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Image: - Mr Gerald Killmann, Director of Powertrain, Toyota Motor Europe

Now in its 13th year, the Prius has been a regular feature in the International Engine of the Year Awards since its launch. And 2010 has seen another podium finish for Toyota’s hybrid technology, thanks to further improvements to the 1.8-litre drivetrain, as well as its fitment in a further model, the Auris.

As John Carey from Wheels Magazine stated: “More powerful, polished and parsimonious, the latest, thoroughly redesigned version of Toyota’s iconic hybrid drivetrain is better in every way that counts.”

This latest version features a larger and more powerful 1.8-litre Atkinsoncycle and a four-cylinder engine that produces 98hp at 5,200rpm in the new, award-winning Prius. Together with its electric motor, the hybrid system generates a combined 134 net horsepower, an improvement of 24bhp over the previous generation.

The new, larger engine enhances improve performance and also helps improve highway mileage. The 2010 Prius can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds. By producing greater torque, the new engine can run at lower average rpm on the highway, thereby using less fuel.

In the Prius, Toyota has extended its record of continuous improvement in fuel economy, with the model’s fuel efficiency having gone from 6.89 l/100km (41mpg) in the first generation, to 6.1 l/100km (46mpg) in the second-generation, to now an EPA combined 5.65 l/100km (50mpg) in the latest incarnation.

Use of an electric water pump and a new exhaust gas recirculation system also contributes to the engine’s efficiency. The 1.8-litre engine is the first Toyota powerplant that requires no accessory drive belts, helping enhance powertrain efficiency and also potentially reducing maintenance costs.

As Jack Yamaguchi, an International freelance journalist, said that the powertrain is the “essence of mechanical, electric and electrical ingenuity in one affordable package, obtaining outstanding results”.