Toyota Prius+ – your questions answered

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

Prius+ bootQ4: 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.

Prius+ battery positionQ5: 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+

 

51 comments

  1. Hi

    I asked part of question 4. Thanks for attempting to answer it but your measurements must be wrong and too big! 1,575mm is 5.17 feet and 4,615mm is 15.14 feet. Have you got imperial and metric units confused?

    David

  2. hi
    what are the advantages of the 17 inch wheels on the Spirit? The use more fuel, but does it make for a more comfortable ride?
    Richard

  3. Hi Richard,
    Thanks for the question. The decision that customers make regarding the size of their wheels is partly down to aesthetics and partly down to ride quality, which will vary depending on driving style. Generally speaking, a larger tyre should give a slightly more comfortable ride. We hope this helps, many thanks.

    1. Thanks but, perhaps psychologically, zero VED is on the T4 better than the £10 VED for the T spirit.
      My other question is how can I carry 4 bikes on the car, using a rear mounted carrier?
      cheers
      Richard

      1. Did you ever get an answer to this question, Richard? I’ve got the same need to carry 4 bikes using a rear mounted carrier.

  4. What version of the Touch & Go does the Prius+ Spirit come with? Does it come with the free 3 years 6-monthly map updates?

  5. Hi Phil,
    Thanks for your questions. The Toyota Prius+ comes with the Toyota Touch & Go Plus Navigation system. We will soon announce when and how frequently the updates will be for the system, so please keep checking the Toyota blog or speak with your Local Centre for more information.

  6. Many thanks for the reply. Will the Prius+ in the UK come with the technology pack option, so that you can get the Intelligent Parking Assist?

  7. Hi

    i’ve ordered a Prius + T4 with the Nav upgrade and leather; just wondering on a couple of spec issues. Early info on website said Prius + would come with Dual Zone climate (still found reference to this in one place) but this seems to not be the case in pictures. Also the early spec lists stated DAB, which I cant find now – it’d be a dissapointment to find DAB not as standard.

    Oh and early spec lists and pictures showed heated seats, no comment on that anywhere now.

    any info?

    thanks

    1. hi Mike
      we also have ordered the T4 with sat nav and leather. The zero VED plus the better economy means we were ready to not have the bigger wheels and better audio of the T Sprit.
      We also assumed DAB radio came as standard in a car of such technology as this new Prius.
      cheers
      Richard

  8. Lets hope so! As a company driver, the tax saving for me is pretty big by going for the t4 over t spirit; but it is a shame we don’t get the gadgets the us an Jdm markets get. Mind you never used the auto park on my current Prius!

    This is Prius number 4 for me, over 120k miles covered to date in hybrids and (touch wood) never any problems. Delivery is first week September by the sounds of it for me.

    1. From what I’ve discovered, it looks like you don’t get the Touch Pro on the new prius, even on the T-spirit, which is a pity. If it doesn’t come with the IPA, while you don’t get the auto-park, it also means you don’t get the reversing lines in the rear-camera, which I use all the time, and is pretty common on cars with reversing cameras these days.

  9. Hi Mike,
    Thank you for your questions.
    We can confirm that there is no Dual Zone climate control but an automatic Air Conditioning system on board. Also DAB Radio and heated seats are not available on the Prius+. Sorry to come back to you only to say that these items aren’t available however often there are changes to the very early documents produced for a new model of car. There are, of course, many features that come as standard on the Prius+, which you’ll seen be using on a daily basis! We very much hope you love your Prius+ and to hear about your adventures!
    We do hope this helps, many thanks.

  10. I have just taken delivery of a Prius+ TSpirit as my Company Car. It’s great to drive but the overall spec is very disappointing.

    My wife has just purchased a Kia Picanto for £10k and it comes with heated seats, heated steering wheel and automatic lights. None of these are even options on a £30k Prius+.

    I also find that the driver’s manual is full of options that aren’t available in the UK – let’s have a look at what you could have won!

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