Yahoo Autos 5 thoughts on the 2024 Toyota Prius Limited
During the massive upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and the years to follow, our little automotive corner of the world was seeing some strangeness, too. Obviously, car shows were out the window, but with vaccines becoming available and testing procedures being established, automakers and press found ways to meet up here and there. In 2021 and 2022, Toyota hosted media at its sprawling campus in Plano, Texas for what basically were Toyota-only auto shows.
The events were called HQ Confidential, and they featured loads of conferences and announcements about updated Toyota products. But the more interesting aspect was the "Confidential" aspect. Each event let press get a sneak peek at completely new models. Groups would be taken down some large halls to a conference room that had been emptied out to have a new model on display. In 2021, they showed the new Tundra, and in 2022, they showed the Crown and the Prius. And in that latter display, I was far more intrigued and interested in the Prius. That ultra-low wedge shape and clean flanks, even in a bland, fluorescent-lit conference room, were eye-catching, especially next to the busy and somewhat bulbous Crown.
What I was surprised by, though, was the fact that the Prius ended up being the last of those three to be officially revealed and launched. Fittingly, I'm also driving the Prius after I've driven the others. Not only that, but it's also my favorite of the trio. And it's most definitely the best Prius ever made.
1. Yeah it still looks cool
I know, I know, we've talked about this countless times, but it's still true, the new Prius is really cool looking. Nothing on the road has as wildly swept back a windshield, and the low nose rivals legitimate sports cars. The rear doors are nicely deemphasized with the hidden door handles. And after years of kinda lumpy and cluttered lines on Prii (sorry, Priuses), it's amazing to see one with clean, lean lines and panels. It doesn't sacrifice on the model's heritage, either, since it still has the kammback tail and fastback roofline. It's just a great piece of design.
2. There are compromises for the looks
Of course, there's a price to pay for the style, though not necessarily in the ways you might expect. For instance, getting in the front seats is still quite easy. But once you're there, you notice that you get some pretty serious blind spots from those super-raked pillars. And in the cargo area, a combination of a high floor and low roof makes for less space than you might hope from the hatchback. While everyone's needs are different, I think the tradeoff is totally worth it.
