FIRST DRIVE: New Toyota Prius + Stig Breaks Longest Uber Ride Record
The new Toyota Prius is not like the old Toyota Prius: it’s svelte, slinky and suddenly rather alluring. In fact, it might be the biggest ‘glow up’ the auto industry has ever seen.
But, while the old Toyota Prius was the darling of Uber drivers everywhere, can the transformational new one keep its place as the backbone of the ride-hailing industry?
To find out, Top Gear Magazine’s Tom Ford turned taxi driver for the day, picked up a passenger (who you might recognise) and set forth across the country to - unofficially - break the record for longest Uber ride in the UK.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:31 History
09:02 On Track Ft. The Stig
11:24 Conclusion
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Welcome to the official home of Top Gear on KZhead. Here you'll find all the best clips from your favourite episodes, whether that’s Ken Block drifting London in the Hoonicorn, Chris Harris in the latest Porsche 911 GT3 or classic Top Gear clips from Clarkson, Hammond and May. You'll also find the latest performance car reviews from the TopGear.com crew, our brand new series American Tuned with Rob Dahm and the fastest power laps from our in house performance benchmark: The Stig.
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What do you think of the new Toyota Prius?
I think it's infuriating that they won't sell the yellow color in the US despite launching it in that, and despite it looking very good!
The main problem is the same problem as most other new cars - the price. £40k for.....car. TM. It's not the eyesore POS it used to be, sure, but it's nothing special. It's just a boggo car. For 40 grand.
curious why Tom is driving an Irish registered car?
Every time I see one on the street I just think to myself "how dare you Toyota...how dare you make me like this car."
Too many moving parts.
To see a Prius drifting is the sort of thing I expect out of Top Gear 😂
The racing driver at Knockhill might have been Gordon Shedden.
Just waiting now for the GR Prius…
I wonder would the Camry engine fit in that engine bay. It's quite a compact engine for 2.5l because it's only a 4 banger.
@@Backpfeifengesicht45 or the 3 cylinder from the yaris
prius with the rav4 prime set up would be pretty nice
Exactly. The GR Prius is what everyone wants!!!
@@elPufferino it'd have to be a hybrid though.
This is the 1st prius I've actually wanted
It actually doesn't look like poop anymore
@@TheHumanRangeri completely agree but I still done want one 😂. Even though they’re relatively quick now as well
Strange, isn't it? They finally made a car that looks at least decent, inside and out, and with good perfomances. I would like a review of Clarkson to see if he keeps the same opinion
It only took them 5 generations.
Sorta same, but I'd like a first gen to stuff in a Lexus V8 and RWD for the cheek of it.
Dang stig kinda made me nostalgic of what used to be the greatest car show 😢 thank god for grand tour still being there
But it is most likely done 😢
I have to say I'm liking the Top Gear KZhead videos though, they are actually fairly good - not quite at Hagerty level yet but up there near CarWow
@rururururuj I do like these but atm, throttle house is more top gear than actual top gear
The Grand Tour doesn't have the studio and car / track reviews anymore, just "specials" type of episodes
The TG KZhead channel feels like pre 2002 TopGear, mostly normal car reviews with occasional jokes, I think both styles have a place honestly
I just cannot believe how good this latest prius looks. It's not just no longer boring or even awful; it's actively attractive. I've seen a white one around my neighborhood and it's like being around a spaceship. (I suppose I have a fond memories of my 1991 Toyota Previa to thank for that.)
Totally agree.
For 40K it should look good.
7:24 It's not a CVT, it's an eCVT. Why do automotive journalists keep getting that wrong?!
Technically they're not wrong by calling it a CVT. Toyota calls it eCVT for marketing reasons, but it is very much a CVT by principle of operation. The eCVT has no discrete ratios.
@@vinny9152 Calling the Hybrid Drive System a CVT is a huge marketing shoot-in-foot moment. The eCVT has no discrete ratios in that it doesn't have a "gearbox" - it has something more akin to a glorified differential.
ecvt has a planetary gear box so its not a cvt at all
@@dogsbodyish8403i mean, neither does a belt CVT.
