Toyota Prius vs Mini 5D Hatch
What's the difference?

Toyota Prius

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2021 price

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Mini 5D Hatch

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2020 price

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Summary

2021 Toyota Prius

2020 Mini 5D Hatch

By Tom White

By Andrew Chesterton

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 1.8L

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol/Electric

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

3.4L/100km (combined)

6.0L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Seamless hybrid drive
Incredible fuel efficiency
Comfortable and spacious

Potent engine
Tons of grip
Funky cabin ambience

Dislikes

Polarising exterior
Dorky central instrument cluster
Not so engaging to drive

Ride can be harsh
Jittery drive experience
Cabin tech overly user friendly

2021 Toyota Prius Summary

What to say about the Toyota Prius in 2021? A car that was once a technology trailblazer seems now to have become properly retro, even while it’s still being built and sold.

The awkward-looking wedge, an eco-punk icon, not only brought Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive to the masses, it also debuted the brand’s excellent TNGA architecture and set the scene for the company's absurd hybrid success, which now sees the RAV4 version topping the sales charts.

So, after all these years (25 to be precise), is the Prius’s time finally over? Or does this quaint hybrid hero still have more to offer? I took a top-spec I-Tech for a week to find out.

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2020 Mini 5D Hatch Summary

That the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works is the most powerful Mini to have landed in Australia isn’t all that surprising. After all, parent company BMW has squeezed the thumping four-cylinder engine from the M135i under its bonnet, and that thing creates a snarling beast of any vehicle it finds a home in.

What is a surprise, though, is that having now driven this angry, crackling, snarling hot hatch, what with its burbling exhaust and properly rapid acceleration, is that it took Mini this long to get around to doing it.

So does the engine upgrade now put the Clubman JCW on the same pedestal as the best European hot hatches? There's only one way to find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Toyota Prius 2020 Mini 5D Hatch

Verdict

The Prius can rest its weary head. The Age of the Hybrid has begun. Even though this iconic eco car might have lost its ultimate purpose to more mainstream models in the last few years, it’s still the best execution of Toyota’s hybrid tech on the market and if you can look past its divisive-as-ever looks, it’s comfortable and practical, too.

The brand’s Australian division promises the Prius will stick around in one form or another, so we’re keen to see what its next iteration will look like. Plug-in? Fully electric? Time will tell.

Verdict

The Mini Clubman JCW is quirky in a lot of the right ways, and now has a hard-charging engine to up the adrenalin factor. If you were already sold on the idea of joining the Clubman club, this one will steal your heart more than any other.

Toyota Prius vs Mini 5D Hatch What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Toyota Prius vs Mini 5D Hatch
What's the difference?