Professional plugging. Toyota reinvents the Prius and with the fifth generation.
Toyota is reinventing the Prius and, with the fifth generation, is creating a car that appeals to a wide audience for the first time in history. However, it is not yet a full-fledged EV. Instead, the Prius is presented as a kind of ultimate plug-in hybrid and an outsider. Especially because of the latter, he encounters the Peugeot 408, of course also as a plug-in.
What does the hybrid Toyota Prius actually add now that there are already so many other hybrids and fully electric cars?
Good question. During the first three generations in particular, the Toyota Prius has become a kind of icon of economy, with all the image-related advantages and disadvantages that come with it. Generation four was much more of an ‘outsider’ and now the Prius is actually in a difficult position. Where this was once a pioneer in the field of electrification, almost all cars today are electrified to a greater or lesser extent. Anyone who likes to be broad in that area has been getting into a fully electric car for years without hesitation.
At least, in the Netherlands. Things are different in the rest of the world, right?
Correct. In large parts of the rest of the world, the EV transition is still a long way off. A hybrid is still quite popular there and, according to Toyota, the Prius still has a right to exist. However, even then we encounter a problem. While the Prius was once the first and only Toyota hybrid, virtually every car from this brand worldwide is now available with a hybrid drivetrain. In order to be distinctive, the new Prius is positioned as the ultimate flagship in this area. It is sleeker and more economical than the rest and is also only available as a plug-in hybrid in Europe, which is not possible at all with a Corolla, for example. In any case, what the new Prius has ahead of its predecessors is that everyone seems to like it. The sleek but distinctive carriage stands out because of its extremely streamlined shape and almost unnaturally flat windshield. It stands confidently on its large wheels and therefore has a completely different appearance than previous generations, which were either very dull (1, 2 and 3), or very sensitive to taste (edition 4).
Why was the Peugeot 408 chosen as a rival to the Prius?
Unlike its direct predecessor, Toyota is not positioning this new Prius as a D-segmenter, i.e. an Avensis-sized car. It is again ‘just’ a C-segment car, but also a car that is clearly above ‘segment rival’ Corolla in terms of price and, based on that appearance alone, is clearly an outsider next to that car. In that respect, the Peugeot 408 fits great with the Prius. After all, this Frenchman is also a compact middle class car, but with a somewhat unusual, liftback-like body and a slightly higher price tag than the ‘regular’ 308. They also share the liftback butt, but Peugeot does add a good dash of crossover. by placing the 408 high on its legs. With its many sharp corners and creases and – in the case of the test car – bizarre wheels, the 408 is also unmissable, albeit in a more flashy way than the sleeker Prius.
So two special plug-in hybrids. How do these cars compare to each other if we look purely at the drivetrain?
What also clearly distinguishes the new Prius from previous generations is its power. The new PHEV drivetrain uses the 2.0-liter engine that we also encounter in other hybrids, but thanks to more electric power it achieves a total power of no less than 223 hp. This means the car sprints from 0 to 100 in about 7 seconds, downright smooth. The electrical performance is also impressive. With a 13.6 kWh battery, the car can run on electricity for approximately 70 kilometers. After that, however, it is still one of the most economical hybrids that Toyota ever built and so we easily drove it for more than 1 in 20 without charging. We often see this differently and in practice it is indeed a fairly ideal combination, because ‘not charging’ does not immediately mean that the journey will be expensive. Yet the Peugeot is not doing too badly in this area. It doesn’t go as far and is less economical, but it still scores very decent values for a car with this size, weight and power. We drive the 408 as a 1.6 Hybrid 225, a car that has exactly 2 hp more than the Prius. It is also available with 180 hp and that is actually just as good in practice, so keep that in mind. With 225 hp, the Peugeot is of course also nice and smooth, but the difference in character is especially noticeable. The French car feels more natural than the Prius due to its traditional eight-speed automatic transmission and turbo engine, prefers to accelerate and can also be shifted with paddles if desired. However, this powertrain is also more temperamental and less refined. While the interplay between electric and petrol engine in the Toyota always runs smoothly, we occasionally catch the Peugeot with a small ‘hiccup’. Due to the high power, the Prius performs more easily than ever and that in turn ensures peace on board, because the engine does not have to walk on its toes quickly. If you really ask a lot, the Toyota engine will make itself heard and will leave its ‘comfort zone’ more than the Peugeot.