In 'Mustard' skin, Toyota's Prius is one hot number

This review first appeared in the July 2025 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

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Sacramento, California -- Remember the first-generation Toyota Prius of the 1990s?

Yeah, me too.  Boxy appearance, albeit a car with a then-state-of-the-art hybrid system.

Owners tended to drive the Prius like they stole it.  But even among leadfoot motorists, respect for the brand was in short supply.

Then a couple of years ago, Toyota introduced a fifth-generation model that all but screamed hot sports car.  Motor Trend magazine called it "drop-dead gorgeous."

I was in complete agreement.

Then, a few weeks back, a 2025 Toyota Prius Nightshade rolled into my driveway.

Not only did it have the dark, sporty touches of the Nightshade motif, the all-black interior was set off by a super-bright yellow "Mustard" paint job.

That did it for me.  That completed the Prius transition from gawky green machine to super-hot-looking sportster. Kudos to Toyota designers for adding just the right styling touches, without trying to make the car look like a faux Corvette.

And not only did the tested Prius look like a sporty sprinter, it drove like one as well.

With a hybrid system anchored by a 2-liter, four-cylinder, 16-valve engine, net horsepower is just a whisper short of 200. From the driver's seat, that translates to smooth, impressive acceleration from standing starts ... and muscular in and out moves in dicey freeway traffic.

It's easy to forget that you're driving a hybrid.

As for passersby and fellow motorists, my yellow beauty drew crowds wherever it was parked.  Almost no one guessed that it was a Prius that drew their attention.

On top of the look and the ride quality, the interior of the Prius has been improved to look more like a performance sedan, as opposed to an energy-monitoring computer screen. A long list of standard controls are within easy reach and easy to use.

My Prius had a couple of worthy options: a 12.3-inch  auto/multimedia screen and a fixed glass roof.

Additional bonus: Max five-star ratings in federal government crash tests, including five on the overall score.

Among other good-news numbers: a combined city/highway rating of 52 miles per gallon.

All this brought the tested model's bottom line to a still-reasonable $36,308, a fair price considering what consumers are paying for hybrid technology these days.

Is it the best Prius ever?  In my view, by a mile.