2018 Toyota Prius vs 2019

What's the difference?

The ultimate irony of the Prius is that there’s no place for it in a hybridised world it is largely responsible for creating. 

With the same fuel-efficient drivetrain technology readily available from Toyota’s freshly updated range of cars, and the fact there are now more innovative competitors in the market, the list of reasons to consider a Prius is considerably shorter than it once was.

It still strikes a practicality middle-ground between the Camry and the Corolla though, and for some eco-conscious buyers the Prius name still rightfully carries weight.

Do you think the Prius still has a place in a hybridised world? Tell us in the comments below.

In 2019, the Prius is a head scratcher. Toyota has the hybrid Corolla on the same TNGA platform but it's a better overall proposition, cheaper and vastly better looking. If you can find one, you can have a hybrid Camry for a similar money. 

Committed EV buyers can now buy a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq for a few bucks more. It almost feels like the Prius is hanging on for the fans so it rather has the feeling of an Eagles concert... without the hits.

It's difficult to see why you wouldn't save a significant amount of money and go for a Corolla Hybrid. The ZR I drove last year was $13,000 cheaper than the Prius, and a far more satisfying drive.

You know when middle-aged folks become acutely aware of the endless march of time and lash out to reclaim former youth. Colloquially known as a mid-life crisis, I think the Prius is well and truly there on the design front.

The ’97 first-gen car had ugly, awkward styling. But it made its point. The awkward shape back then was the reality of the future. Cars needed to be smart and practical, forgoing the luxuries of beautiful styling or long, sculpted bonnets.

For the eco-conscious the original Prius’ design was kind-of punk-iconic. They were indifferent, or worse still, proud of its unusual shape as it reinforced to everyone who gazed upon it that they’d made the tough choice to drive a Prius, for the good of the planet.

I would argue, however, that our fourth-gen car you see here doesn’t need to be as edgy. But it is. And it’s trying really hard to be. Look at all the science fiction hard lines and angles. The design goes out of its way to look controversial. It’s like a mid-40s relative suddenly wearing skinny jeans and using emojis.

I’d say our base-spec Prius doesn’t look bad, per se. Especially in its appealing ‘Lunar Blue’ paint, but the wacky assault of angles which dominates the front lower fascia, side three-quarter and lifted-up rear will be enough to scare off some buyers.

Inside, the design theme continues, with oddly-placed screens, a cardinal design sin of placing the instrument binnacle centrally in the dash, and a weirdly low (but nicely-sized) 7.0-inch touchscreen.

To detract from the appeal further, there’s a mish-mash of matte and gloss materials in different colours and patterns. I was particularly offended by the random glittery off-white plastics used around the steering wheel and shift-lever. Strange.

On a more positive note, I will say the Prius’ large windows grant excellent forward and side vision for the driver, and - gloss plastics aside - the cabin ambiance has generally improved greatly over the previous-generation car.

My goodness this is an awkward-looking car. The Prius set the template almost two decades ago and it seemed like any hybrid, no matter where it was from, looked like Toyota's pioneer for a while.

Part of the awkwardness is a result of wind-tunnel styling to maximise the benefit of the hybrid power unit - that high, boxed-off tail makes the Prius slippery, but weird looking. The adventurous shapes of the lights front and rear really don't work (for me, anyway). The tiddly wheels amplify the slabbiness of the sides.

I say tiddly because, as you know, they're just 17-inchers. The base model Prius has a laughable set of 15s bolted on.

You know, just by looking, that this is a Prius and, by extension, a hybrid.

The interior is a bit more contemporary, but littered with cheap Toyota staples like that dodgy LCD clock that used to be in my Mum's Echo. Speaking of the Echo, Toyota has recycled and expanded on the idea of a centrally placed dashboard, all of which is digital but without the inventiveness of a German, or even a Korean car. It works really well, to be fair, but there's not much in it to amuse or delight.

The central touchscreen is nice and close and shows additional information about the hybrid-drive system. The profusion of piano black is a bit passe, though, and picks up dust and fingerprints.

The Prius is reasonably practical, though perhaps not as much as its hatchback body would suggest.

Yes, it’s bigger and more spacious than the new Corolla, offering greater legroom, headroom and boot space but due to the car’s teardrop silhouette, it’s easily aced by the Camry.

Despite the fully raising hatch rear, the boot floor is quite high to accommodate batteries and the space saver spare, giving the Prius a 457 litre (VDA) cargo capacity.

