Toyota Prius V i-Tech 2015 Review

As a 23-year-old with no kids and an environmental conscience the size of a pea, I’m not exactly the target market for the updated Toyota Prius v.

That doesn’t prevent me from being impressed, however, when I open the door to a spacious, comfortable car that’s far more usable than it’s complicated engineering would suggest.

The car, Toyota’s hybrid people mover, combines a 1.8-litre engine with an electric motor. This basically means it is unnervingly quiet when you hit the push-button start and you may or may not spend five minutes trying to figure out if it’s actually on.

Even more unnerving is when the engine kicks in to do the grunt work the motor cannot. After the peaceful silence of effortless environmental activism, the growl of an engine feels unnatural and a little disconcerting.

The car offers three extra drive modes in addition to its standard mode – ECO, which maximises fuel economy, EV, which runs solely on battery power and PWR which boosts acceleration.

There are plenty of fancy digital diagrams on the dashboard display to help you get a handle on this, and the various other things going on under the hood, but they’re the kind of thing only James Bond’s Q would understand. Just roll with it, I say.

As far as driving and parking the goes, it would seem Toyota has tried to make it as challenging as possible. The electronic gear selector offers reverse, neutral, drive and braking mode, while park is a button right near the push-button start and the radio power button.

This means in an attempt to park the car you’ll instead turn the radio on or try to turn the entire car off at least once. Or several times, like this writer did.

Add to that the fact the hand brake is actually a pedal at your feet and parking the thing is quite an ordeal.

Once you get your head around that, the Prius is a smooth drive, albeit a leisurely one. Hot tip: don’t even think about attempting any swift manoeuvres, because they’ll be anything but. I guess the sluggishness of the car is to be expected – no one ever said saving the planet would happen quickly.

The lackadaisical nature of the car means it doesn’t feel quite robust enough to take beyond regular city driving, making the target customer fairly specific. Basically, it’s ideal for the niche market of environmentally conscious families living in the city.

If you do have children, the appeal would be undeniable. It’s a big, roomy car with great visibility, seat belt reminders for all three rows and two extra seats in the back that fold up and face the right way.

No more sticking your tongue out at the car behind you, kids.

Plus, it’s safe as can be thanks to a variety of in-built automated systems designed to ensure you don’t screw up and drive yourself off the freeway and into the ocean (a very real risk for all of us).

The base model offers a reverse camera, while the high-grade i-Tech (which I drove) adds lane departure alerts, adaptive cruise control, a pre-collision safety system and intelligent park assist.

The reverse camera is a help, while the i-Tech’s pre-crash warning system works just fine if you find yourself braking a little too late because you haven’t had your morning coffee.

The little beep the car emits in this scenario is cheery, not judgemental or dramatic. It’s like a relaxed friend in the front seat saying, “Hey, heads-up buddy, you’re about to rear-end the expensive Range Rover in front of you. Don’t sweat it.”

The comfort factor of the car is undeniable, especially in the i-Tech. Smooth leather finishes, a handy cup holder and toasty seat heaters make it feel welcoming especially on chillier days. Plus the speedometer that projects onto the windscreen in front of you means you don’t even have to move your head if you don’t want to.

Of course, the fuel consumption is seriously impressive. A week of solid city driving didn’t even make the tiniest dint in the tank (I averaged 5.1L/100km). Factor in the price, which is average for a mid-sized passenger car and affordable for a hybrid, and you’re pretty much making money while you drive. Sort of.

Other add-ons like the i-Tech’s auto-park function leave a little to be desired. It takes some pretty specific conditions for the auto park to actually work in parallel – you need to be within a metre of the car next to you and drive verryyyy slowlllyyy alongside it until the space sensor is properly activated.

God forbid you exceed 5km/hour and the Prius complains “speed is too high, job is too hard, park your own damn car” or words to that effect. It also involves a lot of screen watching and button punching which I’m pretty sure go against everything you’re taught to do as a driver. Look, you’d probably work it out with time and practice. Or you could use that time to learn how to reverse park properly. Up to you.

Aesthetically, the Prius isn’t exactly a gorgeous car. Sure, the back is fairly streamlined for its bulky frame and even from the side it’s got a certain charm. From the front, however, the folds around the grille make it look like a sad Sharpei puppy. Or an angry chipmunk.

That, combined with a sluggish driving experience and real “people mover” vibe, make it the opposite of a Ferrari in pretty much every way. It may even deter those publicity-hungry, tree-hugging celebrities (*cough* Leonardo DiCaprio *cough*) from their planet-saving quest.

Let’s just say if the sex appeal of the Toyota Prius v were to be quantified, it would probably rank well below zero. But that’s okay – it’s got a great personality.

2015 Toyota Prius v i-Tech pricing and specifications:
Price: $44,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.8-liter four-cylinder petrol & electric motor
Output: 73kW/142Nm & 60kW/207Nm (100kW combined output)
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 4.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 101g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP