The first Prius was a small sedan that drew interest for its unique hybrid drivetrain. It was the 2nd generation mode with its aerodynamic shape and 4-door hatch practicality where the Prius success story began. Upon the 2nd generation’s debut twenty years ago, US sales doubled to 54K units in 2004 and then doubled again in the following year to almost 108K. The car also racked up awards, including Motor Trend’s Car of the Year and Car and Driver’s 10Best. Now, exactly two decades later, the 2024 Prius is making the same kind of waves, having first been awarded Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award again and recently named as one of Car and Driver’s 10Best.
Hybrid vehicles have become a major staple with customers across the country and our Valley Hi Toyota inventory includes many great options, but once again, the Prius breaks from its predecessors based on its drivetrain and design. The Prius improves in a way that goes to the core of the enthusiast magazine editors’ hearts with the updated drivetrain. That is to say, it’s much faster. As Car and Driver says: “If you wanted to drive a 220-hp Prius in 2004, you’d probably begin by scavenging junkyards for a Ford Taurus SHO V-6. Now, you simply climb into a Prius Prime and push the start button.” They point out that the Prius Prime transitions from stationary to 60 in 6.5 seconds, with the non-prime Prius not far behind at 7.1 seconds. This is quite a change since the previous generation Prius took over 10 seconds for the same feat.
Part of the acceleration change is simply having a larger engine. Whereas the previous Prius gasoline engine was a 1.8-liter inline-4 producing 121 horsepower, the fifth-generation Prius has a 2.0-liter inline-4 producing 150 hp. Combined with its two electric motors, it produces a combined 196 horsepower. The Prius Prime plug-in hybrid has a third motor for a combined 220 horsepower. That is a lot of pull for a compact sedan and dare we say that the term “sport sedan” could honestly be applied? At the same time, MPG – which has always been Prius’s calling card – has not suffered. The front-wheel drive Prius has an EPA-estimated rating of 57 city / 56 highway and 57 combined. Ratings vary among grades, but only the AWD XLE Limited breaks below 50 at 49/50/49. The Prius Prime plug-in hybrid is rated as high as 52 combined mpg and has an estimated EV-only range of 45 miles, covering most people’s daily commute. That means that after charging at home on a standard household socket, the Prius Prime could effectively be an EV through the work week, while ready to tackle a weekend road trip without charging concerns.
Still, as impressive as all those numbers are, the 2024 Prius might not have earned those prestigious awards if not for this one other thing: It looks fantastic! The new Prius’s combination of an aggressively leaned back windshield blending into a single unbroken curve to the car’s Kammback rear and surrounding voluptuous curves makes it look at least as fast as it is and is enough for people to desire it for its appearance alone.
The Prius retains the practicality of its liftback for cargo access and has a starting price comfortably below $30K, with the top-level Prius Prime barely breaking the $40K point. In a way, it just makes sense now that Toyota has hybrid models up and down its lineup; they have given customers entirely new reasons to desire a Prius, and this country’s two most prominent car magazines have recognized that with their highest awards.
The new Prius is more impressive in person than in the printed word, so pay a visit to Valley Hi Toyota and see if it excites you as much as it has the experts.
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