The Star: September 08, 2016

The Star 47
Driven
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32 Moorhouse Ave | 03 366 7768
Thursday September 8 2016
The biggest range of vehicles
in one location
Toyota Prius cares
for the environment
• By Ross Kiddie
I HAD the good fortune
recently to listen to a
speech from Toyota New
Zealand’s managing
director, Alistair Davis.
The subject was global
warming and the effect
that is having on our
planet. Mr Davis’ address
was fascinating and way
too comprehensive to
detail, but for the fact
that the bottom line is as
a global population we
aren’t doing enough to
save our planet from rising
sea water levels and other
issues surrounding climate
change.
Toyota as a global vehicle
manufacturing operation is
well aware of the problems
our future generations face,
and are amping up the
production of more fuel
efficient and low emission
vehicles, those which are
less likely to contribute to
the problem greenhouse
gas is creating on our
weather patterns.
There is no silver bullet
to the issue without a viable
alternative to the internal
combustion engine; that
being the case, Toyota’s
production of hybrid
vehicles is reaching new
intensity.
Because of New Zealand’s
tiny appetite for new cars
in comparison to the world
market, we don’t see the
volume of hybrids that
are leaving the Toyota
factories, but as demand
here swells, more and more
hybrids are landing; take
for example, the release
of the new Corolla hybrid
which will be evaluated
in these columns in a few
week’s time.
In the interim, this
evaluation focuses on
the Prius – the car which
really started the hybrid
revolution, and for
2016/17 a new generation
has landed, priced from
$47,490 to $54,990.
The fourth-generation
car shares much of the
same basic design and
mechanical engineering of
its predecessor, but it is a
far more advanced car, and
the styling cues are fresh
– almost futuristic – and
designed so that the person
who buys Prius will make a
statement.
The Prius has always had
styling a little avant-garde,
but new treatment makes it
a lot more radical. Inside,
contrasting white plastic
trim elements are striking
and while it may sound
garish, it works well with
the purpose of Prius.
On that subject, the
new Prius is quieter and
far more refined than
ever before, the level of
sophistication has been
cranked up a notch or two.
It drives quietly, and for
all intents and purposes it
works much like a standard
car. I’ve often said that
the Camry is my favourite
hybrid but the new Prius is
on a par, you just feel so at
ease with the system, and
even if you aren’t familiar
with the Prius concept, the
latest iteration will quickly
win you over.
• Price – Toyota Prius,
$47,490
• Dimensions – Length,
4540mm; width,
1760mm; height,
1475mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
front-wheeldrive,
1798cc, 90kW,
142Nm, CVT.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 11sec
• Fuel usage –
3.4l/100km
The dash and console
area are new-age, there
are a raft of screens and
displays, and even though
it is a complex car, the
controls are intuitive and
easy to locate the display
which shows the the inner
workings of the hybrid
operation is my favourite.
And therein lies the
ideology of the hybrid
operation. It has battery
power to activate the
electric motor which
is initiated in the first
instance; however, the
petrol engine operates
automatically when the
electric motor is under
load. The 1.8-litre petrol
engine also provides the
generation needed to keep
TOYOTA PRIUS: Major
technology boost in new
model.
recharging the batteries, as
well as some regeneration
available on deceleration.
It’s a complex process,
although in effect it
works seamlessly and
efficiently, drive is sent to
the front wheels through
a continuously variable
automatic transmission.
The benefits make a lot
of sense when you take
into account the fuel usage
readouts. Between a long
highway drive and a lot of
suburban running around
the test car recorded a 5.2-
litre per 100km (54mpg)
average.
That’s nowhere near
Toyota’s best claim of
3.4l/100km (82mpg) on a
combined cycle average but
conditions to get usage that
friendly would need to be
near perfect.
In terms of handling,
the Prius feels taut, the
newcomer has had a
shift in battery position so
it feels less bulky at the rear,
and the ride isn’t as harsh
as I remember Prius to be.
The spring and damper
rates are firmish but not
hard, and that relates to
positive body balance in a
corner along with realistic
steering feel.
In the wider scheme of
things, other manufacturers
have only dabbled with
hybrid production while
Toyota is forever expanding
the number of vehicles
available in hybrid form.
The Prius sets an example
as to how it should work
effectively.
Toyota in New Zealand
recognise the importance
of Prius in our market,
even to the extent of
importing pre-owned plugin
(electric-only) Prius
through the Signature Class
operation. It’s there for
those who like the idea of
what the Prius represents
but who don’t relate to
the idea of still relying on
petrol as the main form of
propulsion.
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