Facelifted 2019 Toyota Prius gets an AWD system

MANILA: Right a fortnight ago, we covered a story on the leaked photographs of the 2019 Toyota Prius. The Prius in those photographs was throwing back a lot of snow and not much of the car was visible. And as we speculated, the cloud of snow was indeed formed due to the all-wheel-drive system on the updated Prius which now powers the rear wheels as well.

Toyota has broken the silence and after all the leaks and rumours, has uncovered the facelifted Prius at the ongoing 2018 LA Auto Show. In terms of styling, the 2019 Prius does away with the rather dynamic styling and now features much conventional upswept headlamps. The LED DRLs are stacked vertically on either end of the front bumper and there’s also a body-colored lip right under the blacked-out bottom grille. Even at the rear, the taillamps are now not the vertically elongated ones and look much more acceptable to people with different tastes. The tailgate also gets a part of the taillamps incorporated within it.

The hybrid system in the 2019 Toyota Prius consists of the same old 1.8-litre 4-pot motor which is good for 99 PS of max power and a peak torque of 142 Nm. Supporting the engine is an electric motor capable producing a maximum power of 72 PS and 163 Nm of peak torque. The combination of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor is then paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) unit. The extra electric motor has been dedicated to the rear wheels which helps in providing much more gripping power when between 0 to 9 kmph. However, the same motor can also provide better hold on jagged surfaces from 0 to 70 kmph without a fuss.

Toyota is all set to offer the 2019 Prius in the US market come the second quarter of 2019. As always, other regions will get to taste the new dish only after the westerns.