Toyota Tries To Make Prius Look Mean With Blacked-Out Styling

Nearly every model in theToyota lineuphas one and now it's time for the Prius. Introducing the 2022Toyota PriusNightshade Edition, which joins the ranks of the Avalon,Corolla sedan and hatchback, Camry, 4Runner, Tundra, Tacoma, and Sequoia with theblacked-out styling treatment. As with those models, there are no performance or suspension upgrades as this is purely a styling package.

The exterior is, quite obviously, black along with five-spoke alloy wheels and badges. There are also black headlight accents, mirror caps, door handles, rear deck spoiler, and shark fin antenna. Aside from Black Metallic exterior paint, Super White and Silver Metallic are also on offer.

Buyers will have a choice between a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel drive layout. The former has 17-inch wheels and AWD models get 15-inchers. The interior comes standard with SofTex seats, a heated steering wheel, and a semi-gloss black center console. A 7-inch touchscreen display and six-speaker JBL sound system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa come at no additional cost.

Drivers get a 4.2-inch dual information display with customizable screens. Toyota's Safety Sense suite consisting of pre-collision detection, lane departure alert, and road sign assist. Like all current 11th-generation models, this Prius comes powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine linked to two motor generators and a CVT.

The Prius AWD-e returns an EPA-estimated 51/47/49 mpg city/highway/combined. Front-drive versions are slightly better at 54/50/52 mpg. Oddly, the press release fails to mention key details like pricing and how many examples are up for grabs. Because it's a 2022 model, it should go on sale sometime either later this summer or early fall.

At the end of the day, the Prius Nightshade Edition is still a Prius. It may not be the car of choice for driving enthusiasts, but it's hard to argue with success. To date, Toyota has销量超过600万辆普锐斯globally with 1.9 million in the US alone.