The new Toyota Prius (2023) may be a plug-in hybrid, but there is more to be said about its electrical skills than those of some fully electric cars. Read on quick.
We have set an unofficial record with the new Toyota Prius no less 98.3 kilometers on a full battery to drive. Then we tested it petrol consumption with an empty battery and now we want a few more things from the heart.
Advantage 1: economical heat pump
Thanks to the standard heat pump, the Prius does not have to rely on the petrol engine for a warm cabin. This means that you can drive in EV mode for a long time, without the combustion engine having to start to provide heat.
Advantage 2: physical buttons
The dashboard is sleek and tidy, but still contains all the physical buttons you could wish for. Such as a rotary knob for the volume and beautiful push buttons for the climate control. So easy.
Benefit 3: yellow sports car
It’s been said a thousand times: finally the Prius is a beautiful car. But it really is and that makes us happy. In yellow it looks like a sports car. Sunset Yellow is the standard paint color of the top model (Solar Edition).
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Disadvantage 1: no wireless phone charger
There is no wireless phone charger in this box next to the selector lever of the machine. That’s extra strange when you know that the American model does have one.
Disadvantage 2: oh yes, the start button
The Prius has a start button and more than once we forget to turn it off, because we imagine ourselves in an electric car after an emission-free car journey.
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Disadvantage 3: low A-pillars
You don’t hear our younger colleagues talking about the low A-pillars of the streamlined Prius, but the Werther’s Original generation doesn’t want to bend so low.
Fact 1: the charging cable goes in the bag
Toyota supplies the car with a long charging cable of 7.5 meters and a cable bag. That bag comes in handy, because that is the only way to neatly store the cord. Although the loading floor of the trunk has a recess that encourages you to lift the floor, no storage compartment has been created underneath for the cord.
Fact 2: regenerate without flippers
We are pleasantly surprised that the Prius not only has the well-known B-mode for more powerful braking of the electric motor, but that you can also adjust the degree of regeneration. Not with handy flippers behind the wheel, but in a menu that you can only use when the car is stationary. So always double check whether the B setting is set to the desired power before you turn onto the highway.
Fact 3: solar roof in practice
Our test car is equipped with a Solar Roof – a solar panel in the roof. A calendar on the touchscreen shows the output of the Solar Roof per day, expressed in kilometers. We’re talking about a few hundred meters on a cloudy day, up to eight kilometers in the summer months.