The first generation Toyota Prius was a rather forgettably styled small saloon which did not create that much attention when it appeared in 1997, but thing were very different with the second generation car which arrived in 2004. This distinctive and deliberately highly aerodynamic car quickly grabbed plenty of column inches (this was before the real era of the internet and social media, don’t forget) and sales followed. It became the darling of the eco-set and proved especially popular in places like California where plenty of celebrities decided to eschew their bigger and more powerful luxury or sports cars in favour of something with very advanced engineering and some impressive economy and emissions credentials. It did attract more than its fair share of detractors, too, who just could not get on with the concept. Sales rocketed, so the third generation model, arriving in 20009 saw a considered evolution of all aspects of the car from its styling to the hybrid tech that powered it. Noting its success, others decided to try to rival the Prius, but none really succeeded, with Honda’s second generation Insight which even aped the looks proving to be a sales disappointment whereas the Prius just kept getting more and more popular. The range grew to include a plug-in hybrid, a more versatile estate like model called Prius V in the US and Prius + in Europe and then a smaller car, the Prius C joined it in the range. What would Toyota do next, we wondered? The answer came in 2015 with the arrival of a fourth generation model, which had a completely new look – one which not just took us all by surprise, but one which deliberately courted controversy. I can remember being asked by Toyota representatives at a Motor Show what I thought of it, and was really unsure how to answer without causing offence as, like many, I was quite shocked by the new design and not in a good way. Of course, we all get used to even controversial and radical designs, so by now the fourth generation Prius does still seem a bit odd, and few are ever going to cite it for its beauty, but with the car such an everyday sight, it no longer draws quite the same reaction that it did at launch. And let’s be honest, which of us not been a passenger in a Taxi version at some point, whether sober or not?

I drove my first Prius, a second generation car, back in early 2009. At the time, any car enthusiast thought twice about admitting that they’d even driven one, let alone perhaps quite liked it, but you can find my review of that car if you search for it elsewhere on this site. I took it from Zurich up to Stuttgart and remember to this day how the relatively large body and lack of power was a real struggle on the inclines up and down on that route. Motorways and autobahns were not the best place for a Prius, whereas in urban motoring, its efficiency made it much easier to appreciate. The third generation car had a larger 1.8 litre engine and more power, so when I came to sample that, in Los Angeles, I felt less of the frustrations and was able to see why the car had proved so popular. At the time, the clever technology impressed me greatly, and it was still a relative novelty. In the 2020s, of course, some form of hybrid assist is pretty common place, so I wondered what I would make of the fourth generation car when I finally found one to test – in a rather striking colour that Toyota call Electric Storm Blue – at the Hertz facility at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. Let’s find out.

The concept for the fourth generation Prius does not differ from what went before but there have been lots of detailed changes. There are smaller electric motors, with higher power density than the previous Prius motors and the 1.8 litre four cylinder petrol engine features a maximum thermal efficiency greater than 40%. Combined there is a total of 121 bhp, which is not a lot for a car of this size, and even its excellent aerodynamics cannot do much to make it feel potent or endow it with rapid acceleration. Like all true hybrid models, it starts on the battery, and then at some point once under way the petrol engine kicks in. You know when it does so, as you will hear it, though it is actually pretty smooth. The Prius will then use its advanced software to optimise when to run purely on the petrol engine, when to run on the battery and when to charge the battery using the engine or regenerative braking. Although this kind of technology has been around for a goof few years now, it still impresses me just how smoothly it all works. You can see what is going on if you set the instrument display to show the energy flows in the car, and I find this interesting to watch. Out on the open road, the Prius has enough acceleration to keep up with the traffic, but it really is not that fast, and, although to a far lesser extent than was the case with the first Prius I drove, from the second generation, hills do tend to show up the fact that the car is a bit underpowered. It is, however, fine cruising at a steady speed on the freeway where noise levels are low. There is an automatic transmission with the gearlever mounded on the lower centre of the dash. It has a separate button required to put the car into Park. 16 miles before returning the car, I noted that the trip computer was telling me I had averaged 79.1 mpg, which is mightily impressive. My total test distance was 350 miles and when I refuelled the car, it took 5.43 gallons, which works out at 64.45 mpg US, suggesting that I had probably it received it “rental car full”.

This generation of Prius is the first vehicle to use the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) modular platform, which provides a lower centre of gravity and increased structural rigidity. These features, along with other improvements were hailed as allowing for gains in ride-and-handling, agility and aerodynamics. That may be true, but the reality is that there is still not much in the way of fun to be had from behind the wheel.  The steering is very light and to my mind somewhat over-assisted so there is very little feel. That makes the Prius easy to manoeuvre, of course, but not much fun when you are on twisty roads. The handling won’t inspire you much, either. This is typical front wheel drive, safe and then understeer territory, but at least body roll is kept in check and there would seem to be sufficient grip for the cornering you are likely to do. This version of the Prius comes on relatively small and high profile 195/65 R15 wheels which certainly help the ride quality which is soft and pliant. Toyota have more or less managed to make the brakes feel “normal” in their operation, even with the regenerative capability that is a key part of the hybrid system. There is a foot pedal parking brake. All around visibility is good and the lower rear panel in the tailgate helps massively when reversing. There is a reversing camera and all-round parking sensors are included. Among the various safety systems that feature is a Blind Spot Warning system which is useful.

