Hybrid is not for me. You are sure?
As a fan of classic cars and the owner of two voracious classics, I'm generally reluctant to take the news. Until recently, I have been driving the Subaru Forester ever since it was not an SUV, but an off-road station wagon. Now temporarily, like an everyday car, I have an old Astra … with HBO.
A few days ago I had the opportunity to get acquainted with a hybrid car for the first time. Because of the advertising with one of my idols from many years ago, for some time now I have associated the word “hybrid” with only one manufacturer - the pioneer of the mass introduction of this technology into cars - the Toyota brand. The car I was to drive for more than 150 km was the latest incarnation of the Prius, in the Plug-in version. So in addition to the hybrid drive, I still have the opportunity to charge the car from a 230V socket and drive more than 50 km on a full battery.
At first glance, the new Prius looks very impressive and bears no resemblance to its predecessors. The first generation of this model was visually not so much lost in the crowd as it did not exist! The second incarnation was a regular CD. The newest Prius is stylistically inspired by the Hydrogen Mirai and I love it! The front of the car looks like a spaceship, while the rear is as original as the back of the XNUMX Honda Civic at launch.
Tiny rims spoil the intoxicating line of the body. From Toyota's point of view, it looks as if someone has changed her wheels from the good "Baby". However, they are not small, but just a lateral line that stretches towards the rear, making it optically very heavy. The rims are 15 inches so they are not as small as they seem. They are created specifically for this model and larger manufacturers are not provided. Personally, I would wear 17 inches, which would definitely give it a look.
How is the Prius doing?
After receiving the keys and a short briefing, I start the engine with the button on the dashboard. “I start it up”… and nothing… silence… Information about the readiness for movement appeared on the dial, but the engine does not work. I flip the tiny shift lever to "D" and pull away slowly. Despite the almost discharged battery, the engine starts only when, after a few hundred meters, I leave on a freeway and start to accelerate faster. After adding gas, the engine speed increases and the car starts to accelerate. Prius has a stepless variator. In the initial phase, I don’t care, but when I have to accelerate several times faster, it turns out that at high speeds the internal combustion engine is quite noisy and makes an unpleasant sound. However, this is not a problem, because it can drown out the serial, in this version of the Prius, the JBL audio system.
Theoretically, Toyota's hybrid drive produces a total of 122 hp. This is not much, given the "obesity" of this model (the curb weight is more than 1.5 tons). Batteries must weigh themselves. However, the factory capacity is quite enough. Returning from Silesia to Krakow, along the A4 highway, Prius easily accelerated to 140 km / h and kept this speed without any problems throughout the entire stretch of the journey. Despite a fairly dynamic ride, the computer showed a fuel consumption of 6,4 l / 100 km. This is very little. Taking into account the weight of the car and the speed with which he drove these kilometers, we can safely say that a similar result could be achieved maximum on a good diesel engine, and the gasoline engine of a conventional car would use up to two liters more. This is due to the excellent aerodynamics of the Prius.
When driving on the highway, Toyota behaved very stably. Despite the high-profile tyres, grip was exemplary. The last ten kilometers I drove on country roads with a lot of turns and hills. In such conditions, there was also no shortage of power and traction, and fuel consumption decreased by 0,1l / 100km!
I connected the Prius to the electrical outlet in the garage. The cable that connects the Toyota to the outlet is basically an ordinary extension cord, but on the side of the car it ends with a special plug that closes together with the central lock - so that some prankster does not disconnect the car from charging. Here, however, I was met with a slight disappointment. I know that batteries take up a lot of space in a hybrid, but even so, the trunk of this car is very small. At first glance, it seems smaller than an urban kid like the Toyota Yaris. In addition, the floor in it is quite high. Shopping will fit in without problems, but on vacation you can’t do without a roof rack ...
The next day after the “wake-up” of the hybrid drive, the computer showed an electric power reserve of 56 km. I went to work “for electricity” and that’s how I ended up. At a distance of 13 km, over the hills, only 12 km disappeared from the range. This is a pleasant surprise, given the need to overcome several significant climbs. I also drove the next kilometers on electricity on the way to the center of Krakow. This time, the range decreased slightly faster than the kilometers increased. This was probably due to the need for more intensive air conditioning. The latter was also the only source of any sound. When we're not using the audio system, the hybrid drive, or in this case the electric drive, makes no sound, and that's...weird. When I handed the Toyota in for further testing, I drove 26 km from the charge, and the range from the initial reset was reduced to 28 km. The air conditioner "ate" 2 km from the battery range.
Hybrid, however, for me?
I have long believed that no one has come up with a smarter automatic transmission. Whether it's a classic hydraulic automatic transmission, a CVT or an automated dual-clutch transmission. It's important that I don't have to mix gears. Traffic is not a race or a rally - fast shifting doesn't matter. So I love it.
Passed 26 km only on electricity was due to the fact that the computer showed an average fuel consumption of 0,0l / 100km. I like it too! The question is, how much does it cost to charge the battery from the outlet to cover this distance? My Astra will burn less than 3 liters of gas for this distance, i.e. about 7 zł.
Inside, there is enough room for four people, because that's how much Prius is registered, and even tall passengers should not complain too much about the lack of space in the back. Another plus for the hybrid Toyota.
There is space, there is efficiency, there is driving comfort. So what's stopping us all from starting to drive hybrids? Unfortunately the price. The basic Prius already costs PLN 120, and it is not the plug-in version for which this space-age design is reserved. The cheapest Toyota connected to electricity already costs 154 thousand. PLN, and the one I drove is the Executive version - another 12 thousand more expensive. zloty Almost PLN is definitely too much for a compact car. As long as Western countries subsidize the purchase of such cars, manufacturers will not reduce their prices and make them more affordable. So after this first meeting, despite the very positive reception, I have to say no to the hybrid - not yet.
