Driven: Toyotas Prius+ and Prius Plug-In

Just driven two new Toyotas back to back, the seven-seat Prius+ and Prius Plug-In. They’re obviously related – the clue is in the name – and in the UK at least have been launched at almost the same time. You might expect some degree of uniformity of interior, but I’ve never seen two more different. Let’s start with the Plug-In, which at least has some sort of design theme running through the cabin. Yes, there’s a lot of hard grey plastic, but at least it looks like someone actually thought about what it was going to look like when it was finished. Which brings me to the Prius+. I can’t think of a dashboard / centre console arrangement in all the cars I’ve driven that looks worse. The picture above doesn’t really tell the story because it's too small. You really have to sit behind the wheel and ask yourself if this is the best Toyota could do for £29,000. Clearly the budget has gone on the powertrain and left pennies for the team who styled the cabin. It’s the worst mash-up of cheap and ugly plastics, odd shaped buttons, weird neoprene-like fabric behind the steering wheel and non-matching display screens. Clearly the story is the hybrid transmission, but when you could have a seven-seat Chevrolet Orlando for under £17,000 you’d have to really, really, really want a Prius+ to think this is acceptable. Toyota is a great company but this is an embarrassment.