Photo: Toyota USA
The Toyota Mirai is the kind of car most people wouldn't make a fuss about if it didn't exist. Mainly because of how plain-looking and "normal" it looks to the untrained eye. But lord above, we're beyond happy it does. The 2022 model year Mirai is no exception, and all the new tech has us thinking Toyota have a real winner on their hands.
The seemingly ordinary-looking hydrogen fuel cell executive sedan is the second generation in a fuel-cell EV line that serves as the de-facto ambassador for all FCEVs. Be it by media attention or otherwise, the Mirai is the car most people in the know instantly think of when they think of fuel-cell EVs. Just as the Prius was in the hybrid drive field, in the late 1990s.
For 2022, the Mirai is coming with the full suite of technology you've come to expect, but with a couple of added goodies too. Say hello to Toyota Teammate's Advanced Drive. It is a program that can be classified as a low-level autonomous driving function that can keep the Mirai in its lane, follow other vehicles, change lanes, and even slow down for suddenly approaching traffic jams.
Toyota Advanced Drive is considered a level-two autonomous vehicle system by the Society of Automotive Engineers International. While not quite as robust as the AV system on, say, a Tesla or Argo AI vehicle, the Mirai's driver needs to put a minimum of effort to keep the car situated in its lane on long highway trips. All while the on-board computer does most of the work. It's not the kind of car you can just whip out your iPad and start Facetiming people, as none is for the moment, but that day may come sooner rather than later.
Both the XLE and Limited edition 2022 Mirais offer limited-time-only special colors for $425 extra. The list includes Oxygen White, Heavy Metal, Supersonic Red and Hydro Blue, the latter of these being exclusive to the higher-end Limited edition. The Limited models will feature a set of 20-inch Super Chrome alloy wheels for an especially bold look.
Other goodies are the 12.3-in. color TFT LCD gauge cluster, 120V/100W power outlet, dual-bulb LED headlights and a banging high-end stereo.
The Mirai XLE retails for a starting MSRP of $49,500, with the high-end Mirai Limited sporting a $66,000 retail price. The Advanced park feature is intuitive to the Toyota Teammate package for $5,170 extra with a ten-year subscription included. The Mirai isn't cheap. There's no arguing that. But it's cars like this that hopefully will make FCEVS more affordable down the line.
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