Just about every statistic within the automotive industry went up in 2015. Sales, transaction prices, lease rates, customer satisfaction, they all moved in an upward direction. But there were two notable examples of figures that went down: fuel prices and hybrid sales. As you might assume the cause for each decline is related, and makes perfect sense. If gas is cheap how many people will pay the extra cost for hybrid technology? At Kelley Blue Book we saw sales volume for hybrids fall by 13 percent last year, suggesting the undeniable answer is "fewer people than when gas prices are rising."
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With both fuel costs and hybrid sales trending down Toyota is making a seemingly contradictory move for 2016. Not only did it invest in redesigning its hybrid-specific 2016 Prius, it also added a hybrid trim to the 2016 RAV4 compact SUV. I drove both models recently and can attest to their across-the-board improvements.
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The 2016 Prius, for instance, offers far more engaging driving dynamics than in any of its previous iterations. It's the first Toyota product to ride on "Toyota's New Global Architecture" (TNGA) platform, which will underpin much of the automaker's global product going forward. Having a common starting point for a variety of models saves money, which is why every automaker is going this route. When done effectively the consumer never knows about the common starting point shared across models, they just benefit from the (hopefully) well-executive foundation. The improved driving dynamics of the 2016 Prius suggest the TNGA is a very good starting point.
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The new Prius has a lower hood and a 1-inch lower center of gravity complemented by a .6-inch increase in width. If lower and wider sounds like a recipe for better handling, it should, because it is. Other improvements include a 60 percent increase in torsional rigidity, additional sound deadening (Toyota says it's near EV quiet now) and improved aerodynamics from underbody panels and active grill shutters that give it the lowest coefficient of drag of any mass-produced car (0.24 cD). A new double wishbone suspension replaces the old car's MacPherson Strut front and torsion beam rear suspensions, and while these new underpinnings are heavier the weight is offset by a smaller, lighter battery pack, transaxle and power control unit.
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The 2016 Prius' engine, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, actually loses horsepower this year, dropping from 134 to 121 peak hp. But Toyota says the car's enhanced electric power makes up for the difference to maintain the car's acceleration, with zero-to-60 taking 9.8 seconds (top speed is governed to 110 mph). The new engine also has 40 percent thermal efficiency versus 31 percent previously, meaning more energy going into moving the car instead of heating the planet. The new Prius' Power Control Unit, consisting of an inverter, a Voltage Boosting Converter and an AC/DC converter, works to maximize efficiency between the engine and electric motivation, and it's got a 20 percent reduction is parasitic loss compared to the outgoing Prius.
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All this efficiency effort has earned the 2016 Toyota Prius, in "Eco" trim, the most fuel efficient rating of any non-plug-in vehicle, ever, with 58 city mpg, 53 highway mpg and 56 combined mpg. That's even better than the original, two-seat Honda Insight after that car's ratings were updated to current EPA testing standards and settled in at 53 mpg combined. Not bad for a five passenger car with over 26 cubic feet of storage, neither of which the original Insight could offer. Of course the Eco version of the Prius is only one of six versions, with all other versions earning 54 city mpg, 50 highway mpg and 52 combined mpg.
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The least expensive 2016 Prius Two starts at $25,035 and still uses a nickel-metal hydride battery to keep costs low. The Prius Two Eco starts at $25,535 and uses the new lithium ion battery pack. Pricing moves up to $30,835 for the top-end Prius Four Touring, with the Prius Three, Prius Three Touring and Prius Four filling in the middle ground. Toyota's new "Toyota Safety Sense" (TSS) active safety technology package is available on the new car, and it includes features like collision alert, brake mitigation, lane departure warning, pedestrian detection, radar cruise control and auto high beams. Other high-tech options on the new Prius include a 10-speaker JBL audio system, intelligent park assist (for both perpendicular and parallel parking), a heads-up display and wireless cell phone charging.
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Many of the technological breakthroughs seen on the new Prius also appear on the new-for-2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The RAV4 doesn't (yet) ride on the TNGA platform, but it does offer a host of upgraded features like LED headlights and taillights on higher grade models, the new Toyota Safety Sense system described above, new parking sensors and a new "Bird's Eye View Camera with Perimeter Scan" allowing RAV4 driver's to see all the way around the vehicle when parking. An upgraded gauge cluster with a 4.2-inch driver display screen, along with a 7-inch touchscreen central display monitor, is offered on mid- and high-grade RAV4s, and a new "Scout GPS Link" cell-phone based navigation system, available on the base LE model, provides in-car navigation for as low as $26,000.
But the most impressive claim for the 2016 Toyota RAV4 is that the hybrid model offers best-in-class MPG and more performance than the traditional RAV4. That means you don't just get the best compact SUV fuel efficiency, you also get better performance by going hybrid, with a zero-to-60 time of 8.1 seconds versus 9 seconds for non-hybrid RAV4s. The hybrid drivetrain is offered on XLE and Limited version of the 2016 RAV4, and both versions include all-wheel drive with the electric motor powering the rear wheels to aid acceleration and traction on slippery road surfaces. Cargo space is only marginally impacted, with 70.6 cubic feet (when the second row seats are folded down) on hybrids versus 73.4 cubic feet for non-hybrid RAV4s.
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Better mileage, better acceleration, better bad-weather traction and nearly identical storage? These are the kind of features that could finally compel people to spring for hybrid technology, especially when the price difference is as small as it is in the 2016 RAV4. A traditional RAV4 XLE with all-wheel drive costs $28,570 while an XLE Hybrid costs $29,270. Both models come well equipped with luxury features, but for just $700 more you get a bump in fuel efficiency from 22 city mpg, 31 highway mpg and 25 combined mpg to 34 city, 31 highway and 33 combined. An 8 mpg bump for $700? Even with gas at $2 a gallon, if you're driving 15,000 miles a year the RAV4 hybrid will save $300 in annual fuel costs, paying for itself in just over two years. In California, where gas is still over $3 a gallon, the payoff would come in less than 15 months.
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As the all-new 2016 Toyota Prius and revised RAV4 confirm, hybrid technology isn't going anywhere, despite the cool reception this tech continues to receive from U.S. consumers. Instead of giving up on it, Toyota is making its hybrid models more compelling by injecting sporty driving dynamics into the new Prius and better efficiency (and performance) for nominal added cost into the updated 2016 RAV4. Expect to see more automakers follow Toyota's lead, including the recently introduced Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan and the arrival of Acura's hybrid supercar, the NSX, this spring.
