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By EWAN
KENNEDY
13 July 2009
Toyota
Prius for 2009 is bigger and better than ever. Even more to the
point it's cleaner and more economical than either of its
scene-setting ancestors.
Fuel consumption has been trimmed to just 3.9 litres per hundred
kilometres when measured to Australian standards on the combined
cycle. And CO2 emissions are just 89 grams per kilometre. The
Toyota Prius is now officially the most environmentally friendly
car in the Australian Green Vehicle Guide.
Yet it's faster off the line than before and during our initial
road test at the press launch, we found the torque characteristics
to be pretty strong for a car like this. Prius can move off the
line smartly, climbs hills with no real hassles and can overtake
reasonably smartly. Maximum power is 100 kW which is nothing
special for a car of this size, but the fact that the petrol and
electric engines are working to complement one another gives it a
strong feeling throughout the rev range.
We were less impressed with the suspension in one car of the three
we drove. It had a slightly harsh feeling, even on Sydney roads
that aren’t overly rough. That may be partly due to the economy,
low-rolling-resistance tyres which are a necessary part of a
package in a car that's aimed at economy above all else.
Prius is larger than ever before, with significant gains inside
the cabin. Toyota says the interior room is roughly halfway
between that of its Corolla and Camry/Aurion models, and that felt
about right to us. There's good legroom in all seats and the rear
compartment can handle three adults, though it really would be
better left to two and a child. Headroom in the back seat has been
significantly improved by a roof that holds on to its flatter
shape for longer than before, not sweeping down to the tail until
it's almost at the head space above the seat.
Boot space is up, now 446 litres instead of the 416 litres of the
just superseded second-generation Prius. That's partly because of
the larger overall size of the car, but a redesign of the rear
suspension means it takes up less space under the floor.
There's more to the new hybrid Toyota than simply a cleaner car.
The factory that builds it has also received a full makeover to
minimise its harmful outputs, this includes a lot of its
electricity being produced by solar panels. Toyota Australia
freely admits that more pollution is created during the building
of a Prius than for conventional car. A lot of that is due to the
manufacture of the battery. However, so clean is the Prius hybrid
that Toyota says the overall pollution outlet is balanced after
about 20,000 km and from then on the car is in front.
The battery provides more ‘fuel’ than before, yet has been
trimmed down in its physical size. It's now possible to drive the
Prius on electric power alone at slow speeds for up to two
kilometres. This is great for getting out of an underground
carpark without emitting any harmful gases, or simply reducing
noise to neighbours as you depart early in the morning. It could
also be useful for creeping quietly home late at night...
Prius will automatically stay under electric power if the battery
has a decent charge and you tip-toe along, but you can also push
an EV button to stay on electricity. However this is overridden by
the car if it senses too much is being asked of the battery by way
of acceleration and/or speed. As well as the EV mode you can also
select Eco or Power.
Toyota Prius now comes in two models, the standard car is priced
at $39,990. This is an increase of $2500 over the superseded car,
but Toyota calculates the new car has additional equipment valued
at around $4000.
Then there's the bells-and-whistles Prius i-Tech with all sorts of
fascinating gadgets. Like solar panels on the roof that power an
electric motor to circulate air inside the car to keep it cooler
when it's parked. Talking about parking, the Toyota can reverse
park itself automatically without the driver having to touch the
steering wheel. And if you do want to reverse the car all by
yourself you will get added visibility by way of the rear-view
camera.
Then there's air conditioning that can be turned on remotely from
outside the car, and which runs on battery power so doesn't
require the petrol engine to be running. Radar cruise control and
leather trim are part of the i-Tech package. This variant of the
Prius is priced at a hefty $53,500. But the person who loves all
the toys and still wants to help the air that we all breathe will
be impressed.
Statutory and dealer charges have to be added to these prices.
There have been concerns over battery life in the Prius since the
car was first introduced to Australia in 2001. However, these
appear to be unfounded and only a small number of cars with very
high distances covered have suffered failures. Nevertheless,
Toyota has moved to allay fears by extending the warranty on the
battery from five years to eight.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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