When the Toyota Prius came out as the original mass-produced hybrid vehicle in the late 1990s (first in Japan and subsequently in the U.S. and around the world), there were plenty of doubts express about whether this type of vehicle could be a success. All these years later, that question has been answered with a resounding yes, as every automaker and their mother is offering hybrid versions of their cars, and even going beyond that to some full electric models too. Sure they don’t dominate the sales charts, but there is clearly a market for these vehicles.
People want fuel economy, so Toyota made a smart bet by getting out front of this trend. In 2014, the Prius is still the first name you think of when you hear the word hybrid. I recently drove a 2014 Prius and I’m back with a full report on my experience.
LOOKS
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Prius is still one of the most unique vehicles you’ll see on the roads.
Most hybrids these days try to blend in and look like a mpg-plus version of the regular car, but that’s clearly never been the case with a Prius. The Prius tries to go all out in the other direction. Not only is the exterior clearly defining it as a Prius and nothing else, once you go inside you’ll really get a jolt compared to its hybrid competition.
It’s sort of like stepping into the future. You get a spaceship-like holographic info screen with detailed graphics, a unique shifter I’ve never seen in another car (plus a button to put the car in park), and even a futuristic center console setup with impressive storage space. The back seat has a decent amount of leg room, but head space and overall space inside the vehicle can feel a bit cramped at at times compared to other midsize sedans. The rear spoiler and unique rear window setup makes viewing what’s behind you a bit cumbersome sometimes, too. Controls on the steering wheel let you cycle through information regarding mpg, the hybrid system, etc, on the holographic screen.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The 2014 Prius offers a four-cylinder, 1.8-liter engine that works together with a pair of electric motors/generators. All together, they provide 134 horsepower. The vehicle uses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system.
This system allows the vehicle to run on electric motor only. In the Prius and other Toyota vehicles with the HSD system, the gas pedal and shifter send electrical signals to a control computer. There is no mechanical connection directly to the engine. To compare with a traditional vehicle, instead of your standard geared transmmission, alternator and starter, you have instead: An internal combustion engine, 2 AC motor-generators and a battery.
The first motor-generator is basically in charge of the controlling the transmission, while the second motor generator drives the wheels and generates power for the battery via regenerative braking. When you are in EV mode, the battery is powering a motor-generator, which is then powering the wheels. When you are accelerating, the combustion engine is powering the wheels. The way regenerative braking works is that the wheels transfer the energy captured from the braking to a motor-generator and then back to the battery.
RIDE QUALITY So now that we know what makes the Prius work, the question for potential customers is: How does it drive? The answer to that is that it drives … like a hybrid.
It’s not going to knock your socks off with its power, but it’s not meant to be that kind of ride. It’s a quiet ride when you are electric mode, and you’ll barely know the car is on when you hit the ignition button or waiting at a stop light. (I even forgot to turn it off a couple times after parking until the car beeped at me loudly.) You get up to speed slower, but once you get there the power is adequate. Speed demons might not like you on the road, but they can always switch lanes. (This is one area where competitor hybrids from Ford and other automakers might gain an advantage on the Prius, as they tend to be faster at getting up to speed.)
My only real disappointment was at the level of road noise while driving the Prius (especially on the highway), and that’s something they should look to improve on future editions of the Prius. There is a power mode you can transfer to if you really need to get moving; along with Eco and EV modes. But even if you do switch over to this power mode, it’s clear that you’re pushing the vehicle beyond what it would like you to do. I didn’t end up using it very much as a result.
TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY While you get a 6.1-inch touchscreen and a helpful rearview camera on the Prius, I’m not a huge fan of the Toyota tech interface as a whole. Navigation system on the vehicle was great, but using voice commands didn’t always work as well as it should have. The overall look and feel of the user interface on the tech system just seems a bit outdated to me and could use an upgrade.
There is Bluetooth connectivity that is easy to set up with your phone, and downloading the Entune app gives you access to Pandora/Bing/iHeartRadio and more. Perhaps my favorite tech feature on the Prius is the Head-Up Display, which lets you look straight forward and see how fast you are driving (without having to spy downward at the speedometer). This is something I’ve seen in a few other vehicles (Cadillac, etc.), but isn’t widespread in the auto industry yet, but definitely will keep the roads safer as your eyes stay looking forward. My test vehicle did not have other safety features like blind spot warning or lane departure warning, which have come in handy on other vehicles I’ve tested. (The Prius Five is the only level that offers frontal-collision warning system and lane-departure warning system.)
Some helpful info is shown in the holographic display telling you how the car is using its energy via graphics. It even tracks your fuel expenditure long-term and tracks how you’ve done month-to-month. The goal is to give you info that will help you drive more efficiently. Since the car is so quiet, you’ll hear a beeping sound when backing up -- which I must say was a bit annoying at times.
MPG The level of MPG superiority you receive will either be great, greater or simply amazing -- depending how and where you drive the car. The first trip I took in the Prius (a mostly downhill drive where I could use cruise control most of the way and barely hit the gas), I averaged about 55 mpg. On some trips that were the opposite, I averaged closer to 40 mpg. My average for the week in the Prius was about 47 mpg; Official numbers are 48 city/50 combined/51 highway. To put that in perspective, you can fill up the gas tank in the Prius and get over 550 miles out of it. That’s a trip from Detroit to Chicago and back, with some gas to spare. With gas prices averaging about $3 per gallon lately, you could do all that for under $40. Not too shabby.
The math should still be applied here though. If you’re comparing the Prius to a non-hybrid vehicle. Figure out how much less gas you’ll be buying each year, how much money you’ll save as a result, and then check the difference in the prices of the two vehicles. The math doesn’t always work on some hybrids, but with the mpg numbers so high on a Prius they most likely will work out in your favor even if the vehicle costs you a little more up front.
PRICE
My test model, a 2014 Prius Four, had a base price of $28,435.
Once some packages/technology and trimmings were added on, the grand total came to $36,564. The Prius comes in multiple trim levels -- Prius Two, Prius Three, Prius Four and Prius Five. As the numbers get higher, you get more advanced features and technology.
BOTTOM LINE
So who will want a Prius?: Anyone in the market for a sedan with class-leading fuel economy (the best you’ll find in a midsize vehicle). Just be prepared for a unique look outside and inside the vehicle, and some giveaway in the power department. This is a vehicle for the commuter, for the eco-friendly crowd, and for those who like to be different. Because there’s nothing on the road quite like a Prius Some people will love that, and some people will be turned off by the design and how it drives. To each his own, but I’m pretty sure the “yeas” will outweigh the “nays” just based of fuel economy alone when folks make their judgment on a Prius.
Matt Myftiu can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Twitter @MattMyftiu.
