Toyota Prius 2020: model overview, prices, technology and specifications

What is the first car that you think about when you read the word "hybrid?" Ten dollars indicate that this is the car pictured here: the Toyota Prius, a thrifty sedan that is as well known for its stocky shape as for its ability to drink gasoline.

The Prius is a quantity known for more than two decades; This efficient Toyota is the best-selling hybrid brand in the world. Now in its fourth generation, the Prius has received a modest facelift for the 2019 model year, making it slightly less ugly than before (but still not pretty at all), as well as many other updates . Therefore, the Prius rolls up to 2020 without change, while offering incredible value and optimum efficiency.

Read our most recent review of Toyota Prius.

Powertrain and specifications

Each Prius 2020 is equipped with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric engine-generator, offering a combined horsepower of 121 horsepower. It's not a lot, of course, but it's enough to get the Prius moving at an adequate pace, while allowing it to regain superb fuel economy.

For 2019, Toyota has added an all-wheel drive option to the Prius vehicle lineup. While the usual Priuses use a 3.6-amp / hr lithium-ion battery, the AWD-e is equipped with a 6.5-ampere-hour nickel-metal hydride battery. This battery is best suited for colder conditions where AWD is needed. The Prius AWD is equipped with a small electric motor mounted on its rear axle, which produces 7 horsepower and 40 pounds of torque – just enough punch to help the rear tires move in the snow or gravel.

The standard Toyota Prius 2020 According to estimates by the EPA, the city, 54 km by highway and 52 mpg combined, would cost 54 miles per gallon, making it one of the most efficient gasoline cars of the market. A special Eco model, featuring special tires and small aerodynamic retouching, improves these values ​​to 58 mpg in the city, 53 mpg in the highway and 56 mpg combined. On the other hand, the addition of AWD somewhat reduces the efficiency of the Prius, with the AWD-e model rated at 52 mpg in the city, 48 mpg in the highway and 50 mpg combined. That said, in our tests, we often found efficiency rates ranging from 50 to 60 years; as always, your mileage may vary.

inside

Overall, the cabin of the Prius is functional and easy to use. Upstream, all the important vehicle gauges are arranged in a central digital group, allowing an unobstructed view of the road. The little blue speed selector is a bit capricious, but otherwise, the interior of the Prius is pretty simple.

The Prius 2020 is a compact car, but offers plenty of room for the head and legs of the front and rear passengers. The hatchback design offers increased versatility; you'll find 24.6 cubic feet of trunk space, which drops to 62.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. This gives the diminutive transport capability similar to a Prius SUV.

Technology

Here's an area in which the Prius gets a big boost for 2020. Most models come equipped with a 7-inch touch screen – an upgrade from the 6.1-inch screen from 2019 – which now incorporates Apple CarPlay, as well as Bluetooth, a CD player, Wi-Fi Access Point and auxiliary inputs and USB. Android Auto is not compatible with this system.

The Prius Limited's high-end features a larger 11.6-inch touchscreen, which offers the same set of features as the smaller configuration, but which includes built-in navigation. That said, you can not get the Limited Edition AWD, so the AWD-e models are stuck with the smaller screen. Android Auto is not available here either.

Thankfully, every Prius comes with Toyota's suite of Active Safety Sense P driving tools. This includes collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with steering assistance, automatic high beam and adaptive cruise control at full speed. Features such as Blind Spot Monitoring and Parking Sensors are available on LE and above.

Price

The Toyota Prius 2020 is available at a very affordable price of $ 24,200, not counting the destination. This concerns the L Eco model, which offers the best fuel economy index of all Prius.

The LE, XLE and Limited versions are $ 25,410, $ 28,250 and $ 32,375, respectively. The driver's seat, charging the wireless smartphone Qi, etc.

The all-wheel drive is only available on the LE and XLE grades, priced at $ 26,810 and $ 29,250 respectively.

Competition

The main competitors of the Prius are the Honda Insight sedan, Hyundai Ioniq hatchback, crossing Kia Niro. None of these vehicles offer all-wheel drive, but we appreciate the Insight for its sleeker design, its better interior materials and its more attractive driving experience. The Niro offers a lot of features thanks to its more vertical shape and offers more on-board technology than the Prius.

Availability

The Prius 2020 is currently available at Toyota Dealers.