TESTED 3.9.24, DUNBARTONSHIRE DELIVERIES OCTOBER
It's nearly two years since Toyota took the wraps off the fifth-generation Prius and told British drivers they wouldn't be able to buy it. Sales of the previous model had slowed dramatically to fewer than 600 a year, as private buyers had quickly migrated to the cooler-looking C-HR crossover, while private hire buyers were being nudged towards the Corolla estate a move that suited them because it had more luggage space and suited Toyota GB because the Corolla is built in Britain.
But finally here we are: the model that got the great car-buying public used to a degree of electrification is returning to the UK. In short, enough people wanted it.
Quite a lot of things have happened to the Prius since its arrival in 1997, when 'I drive a Prius' was a badge of honour worn by those who wanted to virtue signal about how much they weren't into cars. Now low, sleek and sufficiently wedgy-profiled that Toyota is inclined to call it a coupé, is it actually becoming an enthusiast's car, I wonder? I wouldn't have expected that two and a half decades ago.
Esta historia es de la edición September 11, 2024 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 11, 2024 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.
SKODA KAMIQ
A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable
'Our time has come'
Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store
Lion kings
Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal