2022 Toyota Mirai

2022 Toyota Mirai Review

　　Cameron Rogers has worked in the automotive industry since 2013. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Today, he leads the news team in developing cutting-edge news articles, opinion pieces and sneak peeks at upcoming vehicles. Favorite cars that he's driven during his tenure at zzdcar include the 991-era Porsche 911 Turbo S, Rolls-Royce Ghost and several generations of Honda Odyssey (really).

　　Shoppers looking to go green for their next car purchase will typically consider one of three types of vehicles: a hybrid (which only uses gasoline as a fuel source), a fully electric vehicle (which only uses electricity) or a plug-in hybrid (which can be powered by electricity and gasoline). But there's a fourth type out there that actually runs on hydrogen — storing it as a gas inside of high-pressure tanks and using it to generate power for an onboard electric motor. The only emissions coming out of the tailpipe? Water. The 2022 Toyota Mirai is one of only two publicly available vehicles on the market that uses hydrogen as a fuel source.

　　On its own, the Mirai is a fairly impressive midsize sedan; our driving impressions can be found below, in our zzdcar Expert Rating. But there's no doubt that the Mirai represents a commitment not necessarily reflected in its asking price. For one, hydrogen fueling stations are few and far between — the limited number of such stations helps explain why the Mirai is only sold in California and on the Hawaiian isle of Oahu. The tall powertrain tunnel also makes the rear middle seat virtually unusable for anyone not in a car seat.

　　The cost of hydrogen itself is something to be aware of, but you won't have to worry about it for a while. According to the California Fuel Cell Partnership, hydrogen costs roughly $16.51 per kilogram. Given the Mirai's 5.4-kg capacity, it costs roughly $90 to fill up the Mirai and go 357 miles if you have the Limited. This seems like a lot, especially as it would cost a lot less for an EV to go the same distance. However, Toyota includes a hydrogen credit with the purchase or lease of a Mirai good for $15,000 or six years, whichever comes first. By our calculations, the credit should last for about 60,000 miles if you're driving the Limited, or even longer if you're behind the wheel of the more efficient XLE. Even if you drive a lot, it'll be years before you pay out of pocket to fill up.

　　So is the Mirai right for you? The biggest things to consider are the number of hydrogen stations within easy access, and whether you can get by without a usable middle seat in the rear. (The Mirai's direct competitor, the hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo, is an SUV with a low tunnel that makes three-across seating possible.)

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Average

　　7.2

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

　　How does the Mirai drive? Hydrogen fuel cell cars are comparatively mild when you measure them against their battery electric vehicle counterparts. The Toyota Mirai leads the fuel cell field in acceleration, needing only 8.1 seconds to reach 60 mph, but that's unremarkable by gasoline-propelled vehicle standards, and laughable by EV standards.

　　While the Mirai's braking performance (120 feet from 60 mph) and steering feedback are also most unremarkable, it displays surprisingly good composure turning a corner thanks to its new rear-wheel-drive layout and near 50:50 weight distribution. We wouldn't call it sporty, but the Mirai moves with a surprising amount of grace for such a heavy vehicle. And because it's an EV, there's no transmission, which means smooth, shiftless acceleration. We do wish it had stronger regenerative braking and that we could permanently select the stronger setting and not have it reset after each stop.

Comfort

　　How comfortable is the Mirai? The Mirai's best quality, by far, is its ride comfort. Underneath, the Mirai is based on the full-size Lexus LS, and though its proportions have been shortened quite a bit, it rides like a full-size Lexus. Bumps of mostly any size don't seem to faze the Mirai, and we're not quite sure how Toyota pulled that off. Couple this with a quiet cabin, as long as you don't have the synthesized Active Sound Control effects turned on, and the Mirai feels convincingly luxury-esque.

　　The seats, unfortunately, aren't quite as impressive. We like the soft cushioning, but the front seats in particular lack support and enough adjustments and don't seem designed to accommodate taller folks either. Our Limited trim featured heated and ventilated seats, which were relatively weak in both heating and cooling. Thankfully, the climate system is more effective (as long as it isn't in Eco mode) and is easy to use thanks to its redundant touchscreen and physical controls.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below