While an increasing number of people are looking to buy fuel-efficient cars, they may not necessarily be opting for a traditional hybrid. The monthly sales data by autobloggreen suggests that traditional hybrid sales may actually be decreasing as people opt for other green alternatives such as a plug-in hybrid or an electric car. This is great news for Toyota, since they are one of the few automakers to offer a plug-in vehicle. I recently had a chance to test out the Prius Plug-in Hybrid – Toyota’s most fuel efficient production car. First, let’s go over the specs.

The base model comes equipped with the following features:

The model tested came with the Technology package, which includes:

LIKES

Great ride quality

The Prius is a solid car to drive on both, streets and highways. On the streets at low speeds the car uses its electric motor to deliver a whisper quite ride. On the highways, the engine can get a bit noisy when accelerating. However, once it reaches a desired speed, engine use is minimal and the car returns to its typical quiet state. The Prius offers three driving modes – Normal, ECO, and Power. ECO mode is okay for city driving, but isn’t recommended for the highway. It’s almost impossible to accelerate hard as the engine tries to restrict your RPMs. For such maneuvers, switching to Normal or Power mode is recommended.

I recently did a review on the Lexus CT and was quite impressed with its brisk performance under Power mode (the CT has 3 modes as well). Sharing the same engine and components, I was expecting the Prius would deliver similar performance. While their performance is similar under ECO mode, The Prius Plug-in just seems a bit slow to accelerate in Power mode.

Decent fuel efficiency

Most of my driving was done in ECO mode, and the battery was charged up every night. In ECO mode I was able to achieve 4.5 L/100km with a mix of city and highway driving. On the highway, through a 10-kilometre stretch, fuel economy increased to 4.2 L/100km. In Normal mode, I was able to achieve a combined rating of 4.8 L/100km.

Switching to Power mode decreases the fuel efficiency between 0.5 – 1 L/100km, which isn’t that significant considering the power output gained.

Charging flexibility

From a charging standpoint, I liked that the Prius was able to charge using any standard 110V power source. Living in the suburbs, it was hard to find a charging station. Luckily, I was able to spot one in the parking lot of a local Whole Foods store. It wasn’t a typical 240V outlet, but rather a 110V – the kind you would find around the house. It takes approximately three hours to charge, whereas a 240V outlet would be able to do a full charge in only 90 minutes.

DISLIKES

Weak electric range

Toyota claims this Prius is capable of travelling in all-electric mode for up to 22 kilometres in the city. Unfortunately, I was only able to travel 15.9 kms during my city commute. Throughout the test, the car was driven conservatively in ECO mode in spring weather. In the winter, expect that range to drop a few more points.

Undifferentiated design

The Prius plug-in hybrid costs almost $10,000 more than a standard Prius. When you spend this much of a premium, you expect the car to pop out a bit more in a herd of Priuses. Unfortunately, the plug-in hybrid doesn’t have enough styling cues to accomplish this. Sure, there’s a metallic plate below the rear windshield, an extra fuel door, and emblems on either side that read “Plug-in Hybrid”. But aside from those minor details, there’s nothing else that determines that this in fact is the plug-in version. Not surprisingly, charging the car at my local Whole Foods store certainly seemed to draw a lot of eyes from fellow shoppers.