It’s eclipsed by the Camry Hybrid’s 524 litre boot space, and while that’s partially due to the sedan’s longer body, it’s also due to a smarter placement of the batteries under the rear passenger seats.

Room in the cabin is plentiful, and feels bigger than it is due to the low-slung dashboard and generous window space. This Prius also has a lower seating position than the previous generation, with softer, more comfortable seats. 

There are two large cupholders in the centre up front as well as well-sized bottle holders in the doors. The centre console opens up to reveal a decent sized storage space, plus there is one USB port, one 12-volt outlet and an auxiliary in socket located in front of it. 

The Qi wireless charging bay is nice, but arguably eats a lot of space. More storage down the centre would be welcome.

Rear passengers are treated pretty well, too, with nice headroom but legroom that’s only slightly more generous than a hatchback. There are no vents up the back (disappointing), but the inclusion of four decent-sized cupholders is a plus.

Passenger space in the Prius is excellent for its footprint. Slightly roomier than the Corolla, front and rear passengers have generous head and legroom, although the narrowing hips pinch the shoulders a bit with five aboard. The roofline also abbreviates headroom for anyone over about six feet. The seats are comfortable, though.

Front and rear rows are each treated to two cupholders and bottle holders, for a total of four of each. The front centre console also has a Qi wireless charging pad, as well as a deep bin under the armrest.

Boot space starts at a modest 343 litres to the parcel shelf but if you drop the rear seats, you've got a very generous 1633 litres. The lower-spec Prius has a much smaller boot (297 litres) but does have a spare tyre.

Toyota hasn't certified the Prius with a towing figure.

The 2019 Prius update is available in two specs - entry level for $36,590 and this i-Tech for a stout $44,050. For that outlay you score 17-inch alloys, a 10-speaker JBL-branded stereo, keyless entry and start, Qi wireless charging pad, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, reversing camera, electric everything (except the tailgate), fake leather trim, climate control, head-up display, sat nav and a tyre-repair kit.

Toyota's worse-than-the-final-season-of-Game-of-Thrones multimedia system soliders on. It's hard to use, terrible to look at and, even with the Kluger-style shortcut buttons, leaves me screaming, alternately, for a hug and for Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

There's just no excuse for a system this bad in the modern world. Toyota Australia's stubborness is admirable, in a way. The sound is really good, though, and it comes with DAB, which is fine if you can work out how to find the station you want in the confusing user interface.

The Prius is powered by a combination of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, and two electric motors (housed in a transaxle and powered by a nickel metal hydride battery).

The 1.8-litre engine employs some smart tech. It re-circulates exhaust gas to heat up the engine and has a new exhaust and intake system. Toyota claimed, at the time of this Prius’ launch in 2016, it was the most thermally efficient mass-produced engine in the world. Total outputs are on the low side though at 72kW/142Nm.

Of the two electric motors, only one actually provides drive to the wheels via the transaxle. That motor can produce a max output of 53kW/163Nm.

Both power sources combine for what Toyota claims is a total output of 90kW. That’s not a big number, and the electric motor only supports fully electric driving up to 30km/h. 

If there’s anything a brand like Tesla proves, it’s that there’s much more to be expected from today’s EV tech, while you can hardly compare them by any measure (price, tech or otherwise), it shows how far we’ve come since the Prius’ hybrid tech was new.

A CVT transmission combines the outputs of the electric motor and petrol engine to drive the front wheels.

The nickel-metal hydride battery is an 'old kind', with the Prius overseas getting newer, theoretically safer and higher-energy, Lithium-ion batteries instead.

The 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine produces 72kW and 142Nm. Due to the vagaries of hybrid-power calculations, the combined power output is 90kW, but there is no combined torque figure. It's unlikely - given the 1400kg kerb weight - that it's only 142Nm.

Along with the Atkinson-cycle internal-combustion engine, the Prius has two electric motors - one acting as a generator and one to drive the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

Old technology or not, the Prius’ drivetrain is tried, tested and refined. The result is a real-world fuel figure which is difficult to argue with. Over my test week I scored 4.1L/100km. 

That’s seriously impressive, even in today’s hybridised world, and not too far off Toyota’s claimed combined cycle figure of 3.4L/100km. 

It beats the claimed fuel figures of Hyundai’s Ioniq (3.9L/100km), but even here I’d prefer a Hybrid Camry (4.2L/100km) at such a slight fuel penalty.

Oh, and if you genuinely care about the environment, the Prius has a  CO2 output of 80g/km, most cars can’t even get below 100g/km.

