The Toyota Prius

Toyota, one of Japan’s prominent automobile companies, has recently released the latest version of the Prius. Toyota first introduced the world to the Prius in 1997, and serious strides of improvement have been made since. Although the Prius was introduced to the world in 1997, it did not debut in the United States until 2001.

The latest model is set to make the next big leap in fuel efficiency by creating an environmentally friendly plug-in model, known as the Prius PHV, which is short for “Plug-in hybrid vehicle.” Along with other hybrid vehicles, the Prius features a special powertrain that combines a gasoline-fueled engine with an electric engine. This automobile has become rather popular over the years being that it is an automobile that has distinguished characteristics at a reasonable price.

Although the new Prius PHV doesn’t differ much from the regular Prius, the Prius PHV features a few essential yet dynamic features that make this car more environmentally friendly. The new Prius features a lithium-ion pack, which is far more powerful and allows the car’s battery to be fully charged within three hours. Lithium-ion batteries could possibly be used in the future for upcoming lines of Toyota and Lexus hybrid models. One of the biggest differences between the standard Prius and the PHV model is that the PHV is capable of maintaining speeds of up 62 miles per hour while running on solely electricity.

The Prius PHV is able to travel up to 13 miles when running on electricity. Toyota has chosen to use this limited plug-in model in order to gather real-world information to see if a 13-mile range is sufficient enough to satisfy customers. An energy-renewing braking system is able to transfer energy normally lost as heat into electricity, which then charges the vehicle’s battery pack. The Prius sits at the top of the food chain in the hybrid craze with a combined fuel economy estimate of 50 miles per gallon.

The Prius is able to make best use of the car’s fuel potential by running often on the battery power alone. However, the vehicle will switch between the two engines in light traffic situations.

Other than upgrades in the Prius’ new hybrid system, the interior design of the automobile is certain to catch the eyes of buyers. The Prius features touch screen navigation to control the stereo and climate, a futuristic yet urban dashboard design along with a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The car’s four-door hatchback body proved itself to be durable and versatile with a surprising amount of storage room. The interior of the car featured a more orthodox center control station than the previous Prius models. Taller buyers have found this new design to be much more comfortable with the help of the car’s height-adjustable seat.

Out of all of the hybrid sedan models that are currently on the market, the Toyota Prius has the best combination of cargo room, interior space, and a higher fuel economy rating than any other model. A few other finishing touches were made to this year’s Prius, including newly designed alloy wheels, a bigger spoiler, as well as with side curtain airbags. The only thing the car lacks is cruise control, but in exchange it offers buyers a much lower base price.

The Prius is an excellent car for a family because it is durable, great for mileage, and safe, there is nothing quick about the automobile’s acceleration speeds of zero to sixty in 11.3 seconds. The Prius was not designed to be a flashy, delightful car to drive, but rather an affordable vehicle with maximum fuel efficiency. The powertrain design contains a 1.8 liter gasoline engine that is capable of emitting 98 horsepower along with 105 pound-feet of torque, which is then combined with the electric motors.