We asked for your questions about the new seven-seat Toyota Prius+ before we went to the car’s press launch event last week, and now we’re back, we can now bring you the answers.
Read on to find out all about the UK’s first hybrid MPV – you can also find out more about the car here.
Q1: How much does the Toyota Prius+ cost?
Prices for the Toyota Prius+ start at £26,195 for T4 spec. The T Spirit model costs from £29,495.
Q2: What is the official fuel consumption of the Prius+?
The Toyota Prius+ achieves combined fuel consumption of 68.9mpg in T4 spec (which has 16-inch wheels), or 64.2mpg in T-Spirit spec (which has 17-inch wheels).
Q3: How much luggage room is there when all 7 seats are in use?
There is 232 litres of storage capacity in the boot when all seven seats are in use. Fold the back row of seats and this increases to 784 litres. If you flatten the second and third row of seats, there is 1,750 litres of space.
Take a look at these pictures from our Twitter feed showing the seats folded, and in position
Q4: With all the rear seats folded what is the maximum height from the top of the folded seats to the inside roof? Also what is maximum inside load carrying distance from the back of the front seats to the rear door?
The maximum height of the luggage space is 1,575mm. The measurement from the back of the front seats to the rear door is 4,615mm.
The maximum carrying capacity when the third row seats are up is 232 litres. That increases to 784 litres when they’re folded.
There is 1,750 litres of space when the second row of seats are folded flat. If you want to carry particularly long items, it is possible to fold flat the front passenger seat as well.
Q5: Where is the hybrid battery pack located?
The Prius+ uses a Lithium-ion battery pack, unlike the standard five-seat Prius or our other hybrids like the Auris Hybrid or Yaris Hybrid which use Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries.
Lithium-ion battery packs are more compact, so the one in the Prius+ is stored in the centre console between the front seats. Placing it there, rather than under the boot, gives more space for the third row of seats.
Q6: How much does the battery in the Prius+ weigh?
It weighs 34kg, 7kg less than the Ni-MH battery in the five-seat Prius.
Q7: Are there any plans to produce a plug-in hybrid version of the 7-seater Prius+?
There are no immediate plans for a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius+ at the moment. The five-seat Prius Plug-in is launching soon.
Q8: Is the Prius+ the same as the Prius v that’s sold in the US?
It’s almost the same, but the Prius v has only five seats and uses a Ni-MH battery mounted under the boot floor.
In Japan, the Prius+ is known as the Prius α (Prius alpha). It is available as a seven-seater with a Li-ion battery, or a five-seater with a Ni-MH battery.
Otherwise, the specification of all three cars is the same. The Ni-MH battery provides the same performance as Li-ion.
Q9: What was the main development challenge?
The main challenge was to develop a seven-seat vehicle with a Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain without making any compromise on space, size and aerodynamic performance.
Q10: How many engineers were involved in the development of the Prius+?
About 1,500. The Prius+ development process started in 2006.
Read our interview with Makoto Okabe, chief engineer of the Prius+
Wow I had no idea where the hybrid battery was and didn’t know it was lithium ion great info about cargo too thanks
“The measurement from the back of the front seats to the rear door is 4,615mm”
Is this statement real? it sounds like more space in most of minibuses on the market.