- 2015 Toyota Prius
- Interior / Exterior »
The 2015 Toyota Prius carries over unchanged the wedge shape, high tail, almost horizontal tailgate with a second window in the vertical part are elements that instantly define “Prius” and make it instantly recognizable the world over. Every last line, crease, and shape serves to reduce aerodynamic drag, which takes more energy to overcome at speeds above 30 mph than actually moving the mass of the car itself. With a drag coefficient of 0.25, it remains one of the most aerodynamic cars on the market, though it’s no longer the gold medalist in that respect. Otherwise, very little of the exterior has changed since the 2010 launch of the current generation, save for the addition of LED running lights.
Inside, the front-seat passengers face a distinctive high-mounted, central Multiple Information Display that defines the layout of the wide, flat dash. The drivers also sees more information on a small screen in the center of the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. Innovative and somewhat high-tech at its 2009 launch, the Prius information display now borders on the scattered and chaotic. Other hybrid and electric vehicles, from the Chevy Volt to the various hybrids sold by Ford, simply have better, cleaner, and more coherent ways of displaying operating information–while the Prius is left with a scattered array of icons, numbers, and graphs.
The interior surfaces are textured and patterned hard plastic, which can come across as low-budget in a car that runs from $25,000 to $35,000. Now that even subcompacts have soft-touch surfaces, the Prius interior looks cheap, outdated, and almost grim. The cabin is spacious and relatively light, but knock an elbow on a door-trim panel and you’ll be reminded of what it’s made of.
The high “flying buttress” console that sweeps down from the dash and the delicate “shift” knob–more of a joystick, really–are characteristic and recognizable Prius interior fittings. We’ve always found the console less practical than showy: Items in the floor bin underneath it are hard to see and challenging to reach. The Prius does get credit for offering numerous bins, trays, and cup holders to hold all the digital devices, sunglasses, bills and change, toll tickets, and more that accumulate in a car.
The Touch Tracer controls on the steering wheel let drivers interact with the information displays by moving through menu options without taking their hands off the wheel. They can do the same with the Remote Touch controller, more or less a computer mouse fixed to the console, using one hand. Both can be quickly learned and come to feel intuitive, but having to focus on icons on the central navigation screen requires drivers to take their eyes off the road for long periods of time. We call that distraction.
- Performance »
The powertrain that delivers this magic combines a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine tuned for peak efficiency with a pair of electric motor-generators, all of it together known as Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive. The motors add torque to supplement the engine power, power the car entirely on electricity at low speeds and under light loads, and recharge the battery pack during regenerative braking–recapturing energy that would otherwise be wasted and recycling it to propel the car when needed. The 1.3-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery pack sits under the rear load deck.
Toyota says the 2015 Prius accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds, but the car is the antithesis of performance driving in almost every way. Noise and vibration from the engine are well suppressed under most circumstances, but if the driver demands maximum power, the engine will howl plaintively as it runs up to the top of its speed range and stays there. Indeed, the electronic control of virtually every aspect of the Prius mechanical operations leads drivers to focus on fuel economy rather than stop-light drag racing.
Behind the wheel, its electric power steering is numb, lifeless, and conveys no sign of road feel–like many other Toyota products–though it works just fine. On anything but gentle cornering, the low-rolling-resistance tires will squeal in protest, though roadholding remains adequate even if the car works to discourage hard cornering. Toyota’s blending of friction and regenerative braking is second to none in the field, and the four-wheel disc brakes stop the car expeditiously when called upon to do so.
There are both a lower-powered “Eco” mode–even less fun to drive than the regular mode–and an “EV” mode that directs the Prius to run only on energy from the battery pack, at least until its 1 mile or so of low-speed electric range is depleted. To our mind, the Eco mode should be limited to admitted masochists, since a Prius in Normal mode is more fuel-efficient than any other gasoline car on the road. But perhaps that’s the video-game aspect of owning the world’s most popular hybrid.
Finally, there’s the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, with its larger lithium-ion battery pack. The EPA says it’ll give you 11 miles of electric range, which is the lowest of any plug-in vehicle on the market. And even at that, the car only managed 6 continuous miles in the (not overly demanding) EPA test cycles before it had to switch on its engine to keep up. The plug-in Prius will run up to 50 mph or more if you have a very light foot, against the standard hybrid’s 30 mph, but otherwise it performs like a regular Prius–one that’s about 300 pounds heavier. The 3.3-kilowatt onboard charger will fully recharge a fully-discharged battery in about 3 hours on 120-volt household current; using a 240-volt Level 2 charging station will take less than 2 hours. Unlike most other plug-ins, however, the charge-port door is on the right rear fender.
A new Prius is expected to be launched for 2016, though recent delays mean it won’t be seen until the very end of 2015. It’s expected to be more fuel-efficient yet (55 mpg combined is the goal), sleeker, and more modern–and Toyota promises that it will offer more engaging handling and roadholding than the numb and leaden current model.
We’ll wait to see whether Toyota can meet all its goals, but the current 2015 Prius Liftback and Plug-In remain the most economical gasoline cars sold in the U.S.–as they have been since their launch for 2010. Only electric cars are more efficient, and other makers have had six years to try to beat the Prius in fuel-economy ratings. None have succeeded.
