Test Drive: 4th-generation Prius will win hearts, minds

The Candy Man “mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.” The 2016 Toyota Prius(with Car DVD Player) mixes it with advanced technology and makes the world feel better.

As the most successful hybrid automobile ever, with 3.5 million sales worldwide, the Prius has been stingy with the planet’s fossil fuel resources. It continues and improves with the redesigned fourth-generation 2016 model.

Though it retains the same fastback design with a rear hatch, which Toyota calls a liftback, the new Prius presents a more contemporary and streamlined look. The design results in a coefficient of drag of .24 — a measurement of how slippery the car is through the wind — which is among the lowest of any car.

The Prius also is slightly longer, lower and wider than its predecessor and features a new independent rear suspension for better handling.

Overall, the improvements combine to give the Prius a personality more akin to a standard gasoline engine car with quick throttle response and decent acceleration, though it is nowhere near a sports sedan or stoplight drag racer.

It can run silently for short distances on electricity but mostly uses a combination of its two electric motors with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Transitions between that and electric-only running are nearly imperceptible.

All Prius versions except for the base model use a new lithium ion battery pack. The base car is equipped with the older nickel metal hydride unit, which has proven to be durable and long-lasting.

Electric running requires a feather touch, and the Prius scolds any driver who has a heavy foot. If you accelerate too quickly, the gasoline engine kicks in and the instruments light up with the message, “excessive acceleration.” Or, if you get up to about 26 mph, the message again reprimands you with “excessive speed.” What about install Android Car Gps?

All of this, of course, is aimed at fuel economy. Among the six trim levels of the Prius is a lighter-weight Eco model that promises city/highway/combined fuel consumption of 58/53/56 mpg. Others are estimated to deliver 54/50/52 mpg.

Tested for this review was a mid-level Prius Three, which exactly confirmed the combined number over a measured 30-mile test drive that included city streets, freeway and a twisting suburban highway. The Three carries a base price of $27,085 and, with an advanced technology package, had a bottom-line sticker of $29,020.

The package included a pre-collision mitigation system that also detects pedestrians, lane departure warning and assist, automatic high-beam headlights, adaptive-radar cruise control, a color heads-up display and a motorized glass sunroof.

Standard equipment on the Three are automatic climate control, backup camera, quality cloth upholstery, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, power windows and door locks, push-button starting, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with redundant audio controls, and wireless smartphone charging. The inductive charging dock on the console looks as if it can handle the biggest of the current smartphones. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!