Top Car

30 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016

FIRST DRIVES.

Leaner, meaner,

greener machine

The fourth generation of the Prius is here, ready

to battle against hydrogen-power, EVs and hybrids

from every corner of the ea rth. We’re strapp ed in

to see if it’s up to the task

B

UTFIRST, THATstyling

• oh no,what have they
  done? Looking like a 2015
  concept car from the
  1980s, its mental metal
  melted in the sun now resembling a manga
  caricature of its pred ecessor. Its best angle is
  undoubtedly the front three-quarter,
  dominated as it is by wickedly pinched saw-
  tooth Bi-LED headlamps, and a señor
  moustache below its Toyota emblem and
  above a downturned air dam. If that air dam

was a mouth it would be saying ‘meh’.

Its profile is steeply raked from the nose

all the way to its haunches, a medley of

rising and dipping lines that dive across

the bootline in a style reminiscent of a

2000s era Celica. As for the rear end, its

wonky-arse styling leaves you in no

doubtthat so meone at Toyota was

enjoying a bit too much freedom. Firs tly,

that floating ro ofline ends in the middle of

nowhere but the invisible contour line that

defines it is never picked up again. Instead, a

swathe of body metal dissects the rear

windscreen forming a makeshift spoiler

itself flanked by another pair of zigging

and zagging LED lamp clusters that drop

down almost to the tarmac. The rear apron

is just okay.

I quickly settle on a favourite view of the

new Prius; that is the one from behind the

TOYOTA PRIUS

steering wheel. ‘Aah, much be tter.’ The new

car loses some of the zaniness, and you’re

rewarded with a pleasant and well-appointed

cabin. We’ve beengiven the run of the Fuji

Speedw ay handling circuit on a test course

that incorporates bi ts of the park ing lot as

well, augmented with bollards and

simulated rutted surfaces to get a feel of the

new car’s chassis. Called TNGA (Toyota

New Generation Architecture), the new

platform equips new Prius with a wider,

lower stance. The front axle retains

Simpleeco-mindful

cabin receives white-

paneltreatment.Oddly

refreshing

Toyota Prius

PriceN/A>Engine1797cc4cyl, 72kWpetrol

• 53kWelectric, Combined system output
  90kW>TransmissionCVT, front-wheel drive
  Performance10.6sec0-100kph, 180kph,
  3.0ℓ/100km, 70g/kmCO 2 >Weight1 395kg
  On saleQ2 2016