Take off the Toyota badges and slap a giant ol’ spindle grille on its nostril, and this 2021 Mirai sedan might completely cross for a Lexus. Inside and out, the brand new Mirai has a degree of fashion and refinement you would not anticipate for a mass-market Toyota. And the Japanese automaker is hoping this premium focus can be sufficient to persuade folks to offer hydrogen fuel-cell energy a attempt.”Mirai” means “future” in Japanese, which I assume is fairly applicable, given the auto trade adage that not solely is hydrogen the gas of the longer term, it at all times can be. Indeed, with solely about 50 filling stations in California (full with considerably spotty reliability), hydrogen as a gas supply makes a ton of sense on paper, however remains to be out of attain for most folk. Even so, Toyota stays steadfast that this futuristic future will futurize into fruition and the massive funding into glowing-up the Mirai is proof of the automaker’s dedication to hydrogen on a world scale.
2021 Toyota Mirai: Sharp-lookin’ sedan with hydrogen energy
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For starters, simply take a look at this factor. As far because the design is anxious, the Mirai went from worst to first like that (snaps fingers). Styling is subjective, natch, however I’m going to quantify this updo and say the 2021 Mirai is strictly 6,243% higher trying than its predecessor, which was the ugliest automobile in the marketplace.
Design comparisons to the Kia Stinger usually are not unwarranted, which is a praise in and of itself. Dimensionally, the Mirai is about the identical dimension as a Stinger — 195.8 inches lengthy, 57.9 inches tall and 74.2 inches broad. But in contrast to the Kia, the Mirai just isn’t a hatchback; the battery and one of many hydrogen gas tanks are positioned below and behind the rear seat. That means there’s solely 9.6 cubic toes of cargo capability — roughly the identical because the rear compartment of a Porsche Cayman. In different phrases, pack mild, or simply throw your baggage on the spacious rear seats.Speaking of which, whereas all Mirais have a three-across bench within the again, the top-end Limited has a big, fold-down heart console with a touchscreen that enables passengers to manage varied local weather management and audio capabilities. You know, identical to what you’d discover in a Lexus.
The Mirai has one among Toyota’s greatest interiors.
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Overall, the Mirai’s inside is nice. The SofTex seats are heated and cooled for each entrance and rear passengers, whereas the dashboard, door playing cards and heart console are lined with extra of this convincing faux-leather materials, making them tender and plush to the contact. All of the Mirai’s buttons feel and look like they belong in a Lexus, apart from the silly little gear shifter, which appears and feels prefer it belongs in a last-generation Prius. Oh, and there isn’t any quantity knob, which I believed we as an auto trade determined was a nasty thought.
Every Mirai will get numerous cabin-tech, with an 8-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen atop the middle stack. The onboard infotainment software program is identical as what you may discover in Toyotas like the brand new Highlander SUV, with a considerably cluttered dwelling display screen and plenty of menus and submenus. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are customary, so that you’re higher off sticking with a type of. Every Mirai additionally comes with embedded navigation, a JBL premium audio system, Amazon Alexa compatibility, wi-fi machine charging and Wi-Fi.A complete bunch of driver-assistance tech comes customary, too, by means of Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.5 Plus suite. All Mirai fashions get pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with steering help, computerized high-beam headlights, full-speed adaptive cruise management, visitors signal recognition and probably the most aggressive lane-centering programs I’ve skilled in a very long time. (I could not flip it off shortly sufficient.)
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Toyota says it discovered rear-wheel drive to be one of the best for packaging and effectivity. But no, the Mirai will not do a burnout. (I attempted. Twice.)
The Mirai’s rear-wheel-drive structure is shared with the bigger Lexus LS (humorous how that works). That’s a change from this mannequin’s predecessor. While swapping pushed axles from entrance to again might sound odd for a comparatively innocuous sedan just like the Mirai, Toyota says it investigated front- and all-wheel-drive layouts and located rear-drive to be one of the best for packaging and effectivity. But no, the Mirai will not do a burnout. (I attempted. Twice.)Science time: Three carbon-fiber-reinforced hydrogen tanks ship gasoline right into a fuel-cell stack below the hood, which mixes with oxygen to provide electrical energy that powers a 1.24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and synchronous electrical motor. All advised, the motor produces a most of 182 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque and the one byproduct of this fuel-cell energy is water, which sprays out of a tailpipe whilst you’re driving. You may also manually empty the water reserve by urgent the H2O button on the dashboard to the left of the gauge cluster. I’m undecided why you’d ever do that your self when the automobile will do it mechanically. Then once more, whereas testing a 2019 Mirai just lately, I did say to a pal, “Hey, wanna see the car pee?” So, yeah.The Mirai Limited will get these snazzy 20-inch wheels.
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Toyota says the bottom Mirai XLE has a variety of 402 miles, which represents a 30% enchancment over the previous automobile. The higher-end Limited is rated at 357 miles resulting from its elevated weight and bigger wheels, however that is nonetheless a pleasant step up from the previous, ugly Mirai’s 312-mile ranking. If you’d somewhat speak about effectivity when it comes to miles per gallon equal, the Mirai XLE will get 74 MPGe mixed whereas the Limited returns 65 MPGe. For the sake of comparability, a 2021 Volvo S60 plug-in hybrid is rated at 69 MPGe.The Mirai XLE weighs in at 4,255 kilos, with the Limited tipping the scales at 4,335. With solely 182 hp and 221 lb-ft of motivational pressure, the Mirai is not precisely fast. Toyota estimates a 9.2-second 0-to-60-mph time, which sounds about proper to me. Sure, you get the moment torque supply of an electrical motor, however that is nonetheless an entire lot of Mirai to maneuver round.Once it is up and transferring, nonetheless, the Mirai is fairly good to drive. The steering is mild and obscure (it is a Toyota), however the unbiased entrance and rear suspensions, in addition to the perfect 50:50 weight distribution, imply the Mirai is surprisingly competent on winding roads. Those Lexus underpinnings shine when the Mirai is simply cruising on the freeway, leading to a buttery clean experience, even on my Limited tester’s upsized 20-inch wheels with 245/45-series tires. The cabin is tremendous quiet always and that JBL sound system can simply drown out any bizarre fuel-cell drivetrain noise that may make its manner into the cabin. I will not go as far as to name the Mirai sporty, even with these RWD bones, however once more, should you advised me this was a Lexus, I’d completely imagine you.If you may get behind hydrogen life, the Mirai is a compelling sedan.
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Perhaps it ought to simply be a Lexus, given how the 2021 Mirai is priced. With a beginning MSRP of $50,455 together with $955 for vacation spot, the brand new Mirai is greater than $9,000 cheaper than the previous mannequin. But that is nonetheless about as a lot as a brand new GS 350. Step as much as the Mirai Limited and also you’re taking a look at $66,955. Adding in chrome wheels and a flowery paint alternative brings that top-end MSRP to $68,500.Of course, these numbers do not inform the complete story. When you purchase or lease a brand new Mirai, Toyota will throw in as a lot as $15,000 in free hydrogen gas. And do not forget concerning the $8,000 federal tax credit score, plus a further $4,500 from the state of California. That’s an effective way to make a automobile just like the Mirai extra accessible to individuals who is perhaps on the fence about taking the plunge on hydrogen life. And hey, if this complete fuel-cell factor would not pan out like Toyota hopes it’ll, simply shove a V6 below the hood and name this unhealthy boy a Lexus.