Toyota is planning a Prius coupe to go head to head with the Honda CR-Z, Autocar can reveal.
The sleek, sporting hybrid is expected to be part of a Prius family, which would also include an MPV that could line up against a hybrid production version of the Honda Skydeck.
Honda is keen to regain its footing in the hybrid market and Toyota, which was understood to have ditched the idea of expanding the Prius range, has been urged to respond.
The Prius coupe would use the same 1.8-litre VVT-i hybrid powertrain and chassis as the hatch version, with 134bhp.
A more aerodynamic body and possible weight saving would bring slight improvements to the 10.4sec sprint to 60mph and 110mph top speed.
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Re: Prius coupe tackles Honda CR-Z
Re: Prius coupe tackles Honda CR-Z
Only they are not quicker mostly so they are idiots, or clever idiots that sell to idiots.
Some makers are better than others though. It tends to be the worst on the mass produced city/supermini sector. i have seen so many cars with a trim level of "Sport" and all it means is that it has door mirrors that are painted body colour instead of standard black plastic.
Re: Prius coupe tackles Honda CR-Z
sorry, i think we need to mop up the apparent confusion between sports cars and sporty cars. a sports car was traditionally an open two seater car that sacrificed practicality for performance. "sporty" cars are different to sports cars. "sporty" is a contraction of "sporting". sporting cars were different from sports cars; a sporting car was not usually an open car, it was typically a modified version of a regular two or four door car.
therefore, what people these days refer to as sporty car is basically a modified and slightly quicker version of a regular car. therefore, a fast diesel car can be sporty, as can a faster hybrid. ergo, a golf gtd is sporting, as is the new honda cz-thing, as will probably be the prius coupe, providing it's a bit quicker than the standard prius.
whether you think a car is emotional or not is down to you, it's a subjective term. you might believe that mechanical interaction is important - and i think you're right, in a sports car, it is - but in a sporty car it's irrelevant.
in fact, the marketing boys are pretty much on the button when they describe a car as sporty (providing its a quicker version of a standard car).