2019 Toyota Prius Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　

What's new

Debut of AWD-e modelStyling refresh simplifies exterior appearanceNew trim level names: L Eco, LE, XLE and LimitedPreviously white interior elements are now blackPart of the fourth Prius generation introduced for 2016

　　More and more hybrid vehicles are coming out every year, yet the Toyota Prius, the granddaddy of them all, remains at the forefront. It provides high fuel economy (more than 50 mpg), a comfortable ride and a versatile cargo area. There's also the argument for peace of mind since Toyota certainly has a long history of making reliable hybrid vehicles.

　　For 2019, car shoppers have another reason to consider the Prius: available all-wheel drive. The new Prius AWD-e adds an electric motor to drive the rear wheels for better initial traction between 0 and 6 mph and re-engages when front tire slippage is detected at speeds up to 43 mph. If you live in an area that has snowy or icy roads during the winter, the AWD-e could provide extra traction. Fuel economy suffers only slightly with the Prius AWD-e.

　　But any Prius comes with a trade-off: performance. The Prius is neither quick nor engaging to drive. Additionally, its infotainment system isn't the easiest to use and lacks Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone integration. We recommend giving the Prius a shot, but newer, more well-rounded competitors such as the Honda Insight make it a somewhat tougher sell.

　　

What's it like to live with?

To learn more about the Toyota Prius of this generation, read about our experiences from living with a 2016 Toyota Prius. After its debut, we went out and bought one, holding onto it for almost four years and racking up more than 30,000 miles. We cover everything from this hybrid's real-world fuel economy to seat comfort and cargo space. Please note that the 2019 Toyota Prius differs from our long-term 2016 model in that the newer model has updated styling and more standard features. It's the same generation, though, so most of our observations still apply.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

7.4 / 10

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the Toyota Prius XLE AWD-e Hatchback (1.8L inline-4 hybrid | CVT automatic | AWD).

　　

Scorecard

Overall	7.4 / 10
Driving	6.5
Comfort	7.5
Interior	8.0
Utility	8.5
Technology	6.5

　　

Driving

6.5

　　You're not buying a Prius for its engaging handling prowess. Most buyers will accept its tepid acceleration, numb steering, and soft brakes in exchange for its excellent fuel economy. The Prius' new advantage, however, is that it's available with all-wheel drive. It should be noted, however, that the rear wheels only intervene when the front wheels lose traction. So in most dry-weather scenarios, you'll never feel them working.

　　

Acceleration

6.0

　　Acceleration is adequate. A 9.8-second 0-60 mph time is near the bottom of the segment, though the Prius has enough zip off the line to feel lively around town.

　　

Braking

7.0

　　In our emergency braking test, the Prius posted an average stopping performance. Except at crawling speeds, pedal feel is smooth and linear without any of the awkwardness indicative of many hybrid systems.

　　

Steering

7.0

　　The steering is direct, though it doesn't provide much feedback from the road. The system is well-weighted, and little effort is required to point the Prius in the intended direction without catching grooves or seams.

　　

Handling

7.5

　　The Prius feels responsive and reasonably agile on the street. Body roll is present and the tires fight for grip, but the car never feels unwieldy or dangerous. The Prius remains composed over midcorner bumps and dips.

　　

Drivability

8.5

　　The transition from EV to hybrid mode is unobtrusive, though the engine sounds harsh when firing up. Acceleration is smooth. The cruise control holds speed well going both up- and downhill.

　　

Comfort

7.5

　　The seats and suspension were designed to be comfortable for long stints on the road. But broken pavement and concrete expansion joints reveal the Prius' weakness. The impacts from these types of bumps can make the car feel jittery. Due to how quiet the car is, these bumps are perhaps more noticeable than they would be otherwise.

　　The climate control system is effective, and we appreciate the ability to shut off registers when driving solo and set it for reduced power in exchange for more fuel efficiency. The seat heater switches have also been relocated where they are easily accessed.

