Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £18,370 to £21,230
Improved drive, low emissions, real-world improvement in fuel consumption, clear head-up display.
Intrusive road and wind noise, limited rear headroom, expensive.
Vastly improved Prius is finally a credible rival to any diesel hatch and the best hybrid money can buy.
Despite looking unmistakably like the old car, the third Prius is virtually all-new.
Almost nothing is carried over. Instead of the old, 1.5-litre petrol engine there's a bigger 1.8, while 90% of the hybrid drivetrain is new.
Like the old car there are three modes of drive: all-electric, petrol-only and petrol plus assistance.
In electric mode - thanks to numerous improvements with the motor, battery cooling and reduced internal friction - the Prius has a 2km range at speeds of up to 31mph.
In reality, even with a new torque-boosting gearbox, acceleration is too weak in full electric mode: it needs, the assistance of the petrol engine to keep up with traffic.
Not that the Prius is slow when the petrol engine kicks in. The decision to fit a larger 1.8-litre engine might sound at odds with its environmental aims but was taken to improve high-speed cruising refinement and fuel economy. The bigger engine revs less at speed and actually reduces fuel consumption on the motorway by at least 10% compared with the old car.
The 98bhp 1.8 might sound feeble but the petrol engine is boosted by the electric motor that swells total output to a decent 134bhp. This enables a brisk 0-62mph time of 10.4 seconds - half a second quicker than the old car.
The Toyota is noticeably better to drive in its 'Power' mode. The more efficient 'ECO' mode dulls throttle response in an effort to save fuel, however.
Channelling power to the front wheels is a revised CVT gearbox that, like the old car, takes some getting used to. It holds revs under acceleration making the Prius a little thrashy at times, but ease off and mechanical refinement is exceptional.
As for the drive itself, it's improved. The steering now has a meaningful weighting that helps place the car better and, thanks to a relocated rear torsion beam suspension, the Prius boasts better stability.
This means more grip, but not much else. The Toyota lacks the athleticism and engagement of rivals such as the class-leading Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, but its dynamic tweaks are a significant step forward over the old car.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Toyota Prius
wrote on 01 02 2007
wrote on 11 10 2006
wrote on 01 10 2006
wrote on 09 06 2006