2015 Toyota Prius Review

Toyota Prius is a first successful hybrid car that entered the mass production, and the 2015 Toyota Prius is its successor. First Toyota Prius was a compact sedan when it first got out from the factory. It firstly went on sale in Japan, back in 1997, and it was available at only four Toyota Japan dealerships, which was enough for it to become the first mass produced hybrid vehicle. Since then almost all manufacturers started producing hybrid cars, with huge improvements for every generation. That is why we call 2015 Toyota Prius just a mere successor. I don’t want to be misunderstood, this car is great, but when we compare it to other cars from this or the next year, it looks like Toyota only worked on its engine, and completely neglected everything else. In this review, you are going to dwell a little bit deeper into the engine specs, exterior, interior and price.

2015 Toyota Prius Engine Specs

“Prius” is now the name of four different vehicles. First version is a basic version, the 2015 Toyota Prius Liftback. Second one is 2015 Toyota Prius Liftback plug-in hybrid which is almost identical to the base version. Third and fourth additions to the “Prius” family are the 2015 Toyota Prius V wagon and the 2015 Toyota Prius C subcompact hatchack. Three of those four models got the title of “most economical gasoline car sold in the United States”. Why? Well because they all got EPA rating of 50 mpg. That is the best EPA rating of a hybrid car. Only 100 percent plug-in cars could go over that. You cannot get an engine better than that.

It’s all because of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system. Still the same system from previous years, the combination of 1.8 liter four cylinder engine with the output of 134 horsepower and a pair of electric motors. Those electric motors can power the entire car at speeds under 30 mph. The system has been built to be effective. Everything from the fuel usage to the use of brakes to recharge the battery. However, nothing less has been expected from Toyota’s engineers since they are the ones who brought the first hybrid, and are the most experienced engineers in that field.

As we already mentioned, the engine itself is a masterpiece. On the other hand, the handling and sound isolation are unchanged. Like there is some lag, like driving a car in the video game or an elephant… as a matter of fact, riding an elephant would be more fun than driving this car. It all creates a big gap between the driver and the vehicle. Although Toyota promised to address those problems in their future versions, they haven’t changed that since they released the car the first time, so we don’t expect some huge improvements in spite of their promises.

2015 Toyota Prius Exterior

The shape of this vehicle is one of a kind. If you have already seen this vehicle, and you liked it, there is no way that you are not going to like this year version too. The shape is unique but not because of its “beauty” but because of its usability. The aerodynamic elements are strategically placed not to interfere with the room inside, and in the same time to be aerodynamic enough to cheat the wind. So, not pretty but useful.

2015 Toyota Prius Interior

We can say that 2015 Toyota Prius has added the futuristic look to the interior. Design is really well contoured like it was in its original release in 2009. There are lots of usable compartments for cups and purses but that is all. Everything is made of hard plastic and it is simply not that good as it could have been. Those compartments are a great idea, but are small and hard to reach. The central console has nice graphs, but nothing to compare to the Chevy Volt’s console.

The steering wheel touch tracer controls let the driver navigate through the menus without lifting their hands from the wheel, which is a plus for its safety. Actually, “safety” is the 2015 Toyota Prius middle name. That is the area in which this vehicle stands at the top. That is quite a good trait for a vehicle with a six year old model. Standard version comes with seven airbags and can be ordered with a rear camera, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and an Intelligent Parking Assist function.

2015 Toyota Prius Price

2015 Toyota Prius price depends on a trim level you choose. The MSRP is about 25,000 dollars including the 825 dollars for a destination charge. As you move on, you have to add 2,000 dollars each time. For the highest trim level you have to cash out something around 31,000 dollars. But, you can even go further than that. The starting price for a basic model of 2015 Toyota Prius hybrid is 31,000 dollars. For advanced package you have to add 5,000 dollars, and so on.

Summary for 2015 Toyota Prius

This car is not made to be nice to the eye, nor to be elegant or fast. It is a revolutionary car, made with revolutionary ideas, and it will continue to be so. You can hate it because of its design, but you are not going to live in it and you are not going to use it for a safari. Its main use is to be a safe transportation vehicle from point A to point B with a special accent on fuel efficiency. A true representative of a next generation city-family car.

 

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