　　

Seat comfort

8.0

　　The seat offers a lot of vertical adjustment, but there's no lumbar adjustment. The seat cushion remains comfortable after long drives. The moderate side bolstering supports without squeezing.

　　

Ride comfort

9.0

　　The Prius is smooth and composed on the street. Rebound over bumps is minimal, and the car never feels too bouncy or too stiff. Broken or uneven pavement doesn't upset the car or translate into a harsh ride quality.

　　

Noise & vibration

7.0

　　Extremely quiet in EV mode, but the engine provides a noticeable hum, which is exacerbated when the transmission keeps the engine's rpm high. Wind noise is moderate and not overly booming.

　　

Climate control

7.0

　　Single-zone automatic climate control is standard across the board and works reasonably well. The S mode function smartly cuts airflow to unoccupied seats to reduce power use by the A/C system. The heated front seats adequately warm passengers, but the switches' awkward location (under the center console) makes it easy to forget when they're on.

　　

Interior

8.0

　　The Prius is a fundamentally easy car to get in and drive. Aside from the shifter, all other controls will feel immediately comfortable to the majority of drivers, and they'll easily be able to find a comfortable driving position.

　　We wish there was more telescoping range in the steering wheel, however, and most of the instrument panel information is not in the driver's line of sight.

　　

Ease of use

8.0

　　The touchscreen is user-friendly and very responsive, but other functions are controlled by touch-capacitive icons and not real buttons. Most controls are simple and well-placed, but the odd shifter design and center-mounted gauges provide no tangible benefit.

　　

Getting in/getting out

9.0

　　The Prius is quite easy to get in and out of. The doors open wide, allowing easy access to the front. Rear-seat access is also good but is hampered slightly by the sloping roofline.

　　

Roominess

8.5

　　There's generous room in front for heads, legs and shoulders. Rear seating is also very good.

　　

Visibility

8.5

　　Forward visibility is great, with large windows and a low dash providing a great view. Rear visibility is OK, but the split in the glass cuts through the sightline. Over-the-shoulder visibility is only slightly hindered by a sloping roof.

　　

Quality

8.0

　　The Prius feels solidly built, and overall it uses nice materials throughout the cabin. But it is beginning to slip behind competitors such as the Honda Insight and Accord Hybrid. The very plasticky trim on the center console of certain models will prove polarizing for some buyers.

　　

Utility

8.5

　　Thanks to its cavernous hatchback cargo area (24.6 cubic feet of space) and fold-down rear seatbacks, the Prius is a tremendously functional car. There's enough in-cabin storage for the daily odds and ends, and the cupholders will securely hold beverages under the circumstances in which most Priuses are typically driven.

　　

Small-item storage

8.0

　　Storage for small items is surprisingly good in this compact hatchback. If you aren't using the Qi charging pad, you can store plenty of stuff under the center stack. The center console is narrow but deep, and even the rear cupholders have decent depth. None of the door pockets are spacious.

　　

Cargo space

8.5

　　The Prius provides a generous cargo area (24.6 cubic feet), with folding rear seats for extra space. The rear seats fold flat relative to the ground, but there's a level change from the cargo load floor. We like that you can fold the rear seats without moving the front seats forward.

　　

Child safety seat accommodation

7.5

　　The four lower LATCH anchors are large and easy to access, hidden thoughtfully behind leather flaps. Tethers are located halfway down the seatback, under cutouts in the seatback fabric. The tethers are impossible to access without removing the cargo cover first.

　　

Technology

6.5

　　For as advanced as the Prius is from a powertrain standpoint, it can seem a little odd that it comes up short for having the latest in-car tech. If you consider it an old-school car with a modern look and feel, it'll make more sense. Our test car even lacked a navigation system, and there was no way to mirror smartphone data onto the built-in screen. If you're looking for these features, you'll have to look elsewhere.