Official figures are always worth a chuckle, but the combined-cycle figure for a hybrid is always an interesting pointer. In the Prius, the ADR figure is 3.4L/100km. My week with the Prius in almost exclusively city driving - its natural habitat - yielded an impressive 4.3L/100km.

The Prius is hardly a car sold on the promise of sublime roadholding, but all things considered it’s actually not bad at all.

This is down to a few factors. Firstly – The Prius was the first Toyota to ride on the new ‘TNGA’ platform which now underpins half of Toyota’s range and, today's Prius has independent rear suspension, unlike the last-generation car.

It adds up to a package that’s surprisingly competent in the corners and has nicely weighted steering. Thankfully, it’s not as bland to drive as some Toyotas past.

The added ride height and softer suspension tune compared to the new Corolla and Camry (both of which I’ve driven recently) cause it to wallow and struggle to recover over larger or frequent bumps, however, so it’s still far from perfect.

It does offer up excellent levels of refinement though. Noise from the road is low, and the engine is so quiet it’s hard to tell when it’s actually on. The hybrid drive tech is seamless, moving between engine and battery power smoothly and efficiently.

It’s a slick application of the hybrid tech and shows how well refined Toyota’s version of the tech is. Gone are the days of the engine suddenly rattling to life and screaming up the rev range when it’s needed.

While I didn’t like the centrally-mounted instrument binnacle, I found myself hardly using it thanks to the head-up display providing me with all the info I needed.

On the topic of info, the economy monitor which shows you where power is being sourced from makes a game out of the drivetrain. I found myself trying to rely on the electric motor as much as possible, feathering the accelerator in city traffic so the engine wouldn’t turn on. ‘Winning’ was when the car chastised you for letting the battery level get too low.

As I said earlier, the electric motor in the Prius can hardly compete with the unlocked electric potential of Tesla-style motors. Don't expect brutal acceleration off-the-line. The Prius instead must mainly rely on its (rather limited) engine power under heavy acceleration.

It’s a sluggish but comfortable daily commuter, then. Exactly what it says on the tin.

Despite rolling on Toyota's TNGA platform, it's not a particularly interesting car to drive. As with the old Prius, there's a fair bit of body roll and not a small amount of dive under heavier braking.

Neither of these are likely to trouble you, as the underpowered nature of the Prius enforces a relaxed pace, much like the hybrid Corolla I drove last year.

The uninspiring combination of modest power outputs and a CVT transmission is a Toyota staple and never fails to set my teeth on edge.

Having said that, the Prius is very quiet and an easy place to spend the commute. Again, the target buyer isn't looking for an excitement machine - fast hybrids are vastly more expensive - this car smashes its KPIs.

Toyota's early progress has been engulfed by its competitors, however. The Prius has all the clicks and whirrs but it's still essentially the same car it always has been - press the accelerator a bit, you get a few metres of near-silent progress, then the engine kicks into life and off you go.

The whacky joystick gear selector features D position and B. Other hybrids and BEVs have what I thought was a similar feature, a separate mode to increase the aggression of the energy harvesting from braking. Not the Prius - B means braking, which you can use on a long downhill run to reduce the strain on the tiny brakes. Switching to B mode induces engine braking by lowering the gear ratio in the CVT.

And, on that point, the Prius pretty much drives like a normal car. Some hybrids use the drag of the generator to assist with braking and therefore charge the battery, but the Toyota is almost entirely conventional-feeling.

The Prius i-Tech ships with seven airbags (including driver's knee bag), ABS, stability and traction controls, reversing camera, blind-spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning and forward AEB.

For the kiddies, there are three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points.

The current Prius scored five ANCAP stars in October 2016.

A sore spot on any Toyota ownership proposition is the three year/100,000km warranty. Almost every brand in Australia has moved on, but admittedly Toyota buyers don’t seem so bothered by this. The incentive to update it isn’t really there for the behemoth company.

Holden, Ford and even Mazda have joined Hyundai and Honda with five-year warranties. Worth considering with the Hyundai Ioniq not far away.

On the service front, the Prius requires attention every six months or 10,000km which is irritatingly frequent. It will come in at a cost of $280 a year, which is relatively cheap.

Toyota has joined its rivals in the long-warranty camp, now offering five years/unlimited kilometres on its whole range. Roadside assist is an extra cost, though. 

Your Prius' service costs are capped for the first three years/60,000km and you have to take it back to Toyota every six months/10,000km. Thankfully, the services only cost $140 a pop.