Toyota did the seemingly impossible this week by introducing a truly attractive Prius. It has more than a little of the Crown DNA, with a sleek look and sharp front and rear lights. The automaker’s in-house tuner is wasting no time as Modellista is now introducing some body kits for the completely redesigned hybrid. You can choose from either Neo Advance Style or Elegant Ice Style to enhance the 2023 model.
The 2023 Prius in Neo specification can be had if you prefer the additional lights added to the front bumper, which is also noticeably larger than the standard piece. The corners of the bumper have boomerang-shaped LEDs and are complemented by two blue lights at the corners of the lower air intakes. Custom wheels with a complicated spoke layout are a pain to clean and we’re pretty sure some will find their design too busy.
6 Pictures
The Elegant Ice style is more subtle as it ditches the extra LEDs and gets chrome accents instead. The rectangular trim pieces at the bottom of the rear bumper give the impression of fake exhaust tips while the wheels are the same as those fitted to the Neo kit. Beefier side skirts are part of the package, as is an enlarged front bumper that drivers may not long after taking delivery of the new Prius.
The fifth generation model now deserves a more aggressive stance as it has 220 horsepower (164 kW) for the plug-in hybrid version. The PHEV is relatively quick, sprinting from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.7 seconds. Toyota has also upgraded the regular hybrid by increasing the output of the 2.0-liter version to a more than decent 193 hp (144 kW).
That’s not to say the new Prius totally deserves that muscular look, but Modellista’s approach is to give Toyotas an overly aggressive look. From the factory, the Mk5 is 22 mm (about 0.9 in) wider than the model it replaces and its wheelbase is extended by 50 mm (about 2 in) although the overall length is 46 mm (1.8 in) shorter. It’s done. The size of these custom wheels is not mentioned, but the OEM ones can be as large as 19 inches.
It’s likely only a matter of time before the new Prius also gets an array of TRD parts.