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2016 Toyota Prius Comes to Frankfurt, Reminds Us It's Oh So Japanese

We must admit we were a little worried when we heard the new Prius will be borrowing stylistically from the Toyota Mirai, but the Japanese car maker managed to pull it off. Barely.
2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt 21 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt2016 Toyota Prius in Frankfurt
The 2016 Toyota Prius will not win any beauty contests - hell, many would frown even at the thought of it entering one - but the new design does get the job done of making the hybrid stand out. Assuming that was the intention, of course.

The front end bears some marginal similarities with the current version while the overall shape has remained largely the same, but the rear of the car is where it all goes astray. The tall taillights pushed to the sides, the interrupted tailgate window and that shoulder line that keeps on going up... I don't know... I just don't know.

The Toyota Prius is the first model to make it onto the market that uses Toyota's new modular platform called TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture). This has offered Toyota's engineers a clean sheet onto which to develop the hybrid powertrain. It's also responsible for the radical new design.

Toyota still hasn't revealed the official figures for the new Prius, but rumors have it that it will do around 90 UK mpg or 75 US mpg (3.1 l/100 km), which would definitely be impressive.

How will it do that?

Even though the new Prius uses the same 1.8-liter gasoline engine, the architecture of the hybrid drivetrain has been altered. Instead of one electric motor, the new Prius will use a smaller one at the front, and an even smaller located over the rear axle. Toyota calls this system "e-4WD" and says it will only work at speeds up to 37mph (60 km/h), but it should offer better grip under poor weather conditions as well.

The new Prius has a more compact nickel-metal battery pack (which, together with the smaller drivetrain, means more boot space) and a revised CVT transmission, whatever that means.

Next year, a plug-in hybrid version will follow offering a small plus in the electric-only range with the consequent improvements in economy and emission figures.

But the real highlight here is the new design. The 2016 Prius will inevitably bring better performance figures, but it's the new looks that will decide how well this model will fare. The first generation had a controversial design, but it became an icon car nevertheless. Now, though, the Prius isn't alone in the hybrid segment anymore, so it might not be just as easy to sit on top this time round.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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