The Toyota Prius has become a hugely popular hybrid since it made its debut in 1997. With good reason, too: it hardly ever goes wrong, it’s easy to drive and should be really cheap to run.
And now the biggest name in hybrid tech benefits from a refreshed exterior and minor cabin tweaks in order to stay competitive against its main rival, the Hyundai Ioniq.
There’s a new model joining the range, too. This is the Prius AWD: the first hybrid Toyota outside the firm’s SUV range to come with four driven wheels. The extra drive is supplied by a 5.3kW motor and inverter mounted on the rear axle, and is engaged at all times below 6mph to provide smoother traction when pulling away from a standstill. From six to 44mph it engages only when the sensors detect front-wheel slip, and the rest of the time the car operates in FWD mode.
This story is from the September 18, 2019 edition of Auto Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 18, 2019 edition of Auto Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PERFORMANCE review
Updates have transformed the Audi RS 4 before it bows out for good, but can it beat the BMW M3 Touring?
Pick of the Porsches
In its 75 years, Porsche has built some of the most iconic cars ever. We look at the best
The rebirth of cool
Octavia has been the standard-bearer of Skoda's renaissance for 25 years. We mark that milestone by looking at four generations of the popular car
Evolution in action
As the Peugeot 205 turns 40, we look at how this most iconic of French superminis has influenced the brand's latest small car
Volkswagen T-Cross
FIRST DRIVE Updates focus on boosting compact SUV's quality
Vauxhall Astra ST Electric
FIRST DRIVE Estate version of electric family car comes with space to spare
Smart #3
FIRST DRIVE Has Smart righted the 1’s wrongs with the latest addition to its range?
BEAVER TOWN
When Citroen said it was supporting a scheme to rewild beavers in West London wetlands, we were eager to gnaw how it would work
HOUSE OF BUGATTI
| Upon his retirement, the man who's shaped all modern Bugattis SI reflects upon his stellar career with the ultimate supercar brand
AMG weaves its magic as Merc reveals faster CLE 53 coupé
THE new Mercedes CLE coupé is tasked with replacing two-door versions of both the C-Class and E-Class, and the line-up has been bolstered with the arrival of a hot AMG 53 variant.
