2021 Toyota Prius Special Edition Review: Does the Prius Still Make Sense?

Toyota is celebrating 20 years of Prius for 2021 with this 2020 Edition model.

It is not the least bit hyperbolic to call the Toyota Prius an automotive icon. When it debuted in 2001, it was the Prius that changed the public’s perception on electrified cars, and is absolutely responsible for the proliferation we have experienced with modern electric vehicles since.

2021 Toyota Prius 2020 Edition special model drive review DriveBreakFixRepeat.com Jake Stumph Racing

And in the last 20 years, the Prius has been steadily refined in terms of efficiency and everyday usability.

The original Prius returned 42 MPG, according to the adjusted EPA fuel economy test cycle that we use today. It also took over 13 seconds to go from 0-60 mph, and its most impressive features included air-conditioning and a heavily-pixelated screen in the dash that showed what the hybrid system was doing.

By comparison, the 2021 Prius is a luxury limousine, thanks to a 10-inch stretch in length, with a spacious cabin, heated seats, Apple CarPlay and a few more screens inside that can do a lot more party tricks. Despite the massive growth in size, it’s also 25% more fuel efficient, now returning EPA MPG figures of 54 mpg city, 50 mpg freeway and 52 mpg combined. And it has about 30% more hustle now, too, with 0-60 happening in 10 seconds.

That’s the progress of progress. However, the world hasn’t waited idly by, either, with seemingly every major manufacturer now offering some form of an electrified vehicle, as well. Even Toyota’s own model line-up features 11 vehicles that have some form of an electrified powertrain, from the compact Corolla, to larger, more practical family-haulers, like Camry, RAV4 or even the Sienna minivan. With this mass proliferation of efficient, environmentally-conscious choices, does the Prius still make sense 20 years after its inception?

Things start off strong with this 2020 Edition sporting a blacked-out theme, with dark 17-inch wheels, mirror caps and trim throughout the interior, which contrasts sharply with the Supersonic Red paintwork. It all adds up to a slightly sultry look against the Prius’ highly contoured bodywork.

The 2020 Edition is based on the Prius XLE trim level, and costs about the same at 31-grand, so features like the aforementioned heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless phone charging are all part of the deal here. The caliber of the interior materials is not as good as competitors like the Honda Insight, but it’s likely that many buyers won’t care, either way.

Oh, and about that name: Toyota is celebrating 20 years of Prius in 2021 with this model, and only 2,020 examples will be made, all in Supersonic Red or Arctic White. Though, amusingly, if you can’t get your hands on this special edition model, you can add most of the styling touches onto a standard Prius XLE a la carte for more or less the same cost.

ALSO SEE: 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in Hybrid Review

More importantly, the Prius is actually a solid drive. Quiet and comfortable, the Prius is as nonchalant and unperturbed by Los Angeles’ bumpy and broken up pavement as could be expected of any car that isn’t a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The trade-off in accelerative duties between the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and the electric battery is nearly seamless and the efficacy is hard to deny.

Despite a rather hilly and unforgiving week spent zipping around locales like the beautiful Palos Verdes peninsula and extended freeway jaunts cruising well above the posted speed limit, the Prius effortlessly returned a real world figure of 52 mpg exactly. Less tumultuous stretches showed the Prius routinely hovering closer to the 60 mpg mark, which is no small feat. The powertrain is leagues ahead of the aforementioned Honda.

In fact, one of the more charming aspects of the Prius is the variety of screens and displays inside, which not only still showcase what the hybrid system is doing, just like the original (but with a higher pixel-count these days), but also encourage economical driving, showcasing a driving score out of 100, effectively gamifying driving in pursuit of bigger MPG numbers.

When it comes right down to the numbers, the Prius just makes sense, splitting the gap in cost, fuel efficiency, content and size, between the smaller Corolla, and larger Toyota products, like Camry, all while offering superior real world fuel economy to rivals from other brands. Long live the king.

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