To critique a Prius for its dynamic failings is to miss the point entirely. This is a midsize car with a big cargo area that gets great gas mileage and enjoys a reputation for bulletproof reliability. It performs as a commuter, an errand-runner and a family hauler without complaint, and because it gets great mileage and is a practical daily driver, my family elected to use the Prius instead of the Charger Daytona that sat in the driveway at the same time.
The Prius is equipped with a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, a 60kW electric motor and a 27kW nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. No longer revolutionary, these proven components are nevertheless durable. Together, they produce a combined 134 horsepower and accelerate the car to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds. There is no denying it: That is slow. But it’s not the whole story. The electric motor develops 153 lb-ft of torque the moment the driver steps on the accelerator pedal, which keeps the Prius from turning into an orange cone in traffic.
The Prius is also what’s considered a “full hybrid,” which means it can operate on battery power alone. In this case, that works only until the car is traveling 25 mph, unless you buy the Prius Plug-in model, which can travel up to 15 miles at speeds as high as 62 mph, thanks to its more sophisticated lithium-ion battery pack.
My Prius Persona Series test car, like other Prius trims, offers EV, Eco, Normal and Power driving modes. In EV mode, the car operates as an electric vehicle at low speeds and for short distances. In Eco mode, the powertrain and other vehicle systems operate to maximize fuel economy. In Power mode, the Prius feels far more lively and responsive when the driver steps on the gas.
Although I sampled each of these modes, the majority of my 500-mile test drive was conducted in Normal mode. With a heavy emphasis on highway driving, I effortlessly averaged 42.7 mpg. That’s well short of the car’s 50-mpg EPA rating, but I wasn’t driving like my grandparents with the Eco mode engaged, either. And don’t forget that my Persona Series test car had the larger and wider 17-inch wheel-and-tire combo on it.
In addition to making the Prius look better, the upgraded rubber makes a big difference in terms of handling. Unlike a Prius Two, Three or Four, which can feel like a sailboat listing in a stiff crosswind when going around sharp corners on a mountain road, these bigger, stickier, lower-profile tires provide something resembling grip in turns. Combined with the car’s Power mode, the Prius is competent on a twisty road, if not in the same universe as entertaining.
Dynamically, the Prius demands that its driver accept certain compromises in the quest for maximum fuel efficiency. The car’s regenerative brake pedal feels rudimentary, with inconsistent response that makes the brakes difficult to modulate in traffic, in city driving and on the highway. The electric steering feels totally artificial and disconnected, like a video-game component. The Prius also feels heavy and softly suspended if pushed to its rather meager limits, even though it weighs barely more than 3,000 pounds.
Still, unlike the last time I took a Prius into the mountains, the Persona Series didn’t inspire me to abort the mission early and return to the urban environment to which the car is better suited. So thank you, tires.
For those inclined to spend more to improve handling, a Toyota dealer can install 17-inch lightweight forged aluminum wheels with performance tires ($2,499), Toyota Racing Development lowering springs ($399) and a TRD rear sway bar kit ($325). Unfortunately, these upgrades don’t fix the steering and braking, but it’s a start.
I also took the Prius on a short road trip, and the Prius motored down the interstate at 80 mph with no complaints, all the while returning gas mileage in the low 40s. While navigating evening traffic in Los Angeles, the Prius creeped along in EV mode, the numbers on the average fuel economy display rising rather than falling. Clearly, these are the environments to which the Prius is best suited.
At the start of this section, I indicated that it is unfair to criticize the Prius for its lack of dynamic performance. That’s true, but the statement does not apply to the car’s lack of dynamic calibration. Many modern hybrid vehicles are tuned so that their regenerative braking systems, electric steering and the added weight of their battery packs aren’t obvious to the driver. Test-drive a Ford Fusion Hybrid to see what I mean.
Comparatively speaking, the Prius is rather primitive, and that’s why I downgraded its performance. The score above has nothing to do with how slow the Prius is or its inability to thrill a driver on a canyon road. Toyota engineers have some work to do here.