By this point, the Prius shape is well established after 12 years, and its instantly recognizable. The five-door hatchback has a high, vertical tail, a domed roof, and a smooth front with a minimal air inlet. Its whole goal, besides containing four or five people and their goods, is to aerodynamic drag to squeeze every last mile out of each gallon of gasoline. The plug-in hybrid model looks identical, save for some trim differences and a charge-port door on the right rear fender that you could easily mistake for a gas door.
Inside, the two-level Prius dashboard layout now looks dated–though the interior design appeared futuristic and somewhat Space Age on its launch in 2009. With interior surfaces clad entirely in hard plastics, of various textures and patterns, the first thing to catch your eye is a “flying buttress” console that sweeps down from the top of the dash. While it’s striking visually, in practice the storage space under it is largely invisible and hard to reach, and it will punish the kneecaps of taller drivers. Four adults will fit comfortably, five in a pinch, and the EPA defines the Prius as a mid-size car based on interior volume. The seat padding is thin, though.
The instrumentation itself contains graphs, numbers, and icons strewn across a high Information Center close to the base of the windshield. There’s also a cluster of more conventional gauges and displays behind the steering wheel. Compared to the calm and easy-to-learn full-color displays of Ford’s various hybrids, let alone the superb graphics of the Chevy Volt, the Prius setup now looks chaotic. The steering-wheel Touch Tracer controls are a nice touch, though. They let drivers navigate through menus on the information display without taking their hands off the wheel, and the various options appear in the cluster between two large gauges.
The 2015 Prius powertrain remains unchanged, with total output at 134 horsepower from the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motor-generators. They provide electric torque to supplement torque from the engine, recharge the battery during regenerative braking or engine overrun, and can power the car solely on electricity (at speeds up to 30 mph) if you have a light right foot. Toyota has more experience building hybrids than any other maker, and its blending of regenerative braking with the conventional friction brakes is excellent. But if you need more than leisurely performance–0 to 60 mph is just under 10 seconds–you’ll quickly hear the engine rev up to high speeds and howl to provide it.
Behind the wheel, drivers will hear engine speed rising and falling entirely separate from anything their feet do on the accelerator pedal. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system always modulates between its power sources to maximize efficiency, recapturing the highest amount of energy that would otherwise have been wasted. First-time Prius drivers, though, may find the experience disconcerting. As for handling and roadholding, the 2015 Prius remains as numb and ponderous as it was when it launched–even as mid-size sedan handling has improved in such cars as the Ford Fusion Hybrid. There’s zero feel or feedback through the Prius electric power steering, though it corners and holds the road appropriately when the driver operates the controls. But it can feel more like driving a video game than a car with any connection to the road. (Toyota promises to address this in the next Prius, whose handling it hopes to improve considerably.)
The plug-in hybrid Prius swaps out the standard car’s 1.3-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride battery pack for a 4.3-kWh lithium-ion pack, giving it a nominal 11 miles of electric range in EPA testing. Even under the relatively gentle EPA test cycles, though, the engine has to switch on at least once to power the car even though there’s energy left in the pack–so only 6 miles of that range is continuous. In practice, more than modest power demand–let alone foot-to-the-floor acceleration into fast-moving traffic from an uphill freeway on-ramp–will switch on the engine, though the Prius Plug-In otherwise stays more in electric mode than the conventional Liftback hybrid model.
On the safety front, the 2014 Prius retained its Top Safety Pick+ rating–a good one indeed for a six-year-old model. It gets top ratings in all IIHS tests except the new Small-Overlap crash that has tripped up many older models; the Prius gets an “Acceptable” in that one. It comes standard with seven airbags and can be ordered with a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warning, along with an Intelligent Parking Assist function (though we prefer Ford’s similar system).
The 2015 Toyota Prius is offered in four trim levels, confusing known as Two, Three, Four, and Five–the stripped-down Prius One can only be ordered by fleet buyers. Choices include LED headlamps, remote air conditioning, Bluetooth, and a navigation system. Packages include the feature-rich Technology Package, or the Solar Moonroof option that includes a photovoltaic solar panel to cool the cockpit by powering a ventilation fan that switches on when the Prius is parking. Note that with the less-expensive Prius C subcompact now in the family, the price of a Prius Liftback has risen to the point where the highest-priced Prius Four and Five models can now exceed $30,000 if the buyer has a heavy hand on the options sheet.
The only new option for 2015 is a Prius Special Edition model that adds a host of additional trim items to the Prius Three specification, complete with a badge to show it off. Those include a dark-metal finish on 17-inch wheels, two special paint colors (Absolutely Red and Blizzard Pearl), SofTex seats in black with dark gray accents stitching; various trim items finished in “Dark Chrome,” turns signals mounted on the door mirrors, and blue footwell lighting.
In addition to the Prius Liftback and Prius Plug-In Hybrid models, the expanded vehicle family sold under the Prius name includes the Prius V wagon and the Prius C subcompact, which we have reviewed separately.
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