The newly launched Toyota Mirai fuel cell car is a huge step towards a greener mobility system, as it is the world’s first mass produced hydrogen powered fuel cell car. This compact sedan from the world’s largest auto maker and the pioneer of hybrid vehicles is surely the highlight of all the car launches in the global car industry this year. Its celebrity status is certainly also closely guarded by Toyota Motor which will give it huge amount of attention, despite the fact that it will be produced in very few numbers initially.
Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell
Considering fuel cell technology has been the dream and the expensive nightmare of the global car majors for decades, now that the Mirai has finally launched, everyone wishes to know what exactly it drives like. Let us take a look at the Mirai as a whole.
Design
The Toyota Murai looks very close to the Toyota FCV concept that has been getting praises at the various international auto shows. The Mirai of course gets practical and production level alterations, but still looks like the FCV concept model. Its design is radical, futuristic and fits well with its new technology. Still some found it to be rather awkward and disharmony of various shapes, curves, accents, slopes and angles.
Seating arrangement & cabin
Inside the cabin of the Toyota Mirai sedan, the car is a patent Toyota with very comfortable seats, though only for four occupants, as the pretty heavy green car was thought better not to accommodate a fifth passenger to allow it offer better range and performance. The seating arrangement is similar to that of the Prius hybrid.
As a fact, the Mirai is similar to the Prius in many ways, and its hard plastic with soft surface interior materials are also similar to the Prius. The cabin is also pretty futuristic in keeping with the exterior design and comes with large displays.
Drive experience
Again, starting the Mirai is similar to Prius. The ambiguous button marked “P” took some time to get figured out as the parking brake release button. The Mirai also gets the 3 various three drive modes namely, Normal, Eco, and Power.
The Mirai accelerates nicely and smoothly, though not fast enough as it reaches 60 mph in 9 seconds. In the electric mode, the Mirai like the Prius is quiet excepting the tire noise and a slight humming.
The Mirai weights 4,056 pound and does feel heavy, but offers a very solid feel as well. Its electric motor is fed by the electricity produced by the chemical reaction between the compressed hydrogen from the Mirai’s twin-tanks and the oxygen found in the air.
The Mirai offers a very smooth and comfortable ride and offers a practical on road performance without any fuss. The fuel cells take a bit of a time to offer enough energy at higher speeds, thus at speeds above 26 mph, the Mirai supplements the hydrogen power along with power generated from its on-board 1.6 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery.
The Mirai creates an array of small noises unlike the Prius, but these are not disturbing, and the Mirai can be termed as an overall quiet car and offers a pleasant drive experience as a whole.
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I am into the auto blogs field for quite a long time. Living my passion of reviewing cars.
Tagged: Toyota Mirai
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