Quick: Which hybrid do you think of first? Why, the Prius of course. It was one the first, and probably the most recognizable of all the hybrids on the market today. For better or worse, the Toyota Prius is the OG of the hybrid movement. With the best mileage of all the hybrids on the market now, the Prius gives a little and takes a little. Giving more mileage, the Prius gets 54/city, 50/highway and 52/combined MPG. Taking, the Prius suffers from slow acceleration and a bit of a bumpy ride.
Pretty much everything is the same for the 2022 model year except that the Nightshade model replaces the previous year’s 2020 Edition. The front-wheel-drive version of the Prius comes in five trim levels: L, Eco, LE, XLE, Nightshade Edition and Limited. The review will focus on the Nightshade Edition.
The unique features of the Nightshade edition are in exterior only with black painted 17 inch wheels and black exterior touches.
It takes its equipment from the XLE, with extras like: rain sensing windshield wipers, audio dimming rearview mirror, keyless entry, simulated leather seating, wireless charge pad, SofTex trimmed door panel, heated front seats, power adjustable driver’s seat, and heated and SofTex wrapped steering wheel.
A 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine is paired with a hybrid powertrain to produce 121 horses. The engine is mated with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Expect to get a hardy 54/city, 50/highway, and 52/combined MPG.
The Prius’ interior is remarkably comfortable from its padded seating to its quiet cabin. The only noise that mars the tranquility of the interior space is the sometimes whiny sounds from the engine when quick pick-up is asked for.
A full range of advanced drivers’ aids helps with driving the Prius from the adaptive cruise control that can bring the car to a complete stop to the blind spot monitoring which helps the driver to avoid lane-changing collisions, the Prius makes driving safer.
As for storage, the hatch on the Prius makes for easy loading and the large cargo area and folding backseats make it easy to carry whatever you need to transport. There’s also plenty of small storage in the cabin for drinks, phones and whatnot.
One does not buy the Prius for its performance so it’s not surprising that the Prius does not tear up the road. What it does, it does competently, which is getting around town with a sip of gas instead of a gulp. The transition between the electric and gasoline engines is seamless and the ride is smooth.
Want to save on gas but not willing to go fully electric? Give the 2022 Toyota Prius Nightshade a test drive.