The interior of the Prius is as futuristic, or individualistic, as the outside. There are acres of black plastic, and it is not of that nice a quality, so even with the on-trend gloss black inlays, this does not appear to be a particularly high quality place in which to spend your time. The plastic moulded steering wheel does nothing to improve matters, either. There is nothing directly in front of the driver, as the instruments – all electronic in nature – are in a cluster mounted high in the centre of dash, angled towards the driver. To the left in the display is the digital speedometer and fuel level. The central part is used for an energy display which scores the driver on acceleration, cruising and braking, with a colour code and a percentage. I am not going to reveal my scores, but I did manage to keep them all green by driving gently and then there are various warning and information lights and displays . There are conventional column stalks for the indicators and wipers and a separate stalk for the cruise control and the steering wheel boss has buttons for audio repeater and trip computer functions. The central section of the dash contains the 7” colour touch screen which has buttons to either side, making it easy to operate. By the standards of 2022 this feels like a bit of an old-tech system, but that’s not necessarily all-bad. Although there was an option for navigation this was not installed on the test car as it is not part of the LE trim spec. You do get XM Satellite radio, which was working on this car, and there is support for Apple Car Play and Android Auto as well as a 6 speaker sound system. The buttons for the automated climate control feature at the bottom of the display screen where they are easy to reach. Beneath this, and set to one side, is a rather stubby gear selector. Overall, there is an almost refreshing simplicity to the layout and certainly the Prius is easy to drive.

A simulated leather upholstery features in posher versions of the Prius, but in the LE spec of the test car, you get the sort of cloth that is common at the more prosaic end of the market. Seat adjustment is all manual. There is height adjustment only for the driver. The steering wheel telescopes in/out and up/down, and the seat moves through quite a wide range of travel, so I was readily able to get the right driving position. The seat itself is quite soft but proved comfortable for the time I spent behind the wheel.

This generation Prius is popular as a taxi, so it is no surprise to find that there is plenty of space in the rear seats, commensurate with that role. There’s just about enough width for three though whilst there is not much of a central tunnel, the centre console does extend reasonably far back. Occupants here have a central drop-down armrest, their own USB port, pockets on the back of the front seats and the bins on the doors are shaped to take a large bottle.

There is a good-sized boot, though it is not that regular a shape, with the space between the wheel arches considerably narrower than that at the back of the car. The boot floor is a little lower than the base of the tailgate. There is a shallow space under the floor for a few other odds and ends. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and simply drop down to give a flat load bay.  In the passenger compartment there is a good-sized glovebox, the door bins are shaped to take a large bottle, there is a tray under the gearlever and a useful armrest cubby.

In the US market, the 2022 Toyota Prius is available with a choice of front or all-wheel drive. The front-wheel-drive model is available in five trim levels: L Eco, LE, XLE, Nightshade Edition and Limited. The Prius AWD-e, which has all-wheel drive, is offered in the LE and XLE and Nightshade Edition trims only. All Prius models are driven by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine paired to a hybrid powertrain (121 total system bhp) and a continuously variable automatic transmission. The L Eco is fairly basic but the spec does include 15-inch wheels, automatic LED headlights, heated mirrors, keyless entry (driver’s door only) and ignition, automatic climate control, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a 7-inch touchscreen with a six-speaker audio system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa compatibility and a Wi-Fi hotspot. All Prius trims also come with: Adaptive cruise control, Lane departure warning, automatic high beam control, road sign assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert. Upgrade to an LE and you get a rear window wiper, cargo cover, parking sensors, and an automated parallel parking system. The XLE adds nice-to-have features such as 17-inch wheels, rain-sensing windshield wipers, keyless entry (for both front doors and rear hatch), an auto-dimming rearview mirror and heated front seats. There are also simulated leather seating surfaces (SofTex), a heated and SofTex-wrapped steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a SofTex-trimmed door panel and a wireless charging pad. New for 2022, the Nightshade Edition model builds off the XLE trim and adds unique visual touches such as black-painted 15-inch wheels on the Prius AWD-e) and back-painted 17-inch wheels (Prius) as well as black exterior trim elements. The Limited tops the range with adaptive headlights, a head-up display, a navigation system and an 11.6-inch touchscreen and a 10-speaker JBL audio system. The Prius doesn’t offer much in the way of option packages, but there are a handful available for certain trims. On the options list are the Advanced Technology package (XLE only) which has the adaptive headlights; Head-up display and Navigation system and the Premium Convenience package for the Prius XLE and Limited only which has the 15-inch wheels and sunroof.

Toyota have built up huge loyalty for the Prius, and it is not hard to see why this fourth generation car has continued to sell in big numbers. “Fun” and “exciting” are a long way from its DNA, but then this is a car that is not intended to be either of those things. Rather, it delivers practical and efficient transport for people who don’t necessarily care that much about the ultimate in driving characteristics but who do care about economy, low emissions and the ability to transport four or five people and their luggage in decent comfort. Against those criteria, the Prius scores highly, as evidenced by quite how many of them are bought to serve as taxis. The rather controversial styling probably does not even register with many such buyers. Not withstanding all this, Prius sales are reducing, to the extent that the car has already been withdrawn from sale in the UK and the ANZ markets. Much of the reason for this is that Toyota have applied the same technology to a number of other models in their range, in particular the big-selling Corolla and buyers seem to be switching their allegiance there.  The fifth generation Prius was revealed a few days before this test, and the car changes emphasis quite dramatically, to a sleeker and more sporting-looking machine. It will be interesting how see that translates into sales, but meanwhile, if you get the chance to try a fourth generation Prius, then do so.