Toyota Mirai 2015 Review - International

When we drove the first crop of fuel cell prototypes at the beginning of the century, test mules valued at over $1 million, engineers insisted that the fuel cell revolution would not take hold until at least 2017.

Now Toyota is doing it well over two years ahead of the industry’s most ambitious predictions just 10 years ago.

Many industry types hypothesised 2018 and beyond. The issues? How to safely store and deliver hydrogen, how to reduce refueling times (that took over 10 minutes back in 2005), how to reduce vehicle prices to a range outside of the ridiculous, how to produce hydrogen which does not occur naturally, where to find funding to build hydrogen refueling stations, and most importantly, how to change the motoring public’s mindset – how to impress the benefits and potential of hydrogen-powered cars on a public still ostensibly content with petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

We will not attempt to answer all of those questions in this article. Let’s just say that most of those concerns have been addressed and that the car industry and governments have joined forces to bring fuel-cell cars to market sooner rather than later. It all has to do with something called ‘global warming’ and a combined effort to try to reduce greenhouse gases.

If the truth be known, more stringent emissions laws, which will require each manufacturer to offer at least 16 per cent of its lineup as ZEVs, PZEVs and SULEV vehicles by 2018 is weighing heavily on car makers and forcing them to make significant, more environmentally friendly changes to their lineups.

Okay, you are probably wondering where the name ‘Mirai’ came from. Given its significance to Toyota, this was perhaps the only name they could have used. Mirai means ‘future’ in Japanese, and follows the Toyota naming scheme first introduced by the Prius. The game-changing hybrid’s name was inspired by a Latin phrase meaning ‘to go before’ and illustrates that the Prius and its family of hybrids were always part of a bigger picture, a bridge from the present world of internal combustion to a future of hydrogen.

So what is the Mirai like in the flesh? First things first. Styling. Toyota says that the sedan’s radical bespoke penmanship was inspired by an abstract melding of hydrogen and oxygen, the elements that combine to make water – the Mirai’s only tailpipe emission. At best, we can say it’s edgy, unique and futuristic, which it should be given its name, right?

Sorry Toyota but we cannot call this car pretty. It looks like something out of a Transformer’s movie. At worst, we’d have to admit the car’s exterior lines are polarising and funky, with a front end that appears conceived inside the brilliant, edgy mind of composer Igor Stravinsky and a rear design that seems strangely modern-day.

In fact, the Mirai silhouette looks like the top third of a sports car has been sliced off above the belt line and dropped onto the bottom half of a sedan with a thick join line left in place for effect. The huge front air intakes are the car’s defining feature,

Inside, the Mirai’s cockpit design is an extension of its awkwardly-proportioned exterior. Swooping flowing contours branch out from the A pillars towards the centre console but are met, or should we say interrupted by a strangely fragmented multi-functional display perched atop a climate control and audio control panel. If this is the future then we have just one thing to say: why can’t the future be pretty? Why must it seem like functionality bludgeoned artistic flair out of the design room?

On the road, the Mirai is a more inspiring proposition. Powered by a 114kW fuel cell stack and a 113kW motor, the Mirai can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just under 10 seconds. Channelling power through a CVT, the four-door makes reasonable progress.  But then again, Toyota has had more than 17 years to get its electric powertrain together, and yes, to economise, the Mirai does dig deeply into the Prius’s parts bin for its motor, inverter, power control unit and battery pack. That all helps to keep this fuel cell sedan well under $100,000.

From its two hydrogen tanks, Toyota claims the Mirai has a range of 650kms, although one source put that distance at more like 550kms in the real world.

Acceleration is instant and fluid, with just the slight hint of a whir from the electric motor as the car jumps away from rest. It is only when you brake and commit to a corner at any respectable speed that you become aware of the car’s substantial 1850kg curb weight. The car still offers enough feedback from the road and good weight and steering feel, but could be improved with grippier tyres as pointed out in more detail below.

With MacPherson struts on the front and a rear torsion beam setup, the Mirai holds poise in corners with a minimum of body roll, only hampered by the car’s Bridgestone Ecopia eco tyres (215/55R17) which have a tendency to pick up some road imperfections and lose traction earlier than one would expect – when pushed that is – resulting in recognisable understeer.

Upgrading the tyres to Bridgestone Turanza, for example, would totally change the feel of the Mirai on the road and improve ride quality. When you feel the results of the eco tyres, it kind of makes you wonder why carmakers persist with them. Sure they have a low rolling resistance and therefore deliver good mileage, but when it comes to cornering and braking, they lose out to standard road tyres, especially in the ride quality and braking distance departments. Eco tyres tend to take longer to pull up under load.

Brakes are sufficient and thankfully lack the woody synthetic pedal feel of the original Prius. Once again, grippier tyres with more rigid sidewalls would improve braking distances, and cornering performance significantly.

The Mirai can also be used as a backup portable power source, a generator in case of emergencies like earthquakes and power outages. It has the capacity to light a small home, power a rice cooker, we’re told, or even a coffee maker.

So what is this fuel cell car? We see the Mirai as a critical stepping stone to one possible future for the automobile. Its success and market penetration will depend on infrastructure development (only 10 hydrogen stations exist in Japan now, with 100 more planned for completion by the end of 2015) as well as public acceptance. That of course depends on how the market defines a price tag of $A72,000 (Japan price) minus the government subsidy.

The Toyota fuel cell car will go on sale in Japan in December and eventually land in North American and European showrooms by October 2015.

Toyota Mirai pricing and specifications:
Price:  $72,000 (minus a reported $20,000 in government subsidies)
Engine:  Fuel cell stack and electric motor
Output: 114 kW from FC stack, 113 kW from electric motor
Transmission: CVT
Fuel: 122.4 litres of hydrogen (stored in two tanks)
CO2:  0 kg/km
Safety Rating: TBC