At a special event in Las Vegas, held in mid-September 2015, the “pioneer” of the fourth generation Toyota Prius hybrid car segment premiered. A few days later, the car was displayed on the catwalks of the international exhibition in Frankfurt, where it aroused genuine public interest due to its "provocative appearance", as well as a seriously revised technical component.
In Japan, the fourth generation of the "popular hybrid" went on sale by the end of 2015, it reached the main world markets at the beginning of 2016, and at the beginning of 2017 it arrived in Russia.
I would like to note right away that the 4th generation "Prius" remained faithful to the concept of "original and instantly recognizable" design, but did not become a "generally recognized handsome" (for the sake of practicality and economy).
But this car definitely does not hold the showiness - slanting LED T-shaped headlights, a “smiling” radiator grille, a falling roofline and a billowing window sill line, complex relief forms and a heavy tailgate with futuristic strokes of lanterns.
The length of the "fourth" Toyota Prius is 4540 mm, width - 1760 mm, height - 1470 mm. Compared to its predecessor, the hatchback turned out to be longer and wider by 60 mm and 15 mm, respectively, but at the same time it decreased in height by 20 mm. But the size of the wheelbase has not changed - 2700 mm.
The interior of the 4th generation Toyota Prius is no less "extraordinary": the steering wheel has a three-spoke design, and instead of traditional instruments, an LCD panel is installed in the center of the front panel, under which a large "TV" of the multimedia complex is located.
At the very bottom of the console is a cool transmission control joystick and a few extra buttons. But the quality of finishing materials is quite modest and does not quite fit with the general concept.
The front seats of the Toyota Prius are comfortable seats with well-defined lateral support and ample adjustment ranges. But with the back sofa, not everything is so rosy - if the reserve of space in the legs and shoulders is more than enough, then the sloping roof clearly presses on the heads of the riders.
The front-wheel-drive version of the hybrid has a cargo compartment of 502 liters, but in this case, only a tire repair kit is stowed under the floor. With a "spare wheel" or all-wheel drive (it is not available in Russia), only 457 liters of luggage can be transferred in the trunk. The rear sofa, divided into two unequal parts, folds down almost flush with the floor, bringing the storage space to 1633 liters.
Specifications. The fourth generation Toyota Prius is armed with a hybrid power plant that generates 122 horsepower. It is based on a gasoline 1.8-liter engine with the 2ZR-FXE index (having one of the highest thermal efficiency - 40%) with four "pots", an ETCS-i electronic throttle valve, a 16-valve DOHC timing belt and variable valve timing technology VVT-i, giving out 98 "horses" at 5200 rpm and 142 Nm of torque at 3600 rpm.
The internal combustion engine is assisted by a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, which has 72 "horses" and 163 Nm of peak thrust in its arsenal. In addition, the hybrid drive includes an electromechanical variator with a planetary power divider and a 1.3 kWh NiMH battery.
"Prius" of the fourth generation accelerates to the first "hundred" after 10.6 seconds, gaining a maximum of 180 km / h. In mixed driving mode, the car costs 3.5 liters of fuel for every 100 km.
The "Japanese" is capable of driving in three modes: "ECO" - for maximum fuel economy; "Normal" - the "default" mode; "Power" is for dynamic driving, where the DMD system adjusts the operation of the power plant to the driver's driving style.
The "fourth" Toyota Prius was the first among the models of the brand to "try on" the latest modular architecture TNGA - such a step increased the rigidity of the five-door body by 60% and reduced the center of gravity. The suspension of the hatchback is completely independent: in the front there are MacPherson struts, in the rear there is a multi-link system assembled on a stretcher. The body of the five-door is 19% made of high-strength grades of steel, while the hood, front bumper cross member and luggage cover are made of aluminum. The "Japanese" has disc brakes on all wheels (ventilated at the front) with ABS, EBD and other electronics, and an electric booster is included in its steering system.
Options and prices. In 2017, the "Prius" of the fourth incarnation is delivered to Russia in one fixed configuration "Lux", for which dealers ask a minimum of 2,112,000 rubles.
Normally, the hybrid is equipped with seven airbags, LED headlights, ERA-GLONASS system, projection display, dual-zone "climate", leather interior, heated front seats, multimedia complex, navigator, rear view camera, 15-inch wheels, premium "music" JBL with 10 speakers, "cruise", ABS, EBD, VSC, TRC, BAS and other modern options.
