack to the head as it collides with the angled door opening. I lost count of the times I shouted to passengers “D-U-C-K”.
And once inside, headroom is unnecessarily tight while, for the driver, all-round visibility is a challenge. It’s impossible to see the forward edges of the hood, while looking out the back window is like peering through a mail slot.
Me? I can’t imagine walking into a Toyota showroom to try-out this new Prius for size, and not driving away in a RAV4 Prime plug-in-hybrid SUV, even though it costs a little more. Or going to a Kia store for a plug-in Sportage or Niro.
Of course you could argue that you don’t not buy a new Corvette, or Nissan Z because it’s tough to get into. But this new Prius isn’t a sports car, it’s a fuel-sipping city runabout where the P-in-Prius should stand for practicality.
But once ensconced behind the wheel, this fifth-generation hybrid is definitely a fun ride. When you combine light weight with 220-hp plus 139 lb-ft of instant torque, it can feel like you’re driving a sports coupe.
Yes, the suspension can get fidgety over lumpy blacktop, which translates into a firmish ride. But that helps deliver sporty, responsive handling, enhanced by precise, nicely-weighted steering.
Inside, the dash design is suitably George Jetson with a big 12.3-inch touchscreen in the center. But why-oh-why is the instrument display so teeny and so far away? It’s the kind of thing you you’d expect to see on a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.
In the back there’s plenty of legroom, decent load space beneath that high-lifting tailgate, and on our Prius Prime XSE Premium tester, lovely SofTex faux leather with contrast stitching and colored front seat panels.
As for pricing, this new Prius Prime is mostly an excellent value. A base SE starts at $34,495, the mid-range XSE goes from $37,745, while the XSE Premium kicks off at $40,765.
While it looks great, and drives equally impressively, I’m sure the impracticalities will steer many potential buyers towards an easier-to-live-with hybrid crossovers or SUV.