That’s true, Toyota call it transaxle, it is a totally different design, much more efficient and reliable than the traditional CVT
Tom was always my favourite 5th Gear presenter, so seeing him "come into his own" in Top Gear just feels right
He was great on Fifth Gear. Was hampered by that weird Ace Cafe format, though not as much as being paired with Tim Lovejoy. Don't know if this is telly Top Gear or magazine Top Gear content, BUT either way, I'm liking it lots
It been while since we seen stig
too long
I see him often on his YT channel, haha.
Is it the REAL one? This seems taller and skinnier.
@@angelg2638It's not Ben Collins, who for me is the only true stig with the white racing gear, Perry Mc Carthy wore the black.
@@martytdd1606and occasionally Ben Collins was black Stig too 😅
The fake taxi shout-out was mad 💀
ikrrrrr
why?
@@goodfodder When you are older we will tell you
Oh my lord I was looking for this comment 😂
@@goodfodderfake taxi is types of videos that you get into taxi and the driver is not real taxi driver they take you to place and have seggs with u
For anyone wondering about the irish reg, 241 means it was registered in the first half of 2024 (242 for second half) D stands for Dublin Examples of other counties include: C = Cork W = Waterford G = Galway KE = Kildare KK = kilkenny 7503 is the 7th thousand 503 car registered in dublin.
It seemed very strange that the Irish were getting these but the U.K. wasn't. When i made enquiries about the Corolla Cross last year (which the U.K. still isn't getting) the salesman at the local Toyota dealer said it was something to do with type approvals. Maybe the change to accepting of CE marks in the U.K. changed Toyota's mind.
If this was a Lotus commuter car people would be losing their minds about it.
Lotus could probably put this hybrid system in something superlight and make a little eco monster! Wouldn't be the first time they used Toyota running gear!
saw one in all black with a roof rack/ski rack and it looked damn good. i would buy one
That's the exact car I have lol maybe it was me.
Would love to see your car 😍@@clovrfpv
Love the new direction of the Top Gear KZhead channel. All the presenters are excellent!
If anyone doesn't recognise the road at the end, it's Glen Etive. Famously featured in Skyfall!
isnt this the same road clarkson drove the f12 on?
LOL watching a prius power slide/ drift is not how i expected to start my day, I love it!
I think B mode is actually Engine Braking mode. More for extended downhill runs to avoid excessive wear on the brakes.
It indeed is. B-mode is available on all Toyota hybrids and has nothing to do with regenerative braking. It makes the transmission fixed to let the wheels turn the engine directly and uses the engine as an airpump to create engine braking without spending petrol. Toyota manuals even advise to not use it in regular driving because it hurts efficiency. It is only for steep or extended downhills.
S mode is for increased regenerarion. It puts CVt on lower gear basically. He got it mixed up. I have S1 to S6 on my Rav4 phev.
Want one so bad until they said it's gonna cost 40K 😢
The B mode has changed for the latest Prius/CHR PHEV - it's now a "brake boost" which increases the regeneration towards one pedal driving. The newest HEV models will also get this feature to allow for more zero engine running around town/city's.
How many times do genuine Prius aficionados have to scream this from the rooftops…….NO PRIUS HAS A CVT GEARBOX. At least not what a real CVT is. The Prius has what has been DUBBED an e-CVT transmission system. Mechanically, it’s NOT a CVT at all. It’s actually a Planetary Gear Set mated to a Power Split Device. It tends to mimic a CVT gearbox but it’s actually nothing of the sort. The e-CVT is virtually bulletproof (compared to a real CVT which can give you very expensive repair bills - looking at you, Mercedes!) - the one on my 2008 2nd Gen Prius works just as well as it did when it rolled out of the factory. Please stop calling the Prius transmission system a CVT - it’s been putting people off the car for over two decades 😢 Noisy during heavy acceleration? Yes. But it quietens down once you reach your target cruising speed - just like a Rolls Royce Trent Turbofan…..😅
Haha, dublin plates, bit random 😁
I'm surprised the reg layout hasn't been asked about.
We've had the Prius for ages.
Because TGB still hasn't sorted out the UK registration for Prius's yet ... Can't wait!
For paddy's day 😅
Toyota doesn’t sell the Prius any more in the UK, so they had to get one from Ireland. Edit: they recently did announce that It is actually being sold in the UK later this year.
Tried a few phev cars, Volvo,BMW ,VW and kia and trust me they are a jerky mess with their conventional gearboxes. They just cannot put it all together smoothly. Tried a rav4 phev with cvt gearbox and it's light years ahead. Your comment on it droning is literally for extremely rare full throttle moments and it's not bad at all in the rav4 and a way better compromise than the jerky phevs I drove. At 80 percent throttle the toyota system is super smooth and swift.
I found that with a friends VW Golf GTE I borrowed recently. It’s like the engine, gearbox and electric motor were communicating by post!
True. A lot of people who shit on hybrid cars have never driven a Toyota hybrid before.
Toyota Hybrids are awesome
Toyota #1
@@jpdoc5722 Crazy how they have actually been awesome for quite a long time. I recently drove a 16 year old Crown 3.5 Hybrid and it was glorious. I think everyone should test drive a Toyota Hybrid.
Biggest glow-up for sure. The Prius is so nice now. Now that it has the looks to go with reliability, fuel mileage, real buttons, comfort, etc I would consider it the textbook definition of "good car."
I am so happy that Toyota changed their minds and are bringing this Prius to the UK. Will be buying one in the next year or so. Can't wait!
And this is how the legend of Stig continues. Some say he is still there up in the Scottish highlands waiting for a new chapter of his life to begin.
Can't believe I'm watching a funny Top Gear episode. It's been rare lately.
Australia had the Prius since the beginning. but recently dropped it due to poor sales. Then they bring out this model that looks great. What a mistaka to maka!
Something about this video makes me feel peaceful and relaxed for some reason, it's got a rollercoaster of emotion, and ends in a peaceful note ( headphones makes the experience 100x better ) the cinematography, the script, the color grading, it's amazing. and the prius tops it all.
I really want a one.
"I'm not a real taxi, I'm more of a fake one" That eyebrow rise at the end... 😂😂😂
Luv the writing, cinematography, sound and editing! The best of the series so far!
CVT will go to peak power when its floored, not peak torque, because it means more acceleration (peak power means peak torque at the wheels)
I swear there is lambo design language in this thing. It's hilarious.
Those slides look like it’s Tiff behind the wheel 😮
That ¾ shot when Stig walks by... 😗🤌🏾 11:14
11:15 The Stig is returning to his natural habitat, off to graze in the Scottish countryside.
One of the best-looking from every angle new cars around
The Stig is awesome and funny.. the total package!
Man, the stig was moving in that Prius and it was awesome to watch! I am pretty sure the vehicle stability control computer had a coronary ☠
We gotta see this car in racing games asap 😅
I don’t understand why Toyota thought it was a good idea to not provide the Prius to the UK, the Irish car market is very similar and we got it here to bother, it’s not often we see Irish plates on TopGear…
Toyota Capacity is capped. They can not produce enough cars.
Toyota wanted to sell off stock of the old model first.
A Toyota salesman told me it was to do with type approval. I guess one type approval covers the whole of the EU. Another factor might have been Corollas being built in the U.K. Finally there was an argument that the new C-HR is close enough to the Prius as it has the same platform and drivetrain.
Love the design of the new prius. Happy it's coming to the UK
Who knew that one day you could drift a Prius?
That was cool and crazy to see.
Please make more content like this! Always love seeing wookie. What is this sorcery? You are making me desire a prius?
"Obviously I'm not a real taxi..... I'M MORE OF A FAKE ONE" Classic. 🔥👍😁
I am so jealous of you guys on the other side of the pond. Not only do you guys get blinkers in the mirrors, you get dual climate controls and that super awesome yellow color! I just bought my 2024 Prius, but didn't get the Plug in version for one reason - no AWD version. So I "settled" for a fully loaded (all options/ packages offered) AWD Limited Prius. I really love this car and the 50mpg to boot! 👍👍
this guy actually has a lot of potential, would be nice to see a top gear respin with him and the johnny and maybe some other guy. Jason plato or...
"Kind of...actually." And let's not forget all the feelies.
It is a great car. I remember driving it the very first day local showroom had it as a test driver. And it was a head turner wherever i went with it
Just needs an estate rear end on it to make the perfect taxi.
A lot of U.K. taxi / Uber drivers use the Hybrid Corolla Estate, or as the film implies earlier generation Priuses.
@@MrDuncl i've got the 2 litre corrolla estate, its quite quick aswell.. you know if its the slower corrolla or the faster corrolla, as the 2 litre has a twin exhaust out the back, the 1.8 doesn''t have a visible exhaust..
Has anyone else been loaded up with old top Gear lately? That's literally all the things in my recommendations.
Although not many people remember anymore, I still remember you Tom Ford, a former Fifth Gear co-host because your review on Citroen C6 was one of my all time favorites.
I just ran my AWD LE in the first autocross test-n-tune of the year on Saturday on the stock tires and I was holding mid pack in HS class. I’m going to throw some better tires on for the first official event in a couple weeks and I’m thinking I should be in the top third. This car really is amazing.
Just saw one of your vids. How did it handle in the snow? I have a 4th gen AWD and it’s amazing on stock tires. However, I just purchased a new Prime and I’m a little worried about the loss of traction.
@@User.Joshua it does really good in the snow. This is the first awd vehicle I’ve ever owned. I wouldn’t worry much about your prime. I have a ‘14 V that I put 200k miles on and I put 300k on my old gen3 Prius work car and 220k on my current gen4 work car and have never had problems with them in the snow. They are all fwd and I run all season tires on them. And I’m on the road all day for work no matter what the weather is. If you want better traction in the prime all you’ll need to do is get a set of good snow tires. My dad puts snow tires on my mom’s Prius every winter and it is an absolute tank in the snow.
Fun video, nice to see Stig. That yellow color is great!
Love the show mate .. you are doing a great job
Did they pave that uturn spot at the end just for the episode? it looks brand new.
No, it's due to the number of people going there due to it being the location Bond and M stop off at in Skyfall.
Good presentation TopGear!
this is actually amazing Tom has amazing humor
11:06 can I just say, this final part of the video really reminds me of the good old Top Gear review videos, and I'm not here to say "Oh bring back Jeremy Clarkson go watch Grand Tour". The scenes were spot on, script with the Stig was amusing enough, and the conclusion for the Prius is well written. Great review this! The final part of the video shows that Top Gear is truly slowly turning up their quality, good stuff
Of course, there's no headroom in the back, but most people don't have helmets.
If you're 6'-2" or shorter, you're fine in the rear seat.
Have to admit if Toyota had designed the Prius to look like this from the start 20 years ago they would have been on to a Real Winner and probably every other car would be one
It would’ve been expensive too. They were styled for aero only plus the R&D cost for a new ,then, powertrain. They wanted it to be affordable and efficient and style was the cost saver. The gen4 Prius is where they started to change as gen 4 had more “flare” than previous gen’s. Cue the Corolla hybrid and Corolla cross hybrid to take the “boring, practical, efficient, and cheap” stigma aka the old Prius and Prius V. Toyota saw the perfect opportunity to make what is now the gen 5 Prius. Faster, sportier, pricier, less practical, and overall (higher trims) a whole lot more premium (Chevy turning into a Buick). In the US gen 5 prius has zero true competition, and the nearest competition it’s put against is the Tesla model 3 and that’s a luxury car. Not bad Toyota, not bad at all.
@@parkerhowell646 Interesting. In the U.K. Tesla have been selling more Model 3s in a month than Prius managed in a year (and more Model Ys than 3s). They are now so common I don't think of them as luxury. Unfortunately most U.K. tax incentives are now only for BEVs.
@@MrDunclbut Prius is more sold in 2nd hand market then new I feel.
@@riccccccardo True. I work near Southampton docks and have seen car transporter loads of used imports coming in from Japan. Half of the used Priuses on Autotrader are imports
@@MrDuncl 👊🏾
Actually, the boot it's vastly bigger than the previous prius plug-in , the prius prime which also had a smaller battery.
Indeed. He got that wrong on the video.
It was a good thing the Stig doesn’t have luggages. The luggage compartment is hopeless.
