Toyota's innovative Prius just got better
It's the most powerful car in Hollywood (celebrities keen to show off their green credentials like to be seen driving it) and the latest model is even greener than its predecessor, says Piers Ward in Top Gear magazine. That makes the Toyota Prius the "closest thing you can get to guilt-free motoring this side of a hydrogen-powered moped".
The Prius is a 'hybrid' car, which means it uses a combination of conventional engine power and an electric battery to get the best compromise of efficiency with performance and practicality.
The most important numbers for this car, then, are not so much the top speed (112mph) or the 0-62mph sprint time (10.4 seconds), but the fuel consumption (70.6mpg) and the CO2 emissions (92kg/km). And these are for the top-spec T Spirit model; for more basic models, the green figures are even more impressive.
New features on this Prius include a smaller and yet more powerful battery, a bigger more powerful engine (now 1.8 litres), solar panels to power the ventilation, and lower emissions (down 14%). It's not the greatest car in the world to drive, and although performance is improved, it's still sluggish, but that's unlikely to matter to those buying it, and the new model is an improvement in all areas, says Ward.
True, it's not going to rival a BMW as a driving machine, says Ben Barry in Car. But it's perfectly inoffensive and acceptable if you just want to get from A to B.
You may be tempted by the Honda Insight and the £3,000 saving, but don't be. The Prius is the better buy, beating the Honda on ride quality, performance, refinement, and interior quality. What Car agrees.
It tested the new Prius against the Honda, and the greenest diesel offerings from Volvo and BMW, and the Prius came out on top.
Not only is it an "eco-friendly standard bearer", it's now also a "proper family car". It's "clean, practical, cheap to run and delivers a comfortable, easy driving experience" – like the old Prius but "without the compromises". Price from £18,370.