Toyota Hybrids Are About To Get A Fresh Turn Of Speed

One criticism that we’ve always been able to level at the Toyota Prius is that, well, it’s not very quick. Unless you put a Hellcat engine in one, anyway.

Toyota is beginning to address the lack of pace from the 1.8-litre petrol-electric drivetrain, though, by upgrading the petrol engine to an impressively efficient new 2.0-litre ‘Dynamic Force’ unit. It combines a much healthier 178bhp maximum, an improvement of about 44bhp, with the same smooth integration into hybrid drivetrains.

The big news here is its mighty thermal efficiency of 41 per cent when used as a hybrid. That matches the smaller, feebler 1.8’s efforts despite the extra power.

Because the Prius is still quite new, it won’t be the first to get the new motor. It’s reported to be heading the way of the Auris first; that car is due an all-new model this year and there’s a gap in the range where the diesel used to be. It was canned in the UK last year after just 651 sold all year compared to thousands of hybrids.

The new hybrid system’s CVT transmission has been given a big boost. CVTs are notoriously sluggish away from a standstill, but, in what’s said to be a world first, the new driveline will feature a proper gear drive for initial acceleration, making it much more positive away from the lights before settling back into traditional CVT efficiency at speed.

More data should surface at the Geneva Motor Show.