Once upon a time it appeared that Toyota would drive their Priuses (Prii? Priusi? umm … whatever) silently to the top of Automotive Mountain and sit on the egg-shaped throne forged by climate science and self-satisfaction.
That kind of world domination hasn’t really happened, in part, because of Toyota’s own success. The Prius, however, is undoubtedly the king of green cars.
But a hybrid, we discovered, doesn’t need to look like a Prius, and automakers from sea to shining sea proved that they would stuff electrons in the trunk of anything in the name of marginally better American fuel economy. Who remembers the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid?
To date, Toyota has sold more then three million Priuses worldwide, making the miserly sedan one of the most prolific cars of the last 15 years. That kind of number speaks for itself, but despite being the 13th best-selling car in the U.S. in May, the Prius appears to be playing from behind, at the front. Sales last month were up 14 percent from May 2013, but behind nearly 11 percent year-to-date. Cars like the Camry Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid and others provide compelling reasons for buyers that green doesn’t have to equal “guh” in overall appeal.
To that end, Toyota is willing to admit that they’d like to spice things up. Enter ideas like the 2014 Toyota Prius Model Five PLUS Performance. To be clear, the Prius is not, will never be, can never be, a performance car. The PLUS Performance package here is the first significant change to the Prius DNA since the eco-model debuted in 2000 and thusly, fairly
interesting.
Here’s why: Firstly, Toyota’s own in-house performance division, Toyota Racing Development, designed the $3,000 dealer installed option. Despite having a TRD edition for everything (there was a TRD minivan) the tuner has serious motorsports credibility. Secondly, despite looking every part a Prius, a PLUS Performance model looks verifiably different. That’s a sea change for an automaker that moves slower than baseball.
The PLUS Performance model first adds a body kit that can best be described as subtle; the skirts fade fairly unnoticeably into the body, which is otherwise a good thing. Then the package adds 17-inch low profile shoes on the corners, wrapped around lighter alloy wheels, which lead directly into the largest change for the Prius here. The PLUS Performance model drops the overall suspension more than an inch over a standard model.
More than 1 inch in the front and 1.3 inches in the rear have been shaved from the Prius, making the lower track stiffer and nimble. A rear stabilizer bar was added in case you excessively accelerate and forget you’re driving a Prius. A minute on that rear stabilizer bar: Admittedly, I’ve never taken a Prius to the track and laid down lap times. What I have done in a Prius, however, is turn into my driveway and notice that one of the rear wheels corks high off the ground because the back suspension is so stiff. That kind of rear wheel communication is a common feeling in sports cars, but almost unnerving in a Prius. By shaving an inch from the suspension, Toyota admittedly is going for an un-Prius car here, but stiffening the rear suspension seems like shaving your whole body for rec center pool lap times. Maybe too much?
The rest of the Prius PLUS Performance is the same as every other car. The 1.8-liter four and electric motor combine for a net output of 134 horsepower under the hood. The magical 50 mpg mark is also the same here (the ground effects and lowered suspension actually help aerodynamics, although Toyota won’t say how much) and achieving more than 50 mpg in the city can be effortlessly achieved.
The interior is just as roomy as before and four adults in a Prius doesn’t look like the same clown car that it did when the model first appeared. The car’s weight-saving seats and materials looks a little sparse compared to other mid-size sedans, but creature comforts have never been the Prius’s biggest
selling point.
At $30,000 to start and $38,000 as tested with technology package and aforementioned PLUS Performance package, the Prius isn’t an inexpensive proposition anymore. Nearly $40,000 for a “hot” Prius means that the mid-size sedan is following suit with every other model and creeping toward luxury without calling itself that. The inexpensive Toyota hybrid econobox now is the Prius c, a variant of the Yaris with batteries, and is every bit as exciting as it sounds.
However, with the 2014 Prius PLUS Performance model, we’re learning that Toyota is willing to tinker with the formula to see what’s possible for the Prius in the future. Perhaps we’ll get a spoiler? Turbo? What about a tow package? Anything’s possible if you’re willing to saw down the suspension. I suppose it’s good to be the king sometimes.
Aaron Cole is managing editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at acole@aurorasentinel.com