　　The Prius, however, comes with a full suite of advanced driving aids standard. Most of them work well, and the adaptive cruise control can bring the Prius to a complete stop. But you shouldn't use it in stop-and-go traffic. It tends to be too conservative on acceleration and too aggressive on braking. The driver behind you won't be a fan of this herky-jerky style.

　　

Audio & navigation

7.0

　　The touchscreen interface is ugly and sometimes cluttered, but it's functional and easy to operate once you get used to it. Onboard navigation is available. The maps are less attractive than what you'll find on your smartphone, but they offer a good alternative if you're without cell service. The screen washes out in direct sunlight.

　　

Smartphone integration

6.0

　　The Prius offers Toyota's in-house Entune software for smartphone integration. Setup requires a lengthy app download and account creation process. Entune's app support is meager and less intuitive than CarPlay or Android Auto (neither of which is offered). The Bluetooth menu offers better control and search functionality than most other Bluetooth systems.

　　

Driver aids

7.5

　　A ton of driving aids are standard, and most are available on the lowly Prius Two trim. There's even an automated parking function on high-end models. There's good feature availability, and most work well. Like many competing systems, the adaptive cruise control is overly sensitive and slams on the brakes as drivers enter your lane.

　　

Voice control

7.0

　　Voice controls work reasonably well. There's some natural speech detection, so you don't have to follow the voice prompts religiously. You can interact with your phone's mobile assistant, but you hold the phone call button, rather than the more common voice control button, to access it.

　　

Which Prius does zzdcar recommend?

　　The Prius is all about fuel economy and the base L Eco's 56 mpg combined EPA estimate is difficult to ignore. Unfortunately, the L is a little light on features. As such, we recommend getting the LE. It comes with some useful upgrades, such as blind-spot monitoring, a rear wiper and a traditional spare tire, while keeping the price reasonable. The LE is also available with the Prius' new all-wheel-drive system.

　　

2019 Toyota Prius models

　　The 2019 Toyota Prius is a four-door hatchback that seats five passengers. It's available in four trim levels: L Eco, LE, XLE and Limited. A new AWD-e Prius debuts this year and is offered in the LE and XLE trims.

　　Power for the Prius comes from a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors/generators. Their combined 121 horsepower is sent through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to the front wheels. The AWD-e models add an electric motor for the rear axle.

　　The L Eco trim is equipped with ultra-low-rolling resistance tires, a lighter hybrid battery, and an inflation kit instead of a spare tire. Those features help contribute to the L Eco's impressive 56 mpg combined rating. The other Prius trims are rated at 52 mpg or 50 mpg (AWD-e).

　　Standard features for the L Eco include 15-inch wheels, automatic LED headlights, LED running lights and taillights, heated mirrors, keyless entry (driver door only) and ignition, automatic climate control, dual 4.2-inch driver information screens, adaptive cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver's seat and a 60/40-split folding rear seat.

　　Also standard is a 6.1-inch touchscreen display, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a front USB port and two rear charge ports and a six-speaker audio system. Standard safety features include automatic high beams, forward collision warning, forward collision mitigation with automatic braking and lane departure warning and intervention.

　　The LE trim adds a rear window wiper, front seatback pockets, a spare tire, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and an automated parallel parking system.

　　Stepping up to the XLE trim brings 17-inch wheels, automatic wipers, keyless entry for the front passenger door and rear hatch, SofTex simulated leather upholstery and wrapped steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver's seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a semi-gloss black center console and a wireless charging pad. It also reverts back to the tire inflation kit.

　　At the top of the Prius range is the Limited trim that adds adaptive headlights, a head-up display, Toyota's Safety Connect emergency communications, a navigation system, an 11.6-inch touchscreen, and a 10-speaker premium JBL audio system with satellite radio.

　　Some features, including a sunroof, are available on supporting trims as options.

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2019 Prius Highlights

Trim: L EcoLELE AWD-eXLEXLE AWD-eLimitedL Eco

　　

Base MSRP	$23,770
Engine Type	Hybrid
Combined MPG	56 MPG
Cost to Drive	$68/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	27.4 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles