YPSILANTI, Mich. – I’ve been in the dark, or somewhere worse. I had no idea that Toyota was planning to expand its Prius line of hybrid powered cars.
That’s why I was invited to this suburb west of the Detroit airport to get a look at the Toyota Prius v and take it for a short test drive. The “v” stands for versatile.
The vehicle looks like the Prius except that it is a little taller and a little longer. The powertrain of the Prius v is pretty much the same as the regular Prius. It uses two high-output motors, one 60kw (80 hp) unit that mainly works to power the transaxle and another smaller motor that provides electric power.
In its press materials, Toyota said the maximum motor drive voltage is 650 volts DC that is supplied by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The system can provide power either from the engine alone, or the motor alone, or any mix of both.
A hybrid control computer manages the system so that optimum power is delivered according to driver demand. It uses a start/stop system and regenerative braking to conserve fuel and recharge the battery upon deceleration.
A 98-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that runs on the Atkinson cycle and plus the electric motors produce a total of 134 horsepower. But the numbers that most consumers will really pay attention to are these: The Prius v will get 44 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway when it goes on sale early this fall. In addition, it emits 66 percent less smog producing emissions.
On a really quick test drive in this area, I found the Prius v to be easy to drive. There was a nice feel to the steering wheel, the interior was spacious, the materials were top notch and the hybrid system was almost silent. The only time I heard it was under hard acceleration.
The front and rear suspensions have been redesigned because the Prius v is bigger than the regular Prius, and it will likely carry more passengers and more cargo. Toyota said a new feature, pitch and bounce control, uses the torque of the hybrid motor to help suppress bounce and toss motions to improve comfort for occupants.
The bottom line of it is that Toyota is trying to cash in on the cachet of its Prius. More than 97 percent of those sold in this market are still on the road. What’s more, Toyota’s Prius accounts for 53 percent of all hybrids sold.
Since Toyota doesn’t expect the price of gasoline to drop below $3.50 on a sustained basis; the company is positioning itself with a whole lineup of Prius branded vehicles, the most notable hybrid in the world.
Prices were not announced at the time I wrote this review. But I expect to test drive the Prius v again when I can spend more time in it and with it. That’s when I’ll be able to tell you what’s on the sticker. The base price of a regular Prius is $23,520.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com
