Next-Gen Prius May Have Electric All-Wheel Drive

2016 Toyota Prius (Credit: © Toyota)

The next-gen Toyota Prius debuted earlier this month to very little fanfare. Some folks appreciated the redesign, but most folks I have talked to found it downright offensive. Well, Toyota may be able to make up for the funky look with an option that buyers have been clamoring for over the past few years: all-wheel drive.

According to leaked documents posted by Indian Autos Blog, the 2016 Prius will have an available E-Four AWD system in its higher trim levels. While this remains unconfirmed for now, the documents seem pretty legit, and there are plenty of other fact surrounding it that add to the report.

2016 Toyota Prius (Credit: © Toyota)

The report also revealed a few other unconfirmed details about the upcoming new Prius. The first bit of info is the confirmation of a 1.8-liter 2ZR-FXE engine mated with an electric motor to deliver fuel economy ratings of 40 km/l (94 mpg) on the JC08 cycle in its base front-wheel-drive setup. With the reported electric all-wheel-drive system, fuel economy drops to 35 km/l (82.3 mpg).

While those fuel economy numbers sound great on the surface, you have to keep in mind that U.S. fuel economy testing is more rigorous, and Toyota anticipates only a 10-percent increase over the last-gen Prius. This would put the thrifty hatch at around 55 mpg combined.

The rest of the details surrounding the 2016 Prius are surprisingly still under wraps. I am not too sure what Toyota is waiting for, but it is certainly revealing information at a very slow pace.

We’ll bring you all of the official details once Toyota reveals them all, so stay tuned.