Auto123 puts the 2024 Toyota Prius to the in-depth test. Here is the second of our four-part review.
See: 2024 Toyota Prius Long-Term Review, Part 1: A Pioneer Not Ready for Retirement
Last time ‘round, we saw that the Toyota Prius can be considered the first hybrid car to be marketed on the planet Earth and that, 24 years later, Canadian motorists can choose between five versions, three of which are plug-in. Now, which one to choose?
One thing's for sure, you won’t be able to base your choice on the looks of one or the other: all of the variants of the new Prius are identical, save for a bit of badging. Which, in fact, is very useful for telling them apart. If for example you see the letters AWD in the corner of the front doors, you're looking at a regular Prius, since its two versions (XLE and Limited) come with four-wheel drive as standard (more on that later), whereas the three variants of the pluggable Prius Prime (SE, XSE and XSE Premium) do not. These front-wheel-drive Priuses get the Prime name that stands out clearly at the base of the hatch.
Another undeniable common trait: Prime and non-Prime are equally sharp-looking!
Total transformation
Last year, Prius embarked on its fifth generation with a silhouette that was as attractive as it was unexpected. It would be unkind to say that previous iterations were ugly... but let’s just say they were more the type to take home the Miss/Mister Congeniality award.
Ok let’s be more brutally honest. The second and third generations looked like a suppository; the fourth may well have been designed by a Star Wars fanatic. With this fifth iteration, harmony and balance finally arrive. This is a longer, wider and lower-sitting Prius, with 17-inch or 19-inch wheels.
The roofline of the new Prius forms a continuous arc from the hood to the integrated spoiler. This gives the car a fastback look that makes you want to drive it. The hook-shaped headlights, minimalist grille, pointed nose, sleek flanks, tapered windows, modern wheels and saucy rump transform the 5-door into a coupe, a styling trick reinforced by the fact that the rear door handles are concealed in the C-pillars. First time around, you might need to look for a while before finding them.
In short, Toyota's designers and engineers have freed themselves from the past and delivered a car that is truly pleasing to the eye. From ugly duckling to beautiful swan, what a story.
Getting noticed on the road
The 2024 Prius Prime XSE I drove was dressed in Tank Blue (where do they come up with these names?). A nice shade, but déjà-vu; few turned their heads. On the other hand, during the time I drove the 2024 Prius Limited AWD painted a lively Maximum Yellow, they came like moths to a flame.
A couple in their 50s approached me and bombarded me with questions about trunk capacity and handling. She was toying with the idea of buying a Prius. I invited her to sit in the driver's seat while I opened the tailgate wide. They left me with smiles on their faces.
At a service station, when it was time to pay inside, the young cashier kept his eyes on the Prius. He too was full of questions.
In a parking lot somewhere else, a gentleman rolled down the window of his Honda Accord to congratulate me. After repeating how beautiful he thought it was, he remarked that “the Prius has come a long way!”
In short, this colour, somewhere in the rainbow between mustard yellow and gold, certainly enhances the athletic curves of the new Prius. As for me, well I had strange cravings for hot dogs the whole week...
