PetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlog
  • Home
  • 70s cars
  • 80s cars
  • 90s cars
  • 00s cars
  • Manufacturers
    • CITROËN
    • PEUGEOT
    • RENAULT
    • Alfa Romeo
    • Audi
    • Dacia
    • Daihatsu
    • Fiat
    • Ford
    • Honda
    • Hyundai
    • Lancia
    • Matra
    • Mazda
    • Mercedes-Benz
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
    • Opel
    • Proton
    • Saab
    • Seat
    • Skoda
    • Suzuki
    • Talbot
    • Toyota
    • Vauxhall
    • Volkswagen
    • Volvo
  • Features
    • 10 of the best
    • CarTunes
    • General Bunk
    • It’s time to appreciate
    • Major Waffle
    • New cars
    • Regrets
    • Reviews
    • Save Our Scrap
    • Shatchbacks
    • The Barn
    • Whatever happened to?
  • Garage
  • Shop
0

Folk dancing: Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

Published by Gavin Big-Surname at 27th August 2013
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

The Toyota Prius. Loathed by petrolheads the world over and yet, arguably, one of the most talked about cars ever built. If popular opinion was anything to go by, it wouldn’t warrant a single mention on PetrolBlog. The Toyota Prius is an object of derision, hatred and ridicule.

But can it really be that bad? Toyota and Lexus have sold more than five million hybrid vehicles, with the Prius accounting for around 80% of these. In the UK alone, the Prius has amassed 63,000 sales since it was introduced in 2000.

As Sir Arnold Bax reputedly said, “you should try everything once except incest and folk dancing”. And as the Prius falls into neither category, I wanted to give it a go.

And you know what? I didn’t hate it.

Rear of Toyota Prius Plugin Hybrid

I was testing the new Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, rated as many as the best Prius to-date. OK, to some people that’s like saying Justin Bieber’s latest single is his best ditty to-date, but the Plug-in is arguably the best Prius you can buy.

And so it blimmin’ well should be. At £28,245 – after the government’s £5,000 grant – the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has one of those price tags that is genuinely quite shocking the first time you see it. On the outside it looks nothing like a £30k car.

But then saving the planet doesn’t come cheap. Even though the Toyota Prius is now approaching its 16th birthday, the purchase cost of cars of this ilk remain high. To the point where to some people they can’t be justified, even if the day-to-day cost savings present a compelling case for ownership.

Fortunately the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is very well equipped, with Toyota pretty much throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the car.

Standard kit includes a 7-inch screen, heads-up display, cruise control, smart entry and start, rain sensing wipers, dusk sensing lights, sat nav, Bluetooth, rear-view camera, 15-inch alloys and air conditioning. It all helps to make the Prius Plug-in Hybrid feel a bit special.

Toyota Prius Plugin Hybrid Interior

Which is just as well, as the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is just about the least satisfying car I’ve ever driven. There’s a total disconnection with the road and a complete lack of involvement. The steering is vague, the handling is abysmal and any attempt at enthusiastic driving is something you’ll try once. There you go, Sir Arnold, you can add that to your list of things never to try.

That said, I did actually enjoy driving the Prius in built-up areas. Using a featherlight approach to throttle control and keeping an eye on the dashboard display, I found it uniquely satisfying trying to run the Prius on electric power for the maximum amount of time. In the long term I’d have to add an additional 30 minutes to every journey, but there was a real novelty factor associated with driving it.

I actually spent quite a bit of time in the Toyota Prius, including one 500-mile round trip to Luton. And to be fair to the Prius, it was more than up to the task of long distance driving, with the 1.8-litre engine providing enough pace for motorway cruising. It was let down only by a slightly harsh ride and an intrusive engine note.

The interior is a bit of a mixed bag, too. I guess I wanted something a bit more ‘space-age’, more along the lines of the Chevrolet Volt. But the Prius Plug-in somehow manages to fuse cutting edge technology with a cabin which seems stuck in the 1990s. However, the clarity of the displays and simplicity of the layout needs to be applauded, especially for what is in essence a rather complicated car.

Toyota Prius Plugin Hybrid Display

I also need to give a special mention to the brilliant Touch Tracer steering wheel-mounted controls. Even the slightest of touch allows for control of the air conditioning and stereo, with the button replicated on the heads up display. It’s a very cool thing.

Focusing on the relatively minor details like the Touch Tracer controls is obviously completely missing the point of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Its cleverness lies in the new rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, giving the car a theoretical electric range of 15.5 miles from a single 90-minute charge. Whichever way you cut it, that’s impressive.

When you combine this with the ultra-low CO2 emissions of 49g/km, you can begin to mount a strong case for the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid. At least you can for someone who lives out the outskirts of London and needs to drive into town every day for work. The Prius is one of the few cars which manages to creep under the new 75g/km London Congestion Charge tariff, meaning it can be driven in the city without needing to pay for the £10 fee.

For sure, if I had the money I’d much rather opt for the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid or the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, but I don’t. Plus I live in rural Devon, where the Prius Plug-in Hybrid makes very little sense for the kind of motoring I do.

But because the Prius doesn’t suit my lifestyle, does that give me the right to slam it and pour scorn on anyone who chooses to own one? Of course it doesn’t.

