The Toyota Prius -the world’s largest “I want to save the world” on four wheels- has returned for the fifth time. Gone is the boring styling and “hello” muscular athlete with a lot -for a Prius- performance under the hood. Yes, this is the new Toyota Prius!

World Car Design of the Year 2024

If you could go back only 20 years and tell a random person that the Toyota Prius will win the “World Car Design of the Year 2024,” they would put you in a mental hospital. But nothing could be further from the truth. The new Prius is a feast for the eyes, and with a power output topping cars like a Ford Fiesta ST, MINI Cooper S, and Abarth 500e, it doesn’t do the “only looks”-part.

Lambo hatch?

No, we aren’t doing illegal drugs, but just hear us out. The Prius has a straight line from the hood up to the windshield and that’s something we can also see on the Lamborghini Aventador. Don’t believe us? Go look yourself. You’ve done that? Ow, now you agree with the statement that the Prius is a Lambo hatch. The cool line also leaves the car design with a problem in the rear. The roofline gets a rather hard bend at the back doors making the car look out of balance. The hard bend gives another problem later in the article.

The “hammer-head shark”-styled LED signature improves the looks, together with the sturdy crease line at the bottom of the front door across the flank. Toyota needs to give the designers a pay rise. On top of that, adding 6 inches to the original 13-inch rims will help out as well.

The interior

We’re continuing in the same vibes as the exterior. Yes, there are definitely good things, but some things aren’t that … great. The comfort of the seats for example is really nice, it works with the Prius. But the steering wheel has too many buttons and needs to be placed really low so you can just see the digital dashboard (which is clear and easy to read without the steering wheel being in the way). As the driver, you can enjoy the awesome gear selector -which reminds me of the Lexus LC- and plenty of space in the cabin. But in the back seats, your head will hit the ceiling if you’re bigger than 1.85m (or 6 feet for you Americans) due to the bend in the roofline.

And the boot space, or the lack of it, thanks to that same roofline is only a “whopping” 284 liters. Even the previously mentioned Ford Fiesta does better.

Powerhouse

The Ford Fiesta ST delivers 200 hp, the MINI Cooper S 178 hp and the Abarth 500e 154 hp. All of those cars have less power than the almighty Toyota Prius. This Prius delivers an “almost as much as a Golf GTI” 223 horsepower. You didn’t expect that, did you!

This 223 hp is provided by a 2.0-liter (152 hp) in combination with an electric powertrain. It makes this car a plug-in hybrid, which is the only choice in Europe. With a battery of 13.6 kWh, the Prius could manage around 60 kilometers of pure electric driving but you will not hit this number because you’re driving something hot now, something that can hit 100 km/h in “just” 6.9 seconds. Yes, thank you CVT-gearbox for that. The driving characteristics are surprisingly sporty and will get your petrolhead heart pumping. The car is flat in the corners and the instant torque gives you a surprising push, even making it possible to do a little wheelspin when flying off the line.

Pricetag

In Belgium, you can visit a Toyota dealer and 49.990 euros gets you a new Toyota Prius. You need to spec the Mustard Yellow adding 850 euros and the 19-inch rims for 2.999 euros. The total price: 53.839 euros. Enough, but not eye-watering.

Conclusion

Most of the time, I’m using this section to tell you if you need to buy, consider or delete this car. ‘Delete’ is definitely not the verdict. It’s too cool (yes, a Prius) and brings something different for the eye. ‘Buy’, not convinced to do that because it has certain things I really want to avoid. So it has to be: consider.

2024 Toyota Prius, trying to change appearance