The fifth renewal of the Prius has caused a stir for being the first generation unanimously recognized for the beauty of its lines. And now it also does it for its range.
Since its appearance on the market in 1997, the Prius has become the icon of Toyota and its hybrid technology. It is one of the most popular models in the world and has always been very well received by drivers looking for a fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly car. The popularization of Toyota’s hybrid system, which has ended up being installed in all its models, gradually relegated it, so that its latest generations have not exactly been successful.
However, the fifth generation has once again raised expectations. Some lines that for the first time can be considered, unanimously, as pleasant and seductive and a new hybrid system, herald a rebirth of the Prius. It will begin to be marketed in Japan on March 15 in two versions, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, although only the latter will arrive in Europe. Spain, according to those responsible for the brand in our country, is not among the markets in which the Japanese manufacturer plans to market it.
Arriving at dealerships in your country of origin lifts the veil on the efficiency data you can achieve. If Toyota still has a ways to go to convince in the electric car arena, no one comes close when it comes to hybridization. The brand remained restrained with the first data it offered on the electric range of the plug-in hybrid version, 69 kilometers. This is a figure that increased by 50% that of the previous generation, but not an amount that can surprise the current market.
Finally, the manufacturer, a few days after the start of its commercialization, revealed the range approved in the WLTP cycle: 87 kilometers. A sufficient amount to move around a city daily without having to consume a single gram of fuel, recharge it at home, probably not every day, and travel with it (as if it were a conventional hybrid) using gasoline.
In addition, this range is what it offers by mounting the large 19-inch wheels. With the standard ones, smaller, 17 inches, and probably more in demand, range goes up to over a hundred kilometers, specifically up to 105. Compared to other plug-in hybrid models on the market, it is very close to the number of the Mercedes C300e approves 111 km. The big difference is that the German model needs a 25.4 kWh capacity battery (almost as much as a fully electric Dacia Spring), while the Prius does so with 12.6 kWh of useful capacity. A battery very similar in size to that of the new Peugeot 508 PHEV with which the French only reach 64 kilometers.
The only weakness of the Toyota Prius is that it limits the recharging power to 3.5 kW, that is to say, the minimum that a connected socket at home will offer. However, if your usual use is to screw it up at night to be able to move by electricity the next day, it is enough, since with four hours connected to the network it already recovers its full capacity.
