Our road test of the Toyota Prius, third generation. 

After a first generation pilot and a second generation that surfed opportunistically the wave of 147$ oil and global warming widespread dogmatic acceptance, the third generation Toyota Prius has to be the hybrid that crosses the automobile chasm. A hybrid that delivers much more than the exciting idea of a different or better personal mobility. Like the Citroën 2CV in the 70’s and 80’s, driving a Prius on the old continent has been a social statement that has to be outgrown. The brand needs to overcome the “green bourgeois” cliché to turn Toyota’s visionary investments into mainstream market penetration.

Toyota’s design studio has retained most of the Prius DNA while adopting much more dynamic styling, with this new edge that runs along the profile, detailed and aggressive headlights and a fender that dares venturing into bolder design language with the integration of the air vent and fog lights. The discrete hood bump could almost be a cue of the now defunct Formula 1 team. Throw in 17 inch alloys dressed in series 45 rubber and sporty vocabulary comes to mind. To my eyes, the Prius III scores in the looks department, neat, elegant and modern. An undisputable crowd pleaser on supermarket parking lots, the Prius looks become arguably more controversial with petrolhead audiences. The 0.25 drag coefficient is pretty impressive.

Toyota has dramatically improved the driving position, a serious flaw on the Prius II. The driver now sits in the car rather than on the car, with a seat that now adjusts in height, and a steering column that adjusts in height and reach. Anyone can find a comfortable driving position, but the lack of lateral seat support unfortunately persists. At the back, knee room has melted like the polar ice cap, a surprise considering that the 2700 mm wheelbase remains unchanged in comparison with the mkII Prius. What was once a spacious interior is now a lot more cramped, barely making the standards of the category.