The iconic Toyota Prius has finally arrived in the UAE courtesy Al-Futtaim Motors. This is the first Prius to reach this side of the world but it is actually the fourth generation. The Prius was launched in 1997 and since then sold over 3.5 million units worldwide. So, launching in the Middle East will only add to its success as this market is slowly getting accustomed to hybrids and hybrid technology. Well, to those of you who are not aware, the whole idea behind Hybrid technology is saving fuel. And the new Prius saves a lot by having a fuel efficiency of 3.83 l/100km. The Prius runs on a mixture of 1.8 liter petrol engine and an electric motor to achieve such consumption rate. The electric motor runs on batteries. However, since this is not a plug-in hybrid, the batteries will be charged by the petrol engine itself.
The first look at the car and you will notice that It is not your conventional looking piece of machinery. The car looks and feels futuristic. I personally found the looks controversial but they are much better than the previous generation. The Prius follows the latest Toyota design of edges everywhere. This new generation is 60mm longer, 15mm wider and 20mm lower than the previous model but retains the same wheelbase.
Now the interior; well, it seats 5 people and has a pretty large boot. The car also has a wireless charger to fit today’s needs. Since this is the top-spec model, it comes standard with 7 airbags, BSD, RCTA, DSC, TPMS and TRC.
Coming back to the drive, the car is super quiet. So quiet that I could hear myself breathe. There is a digital instrument cluster in the center consisting of all sorts of stats and numbers showing how much you are saving the environment. I did not get to spend much time with the car to analyze each and everything so stay tuned for the full review.
The Prius is available in showrooms in 2 trim levels i.e. Dynamic (AED 89,900) and Iconic (AED 97,900).
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