Never have I ever expected to see a Toyota Prius drifting around a track. 🤣🤣🤣
You should google than what the guys in Japan did to the 3rd gen prius XD
Almost horizontal 'A' pillars are crap for front side visibility . Widened hips and narrow trunk lid are another regression in terms of practicality compared to the previous gen .
It’s been actually 2 generations where they are having this regression. The car is less and less practical and seems to evolve back into a sedan, after spending 15 years as a better Station Wagon.
@@rashakor Best gen are in my eye the second and third one and prefer the lack of floor consol in the 2nd one.
Yay stig is back ❤
Just imagine a GR version with more power, sportier suspension and manual transmission
I love the music at the end.
No refueling that far? Thats impressive!
The boot is actually bigger than the previous PHEV model. So, what he said in incorrect if he's comparing it to the previous PHEV and not the HEV model.
Credit where credit is due, well done Toyota, and I never thought I would ever say that
Won’t be allowed for use as an Uber in London anyway, their biggest market. So practicality isn’t an issue!
Faster to 60 than my old Celica T Sport. And more mpg. lol
Some say Stig is still walking somewhere in Scotland
Nice one, Wook. Might consider one of these now, if the price is right!
I saw one of those in the street of St Louis today and the design and looks so amazing in the traffic
Not a mention of how many liters consumed for the route?
Think i saw a video where they just changed the tires and it did way better on the track.
Aye this was a great video, funny cheeky jokes hidden in there too. Bravo
Out of all the unexpected things that I had to witness after 2020's, the only thing that never disappointed is being able to see a Prius on a racetrack going sideways
Prius had a mad glowup. It worked out and internally/externally shined.
It doesn't have a gearbox - CVT or otherwise. It has Toyota's hybrid drive system - any gearing is fixed, like in a differential.
I can't believe Topgear don't know about gearboxes.
@@jahshjahsh2002 It's not just Top Gear, it's most motoring journalists - at least in the case of the Toyota "eCVT" hybrid drive system. Yet there are plenty of descriptions on the internet which describe the system in more detail...
Any particular reason that Top Gear are driving an Irish , Dublin registered Prius on the test drive ???? 😂🤣😂
None in the UK yet. First batch arriving in June/July.
I see they are consistent in placing the volume knob for the stereo on the wrong side of the head unit.
Morizo is doing his magic
Yay, the Stig is back!
The backseat passenger was used to help with drifting, turning. Just like in Initial D manga/anime.
Toyoto should make a performance version of the prius with a lsd and proper suspension
I REALLY love the way these things look, been up close with one, and seen some reveiws, but i really arent sure on the engine and gearbox, also read its limit is around 180kmh? Again, not really ideal! Im due a new car this year but really not sure, looks amazing, in yellow of course.. but if i hate the drive....
I hope they make a GR version of this, I can see the car market going craaaazzzzyyyy 😃😃
I hope it's sold in Scotland and Wales as well as England, Tom.
Amazing car! I would love to own THIS Prius! Never thought I would say this.
thanks for the conversation 🤣🤣
Most current Prius drivers couldn't handle a shopping trolly.. maybe this new model on track video might help them improve?
Cannot believe how slick the new prius looks.
With that distance, why no mention of its range?
Prius has REAL “ ENGINE “ Noise rather than FAKE Noise in European EV. Make it more Exciting these day. Plus it double the range which mean it travel much faster than those 1000hp EV but wasting your time in charging station.
Like the look,Cant ever see The stig but wanting to be a passenger unless did Donuts when you weren't looking in the car park. They should do a GR version 👍
Noticed that it has an Irish reg plate on it 😉
Its design is an interesting evolution of the 1992 E10 liftback corolla
Waiting to see one in person. 😊
Hey who ever is thinking 🤔 of getting one I have the 2023 hybrid not prime here in Los Angeles it’s freakin amazing 🤩 this is my 3rd one but the only one worth mentioning Prius Ltd limited it has everything you and The Prius prime is the one you want but I couldn’t wait for the prime
4:15 - for those who don't recognize it, that front styling is Ferrari SF-90 (that's right A FERRARI).