Consider the positives. It will seat five adults with ease. Its 443 litres of boot space is over 60 litres more than you’ll find in the new Volkswagen Golf. A full charge could cost as little as 50p. It’s extremely well equipped and – aside from the sombre interior – it has a light and airy feeling interior.

Toyota Prius Plugin Boot

Look beyond the obvious benefits of electric power and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid should be relatively cost effective to run in the short term, too. Buyers benefit from Toyota’s five-year warranty, plus the low rolling resistance tyres are said to be good for at least 30,000 miles of driving.

OK, there’s a theme developing here. I’m stretching things well beyond the limits of true PetrolBlog territory. Justifying Prius ownership is rather like justifying the purchase of an ultra-efficient fridge over a Smeg. Or a cup of instant coffee over a Barista-prepared, but hideously overpriced latte. The Prius is a car that’s bought for completely rational reasons. Free of emotion. An appliance. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sir Arnold Bax was right, you should try most things once. And this includes driving a Prius, especially if you’re going to liken it to the work of the devil.

Now if you don’t mind, I must dash. I’ve booked a folk dancing lesson for this evening…

Share
1


Related Waffle


Buy a Toyota Celica

Buy a Toyota Celica – it’s good for your mental health

Feb 19, 2021
End of the road for Toyota GT86 in the UK

PetrolBlog’s 2013 Toyota GT86 review, revisited

Feb 3, 2021
Toyota Camry dual rear wipers

The Toyota Camry’s dual rear wipers were ‘of modest value’

Feb 1, 2021
Toyota Camry passes MOT

Fleet Update: Camry Shines, Safrane Smells, Megane Stalls

Jan 19, 2021

1 Comment

  1. Ant says:
    12th October 2013 at 3:27 pm

    It has probably been known for some time that I don’t actually mind the Prius, though the only one I’ve actually driven myself is the Plug-in.

    It’s absolutely true that it isn’t much fun to drive, and while fun in its many forms is part of the PB ethos, it’s fair to say that plenty of journeys aren’t much fun. Last time I had an MX-5 on test I spent a combined total of over five hours in stop-start traffic.

    I love the MX-5, but would have begged for a Prius for those journeys. It would’ve used half the (half MY) fuel (and perhaps less if the Plug-in, given the actual distance I covered in those jams), and my left leg wouldn’t have ached either in the stop-start.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

JOIN CLUB PETROLBLOG

Club PetrolBlog

Latest PetrolBlog Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66H54duotkI&t=29s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YrdKXz-OgM&t=4s

Support PetrolBlog – Buy Stickers

  • PetrolBlog sticker PetrolBlog car sticker £4.00
  • My car is the goat bumper sticker My car is the G.O.A.T bumper sticker £3.00
  • French Tat window sticker #FrenchTat window sticker £4.00
  • French Tat bumper sticker #FrenchTat bumper sticker £3.50
  • Too Good to Scrap TOO GOOD TO SCRAP window sticker £3.00
  • Tollfoolery sticker Tollfoolery car bumper sticker £3.50
  • Tollfoolery sticker Tollfoolery car window sticker £4.00
  • PETROLBLOG laptop sticker PetrolBlog laptop sticker £3.00 £2.50
  • GOAT My car is the G.O.A.T window sticker £3.00
  • Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker £3.00 £2.50

What you’re saying

  • 24th February 2021

    Dave and his Volvo commented on Shednesday: Native New Yorker in Sunderland

  • 24th February 2021

    Johannes Smith commented on Last remaining Sao Penza found on Pluto

  • 24th February 2021

    Ben C commented on Buy a Toyota Celica – it’s good for your mental health

  • 19th February 2021

    Mark James commented on Your reminder that the Lancia Ypsilon is still alive

  • 19th February 2021

    Ben Hooper commented on Buy a Toyota Celica – it’s good for your mental health

Keep PetrolBlog Alive!

Donate to PetrolBlog

Fresh waffle

  • Chrysler New Yorker Shednesday1
    Shednesday: Native New Yorker in Sunderland
    22nd February 2021
  • Buy a Toyota Celica2
    Buy a Toyota Celica – it’s good for your mental health
    19th February 2021
  • Renault 21 Turbo1
    Lost Bullet is a film about a Renault 21 Turbo
    18th February 2021
  • Shednesday Fiat Croma5
    Shednesday: Fiat Croma Comfort Wagon
    17th February 2021
  • 2021 Lancia Ypsilon EcoChic3
    Your reminder that the Lancia Ypsilon is still alive
    5th February 2021
  • Renault 19 at the Cafe Real Madrid0
    10 of the best: the French cars of Conakry
    4th February 2021
  • End of the road for Toyota GT86 in the UK6
    PetrolBlog’s 2013 Toyota GT86 review, revisited
    3rd February 2021
  • As Seen On PB Audi quattro3
    As seen on PB: 1986 Audi WR quattro
    3rd February 2021
  • Fiat Regata Energy Saving1
    Citymatic for the people: Fiat Regata ES
    2nd February 2021
  • Renault 11 Broadway0
    Give my regards to the Renault 11 Broadway
    2nd February 2021

Newsletters

PetrolBlog
ABOUT | ADVERTISING / SPONSORSHIP | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS | CONTACT US

Unashamedly unmodern, delivering automotive waffle and bunk, on and off, since 2010

Copyright © PetrolBlog. Website by Oxinternet.

0