2021 Toyota Mirai First Look and Drive Review
The striking new 2021 Mirai is a hydrogen-fueled electric vehicle with little compromise for luxury buyers wanting to go green.
Misses
Cramped interior relative to its size
Limited hydrogen infrastructure
Leisurely acceleration
Hits
Good electric range
Solid driving dynamics
Refined cabin
With its long swoopy body and optional Hydro Blue paintwork, the new Toyota Mirai looks like few other cars on road, and the way it drives is even more unique.
The Mirai is an electric car, but owners don’t plug them into a charger or a wall outlet. Instead, Toyota’s latest technological advancement has the Mirai converting compressed hydrogen into electricity, which then powers a 182-horsepower electric motor which motivates the rear axle. Running on hydrogen, the Mirai’s only emissions come in the form of the occasional droplet out of water from the tail pipes. After all, what happens when hydrogen meets oxygen? It’s a very clever spin on the electrified future.
The effect from behind the wheel is sublime. Mirai doesn’t have the sort of supercharged electrified brawn required for eye-melting 0-60 runs, but the rear-drive chassis handles a winding road with aplomb, while cocooning its occupants from wind noise, road noise, or really any noise, unless the driver requests it, in which case the Mirai will play a fruity synthesized soundtrack from its oversized JBL audio system. Sharing it’s architecture with the Lexus LS sedan, it’s no surprise that the Mirai feels like a truly luxurious effort from Toyota as far as the driver is concerned.
The interior of this $68,000 Limited model was wrapped in two-tone leather, and had all of the luxury comforts and conveniences one would want for, all controlled by a large touch screen. The price point felt justified in this regard, though, admittedly, the back seat is a tight fit.
Toyota says that Mirai has a working range of 402 miles (and a bit less for this loaded Limited trim and its large 20-inch wheels), which is good, because Mirai owners will need to coax every last mile they can from the system. While charging an electric car comes with its own occasional snags and hiccups, it is easy enough to eventually build up a rhythm and routine of where to stop to get a charge, and how long it will take. Hydrogen is a completely different story.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles require visits to a hydrogen fueling station — often integrated into existing gas stations — to get their go-juices topped off. While Toyota has committed to increasing the number of hydrogen fueling stations in California — the only state that the Mirai will be sold in — the hydrogen support system makes the electric one look unbelievably robust by comparison. This network of refueling stations is patchy at best, and the nearest one during testing had multiple issues with the hydrogen pump working. As much was admitted by the gas station owner who walked out in surprise upon seeing a vehicle actually trying to use their services. In the end, the pump was only able to offer a few additional miles of range before calling it quits.
Early adopter pains come with any revolutionary technology, so to entice would-be buyers and lessees, Toyota is offering $15,000 or six years of hydrogen charging credit, making refueling the Mirai painless, assuming you can find a station to actually charge the vehicle in the first place.
The Mirai feels as if it’s in the same position electric cars were just over a decade ago. There are difficulties currently associated with the technology that will certainly dissuade some, and the high cost of entry will dissuade more, but Toyota is making moves with Mirai that do make it feel like a viable option as a second vehicle in the household. It’s handsome, pleasant to drive and well-equipped, now we just have to sit back and see who is ready and willing to make the jump.
