The initial impression you get is electric; I mean, just like an electric car. There is no sound and, apart from the console telling you that you are ready to go, there is no other tell-tale sign indicating that. I just stepped on the throttle gently, feeling the electric power being fed to the front wheels via the CVT and, honestly, the Prius got going just like a normal car minus the noise of an ICE, of course. It started rolling smoothly with no rubber band-like feel that you usually experience when driving a car with CVT. After gentle input from my right foot, I decided to floor the throttle and see how the Prius behaved and the first thing I noticed was the engine kicking in with a faint noise. I was surprised to hear how well the cabin has been insulated. There was hardly any noise, including tyre and road noise, that I could hear inside the car. Kudos to Toyota for that.
As I toggled through the drive modes I found that the ideal mode for Indian conditions would be the Normal mode, which delivers petrol power on demand and switches to electric power when crawling through traffic. The Eco mode is nice but it cuts down the response drastically; it may come in handy on the highway but I doubt many buyers in India would actually use it. The EV mode, on the other hand, is best avoided as it has miniscule range.
The refinement of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system is phenomenal. The transition from electric to petrol power is seamless, although you do hear the engine kicking in every now and then, the NVH levels being well controlled. Talking of performance wouldn’t be fair in respect of this car; however, Toyota say that the new architecture has allowed the Prius to deliver good performance. Unfortunately, I did not have our testing equipment handy to check that claim but it did feel lively for a green car.
As for fuel efficiency, the new Prius promises an unbelievable 40 km/l, according Toyota. Real world figures will be known once we test the car. As for the green quotient, the emission levels of the new Prius stand at 70 g/km of CO2, which is 19 g/km less CO2 than the earlier car. There is no doubt that the new Prius is fuel-efficient and greener than before and these have been the building blocks of the Prius right from 1997 when it was first launched.
