• Toyota unveils the European version of its 2023 Prius.
• The featured model is equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
• The fifth-generation Prius for North America will be shown this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The fifth generation of the Toyota Prius for our markets will be unveiled in the next day at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but yesterday's presentation of the European model gives a pretty substantial sneak preview.
There may be some small differences, but mostly this is what we will be getting.
The Prius was never really a beautiful car, let's be honest. It was a very effective hybrid, even revolutionary in its early days, but never beautiful. That changes drastically with this new model.
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In Europe, the new Prius will only be available in a plug-in hybrid configuration; that’s the model known as the Prius Prime here. The powerplant includes a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with a total output of 220 hp. That's nearly 100 more than the 1.8L 4-cylinder and electric units in the current proposal (121 hp).
The model uses a 13.6 kWh battery, compared to 8.8 kWh in the outgoing Prius. We can therefore expect a substantial gain in range. Toyota estimates that gain at a little over 50 percent. Considering that it’s currently about 40 km, we can anticipate something around 60 km. That's good, but with 80 or 100 km, it would completely change the game. We’ll see what’s officially announced here.
Esthetically, we'll let you be the judge, but from our point of view the model looks good. The new Prius is 50 mm lower, 46 mm shorter and 22 mm wider. The wheelbase grows by 50 mm, so the interior space should not be affected by the model getting shorter.
On board, the signature of the bZ4X electric SUV is carried over. Recall that with that EV, the instrument panel moves with the steering wheel when you adjust it, making it difficult for some drivers to see the information displayed, depending on their size. Something to watch out for.
The centre console consists of a multimedia screen that emerges from the dashboard. The only physical control seems to be a button in the lower right corner of the screen.
As for the rest, let's wait and see what the North American model looks like.
Stay tuned.
