Toyota Prius Cross – hybrid rendered as crossover

The fifth-generation Toyota Prius hybrid made its debut last month, bringing a full redesign over the preceding fourth-generation car that had already been using the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) as its basis. The Prius brought a pointy front end that somewhat references the bZ4X and Crown, but what if was given more of a crossover look?

Visual rendering maestro Theophilus Chin has crafted his take on the theme, and as we can see from the accompanying YouTube video he has published, a combination of elements from various Toyota and Lexus models have been used. It appears the the basic form of the Lexus NX is used as a starting point, while using elements from the latest Prius to give this rendition some higher sides.

Meanwhile, rolling stock is the multi-spoke set carried over from the NX, and given the SUV form that has been adopted from the Lexus NX, the rendition here uses A-pillars which are more upright that those on the 2023 Prius. Just behind those, the ‘Prius Cross’ also uses the more upright side mirror mounts from the Lexus NX, rather than the horizontally-oriented items from Prius.

It isn’t all NX, though, as this rendition also uses the character lines which cut diagonally upwards and rearwards from the base of the front door. While the line on the Prius appears to partly intersect the rear wheelarch and continue into the panel gap, the one on this ‘Prius Cross’ rendition is slightly displaced, though still parallel to the panel gap line.

At the rear, Theo has grafted the rear fascia from the Prius on to the SUV form of the Lexus NX, while the window line has also been taken from the Lexus crossover, particularly in the more pronounced upwards kink towards the D-pillar, compared to the more gently sloping form used by the Prius. As a result, the rear windscreen is more upright as well.

Under the skin of the fifth-generation Toyota Prius, new to the powertrain line-up is a plug-in hybrid setup that packs a 2.0 litre Dynamic Force M20A-FXS petrol engine making 151 PS paired to an electric motor producing 163 PS, for a total system output of 223 PS.

Toyota claims a 50% increase in pure electric range, from the outgoing PHEV model’s ability to run 40-50 km on battery power alone. the PHEV versions also feature a solar charging system which can generate the power equivalent of driving up to 1,250 km in a year, claims Toyota.

What do you think of this rendition, dear readers? Does this SUV rendition of the latest Toyota Prius pique your interest?

GALLERY: 2023 Toyota Prius

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