TOYOTA Prius 2017

Body, cabin and cargo space

Frugal, practical, reliable, rational… all terms used to describe the Toyota Prius right from the beginning, and rightly so. But provocative? That we wouldn’t have expected… until a year ago, when the fourth generation was unveiled. We do not usually comment on esthetics, always a matter of taste, but the rear styling is so disconcerting that it may end up costing sales, according to the many comments we received during our test.

Despite an increase in overall length, legroom decreases by 7 cm; it is now comparable to a compact rather than a midsize. The flowing shape also continues to hamper access to the rear seats. However, rear headroom is sufficient, despite a 2-cm decrease in height.

The front seats are quite comfortable on long trips, but the short seat cushion provides little thigh support. Lumbar support is non-adjustable, and insufficient. Furthermore, the limited scope of the telescoping steering wheel, combined with a too-high footrest, will prevent certain drivers from getting comfortable.

Low, and quite firm, the rear bench folds in two sections to extend the load floor to 166 cm (from 87 cm with the seatbacks up). The sharply raked hatch reduces height behind the seat—another concession to aerodynamics—but the opening and volume are still much larger than in a comparable sedan. A 12-volt outlet in the trunk would have been appreciated, given the versatility of the vehicle, but is not offered.

Finish and convenience

Toyota has improved the quality of materials for this iteration of the Prius, which now offers soft-touch plastics on part of the dash and the doors. A glossy white trim adorns the bottom of the centre stack and steering wheel; like the body styling, it is an original touch that not everyone seems to appreciate.

The 2017 Toyota Prius is one of the last cars on the market to position the instrument panel in the middle of the dashboard rather than facing the driver. Though this placement is not universally applauded, the quality of the graphics—no longer cash-register green—and the quantity of accessible information deserve a tip of the hat. While on the subject, drivers should practice navigating the menus before they hit the road, because of the complexity of the system.

The Toyota Prius retains its joystick-like electronic gear shifter; unlike many other such levers, it proves relatively easy to manipulate. Identical to those of the more generic Toyotas, the other controls are fairly simple and logical. Idem for the centre screen, its only drawback being the small size of certain of its “buttons”. Tactile buttons on either side of the screen provide access to the main functions; “real” push-buttons would be even more practical.

The sound quality of the entry-level audio system is impressive. The seat-heater switches, though so often used, are very difficult to access under the jutting centre stack. The lack of sliding sun visors is another annoyance, and more and more unusual in the current market. On the plus side, all controls are finally lighted at night.

Safety features

• Antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist
• Brake override in case of unintentional acceleration
• Stability and traction control
• Front airbags
• Driver knee airbag
• Passenger seat cushion airbag (to prevent sliding out from under seatbelt in a frontal impact)
• Front side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Front-seatbelt pretensioners
• Five adjustable head restraints (active in front to reduce whiplash in case of rear impact)
• Tire pressure monitor
• Backup camera
• Lane-departure warning
• Frontal collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Automatic high beams

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 5 / 5
Frontal impact: 4 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 4 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Visibility

Forward visibility is acceptable, but wide roof pillars reduce the view when taking a quick glance at intersections and in tight turns. Rearward, the nearly horizontal rear window is practically useless; the small vertical section quickly becomes dirty but has no wiper. Fortunately, all models come with a backup camera. Neither wide-angle lenses in the rearview mirrors nor a blind-spot monitoring system are available, though they would have been very useful because of the slanted side window sills.


Headlights: All Priuses have LED headlights that provide a wide, very bright beam with a gradual cut-off, even towards the top. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave them an Acceptable rating (3/4), judging the illumination in curves a bit weak and mentioning some bothersome reflections. Automatic high-beam control is a plus, but we found it a bit too quick to revert to low-beam mode.

Engine and transmission

Along with the Honda Insight, the Toyota Prius was a pioneer of hybrid technology entering the year 2000. Unchanged since that time, the basic principal of its powertrain still combines an Atkinson cycle engine—less thirsty than the traditional Otto cycle engine—with an electric motor, a big battery under the trunk and a continuously variable transmission.

The gasoline engine is the main source powering the car in addition to recharging the battery at highway speed. The electric motor assists the gas engine during acceleration; it can power the car by itself for short distances, when driving slowly or at steady speeds.

Toyota has considerably reworked the 1.8L 4-cylinder to improve its energy efficiency, already among the best on the market. Despite a 13-hp decrease, which Toyota attributes to a different calculation method, the gas-electric combo delivers similar performance to the former model.

“Performance” is a big word here: acceleration is not very energetic, even in Power mode, which essentially makes the accelerator more sensitive. On the other hand, the electric motor’s instantaneous torque delivery avoids the gas engine having to rev too high, too often. The result is smoothness and a reasonable noise level in most circumstances.

The continuously variable transmission manages prodding by the right foot very well, without annoying delay or elastic-band effect. Its little lever has a “B” position that increases engine braking and, by extension, braking energy recuperation and fuel economy. As before, you almost have to feather the accelerator to be able to accelerate in all-electric mode (in low speed only).

That said the gas engine stop-start system functions almost imperceptibly, with no trace of the jerky behaviour often experienced in other gasoline models with a similar system.

The main merits of the revised powertrain are measured by exceptionally low fuel consumption. We obtained a result of just 4 L/100 km, much better than the city, highway and combined ratings published by Natural Resources Canada. It should be noted that we drove in a completely normal fashion, with no special effort to save fuel. If you have to name just one reason for purchasing a Prius, frugality wins hands down.

Ride and handling

The Toyota Prius was never noted for exciting driving. Without qualifying it as sporty, far from it, the new model displays a largely superior degree of composure compared to previous generations. It is noticeable right from the start, thanks to more precise and direct steering. It still delivers relatively little road sensation, but provides much better directional stability than the former model. Frequent highway-speed steering corrections are a thing of the past, making long drives much less tiring.

A new fully independent rear suspension replaces the torsion-beam setup of previous Priuses, contributing to an increase in stability and more incisive cornering. At the same time, a more rigid platform allowed the engineers to maintain good comfort. And this time, auditory comfort is ensured by improved soundproofing that finally and adequately filters out road noise.

Toyota also introduced a more progressive brake pedal, almost eliminating the brusque reaction associated with recuperative braking systems and helping to make the Prius a much more enjoyable drive on a daily basis.

Inspection

• Heavy hood (despite its alloy composition), supported by a prop that is hard to engage on a first try
• Easy access to most maintenance items including lamps, air filter, and oil pan and oil filter under the vehicle
• Windshield washer fluid tank correctly placed on passenger side, but its black cap is hard to see at night. Washer nozzles are located far under the edge of the hood and hard to clear in winter
• Sturdy platform with three aluminum cross members; main joints are well sealed; plastic aerodynamic panels cover most of the underbody
• Front part very low and vulnerable to contact on degraded roads or accumulations of snow and ice; the panels under the engine of our test vehicle were already heavily scratched after around 3,000 km
• Corrosion-resistant plastic fuel tank
• Parking brake mounted on rear calipers, making it more likely to seize up. Deflectors keep water away from mechanism
• Complex exhaust system; design of front exhaust pipe makes it susceptible to damage
• Temporary spare is standard; much appreciated and increasingly rare in an energy-efficient vehicle