Overall rating:

Seven seats, near 70mpg and less than 100g/km - the Toyota Prius+ sounds like it should have the compact MPV market all sewn up. And if you specifically want a hybrid MPV then it does, as there are no direct rivals in that very niche segment. However, in this part of the world traditional rivals may answer the question better.

Key Facts

Model tested: Toyota Prius+ T4
Pricing: £26,195
Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: electronic CVT, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door MPV
Rivals: Ford Grand C-Max, Renault Scenic, SEAT Alhambra
CO₂ emissions: 96g/km
Combined economy: 68.9mpg
Top speed: 103mph
0-62mph: 11.3 seconds
Power: 134hp at 5,200rpm (combined)
Torque: 207Nm (electric motor)

In the Metal:

Well it looks better than the regular Toyota Prius - to our eyes at least. The extra bodywork behind the C-pillars gives it much better balance than the slightly awkward looking hatchback model. It does share much of its design DNA with that car though, and is instantly recognisable as one of the family - despite the bespoke front end detailing.

It's recognisable inside as well, though this time there's a bigger departure from the car it's based on. The dashboard now sports a centre binnacle for the main instruments, as well as a head-up display, and new controls for the climate control. There's a bulky centre console where the transmission tunnel normally sits, housing the lithium-ion battery packs, and the gear lever sits up on the main dashboard. Oh, and of course there are seven seats. As you'd expect they're tight for fully grown adults, but thanks to a deep storage area in the boot, load space is actually pretty good - even with all the chairs in place.

Driving it:

Gently: it's the only way to drive a hybrid properly. Do so and you'll see this seven-seat MPV can actually return some pretty impressive fuel economy - and be almost silent with it. Around town it's in its element, the EV-only mode (if you're extremely gentle with the right pedal) allows you to glide gently to your destination, emitting no CO₂ emissions and burning no fuel.

If you need a little more acceleration the engine kicks back in instantly, and combined with the boost of torque from the electric motor makes for impressive urban progress. Admittedly the suspension borders on firm, the springs having to deal with the battery weight, but it still remains a comfortable and stress-free environment.

However, out of the city things don't look so good for the Prius+. Try and extract any sort of urgent performance from the seven-seater and it all starts to fall apart, the engine revs rise uncontrollably and your ears are assaulted by the accompanying din. There's no let-up either, as the CVT gearbox tries to maintain optimum acceleration, and only releasing the accelerator pedal sees things quieten down.

And while on-paper performance (and indeed on our road test two-up) appears more than adequate we can't help feeling that when fully loaded with children and the detritus they carry that the Prius+ might struggle to convince like those rivals with torque-rich diesel engines. But straight line performance isn't our only bugbear with the Toyota, as the steering is devoid of weight and feel, while the suspension that felt firm across inner-city tarmac now feels soft and squidgy around anything but the gentlest of bends.

On top of that there's the traditional Prius braking bugbear, with the pedal offering little in the way of feel and reacting rather sharply to inputs. The result is a less than smooth action when coming to a stop. At least the view out is pretty good, with plenty of glazing including a panoramic glass roof and a high driving position, which offers decent adjustment.

What you get for your Money:

There are two choices here, but only the T4 specification car dips below the 100g/km CO₂ bracket, the T Spirit model emitting 101g/km thanks to its larger 17-inch alloy wheels. So that means really you should stick with the lower specification car - costing £26,195.

At least it's very well equipped as standard, coming with climate control, head-up display, cruise control, keyless entry and start, a touchscreen stereo with Bluetooth and rear view camera and 16-inch alloy wheels (with aerodynamic hubcaps). The T Spirit adds leather seats, satnav, 17-inch alloys and an upgraded audio system. All benefit from a five-year Toyota warranty and eight-year battery warranty.

Worth Noting

This car is already on sale around the world, but Japan and America also get a five-seat version, whereas in the UK all examples will come with seven seats. There are some major differences in technology and construction too, as the five-seat versions use a nickel metal hydride pack that sits under the boot floor, while our seven-seat model comes with lithium-ion batteries in the centre console between the seats. Not only does this allow for extra space, but also the ability to dip below the crucial 100g/km CO₂ output marker.

Summary

There's plenty to recommend the Toyota Prius+ for, not least the fact that it's incredibly clean and efficient. However, the on-paper figures don't tell the full story, and with a full payload the Toyota is likely to struggle - its lack of torque and CVT gearbox making for less than impressive performance in this state. More traditional MPVs (with diesel engines) might not have broken the sub-100g/km barrier, but all else considered would be our choice.