We were all presented with an amazing and fun series of commercials during the Super Bowl this year that showed off the Toyota Prius. While this car has most often been the butt of many jokes the fuel efficiency enjoyed has never been a laughing matter. Now that we enter a new generation of the most popular hybrid car on the road it’s time for this car to shed some of the stigmas that have been associated with it for years, such as the shape, the speed and the drive of this car. With that in mind, let’s look at what’s new and improved for this new version.

While the Prius used to be considered slow and boring while also being as efficient as we want, this car has taken a huge step forward to give us a more enjoyable vehicle to drive. Starting with the bones of the car the Prius now sits on new architecture that has been designed for use by many Toyota and Lexus models. This new structure allows the Prius to have a lower center of gravity and the new double-wishbone suspension in the rear offers the rigidity needed when you want to be able to push this car to the limits.

Now that we know the car has been built with new bones, how does that affect the overall weight and performance of the car? First of all, the weight is kept low by using high strength steel and aluminum which make for a much lighter car than would have been built a decade or two ago. This isn’t the same Prius we saw at the turn of the century, its one that is lighter, more agile and still carries a low drag coefficient because of the wedge shaped design that has been rounded out more than some of the original models.

Because Toyota is looking to keep the Prius as an affordable model the interior is one area that suffers. There are less expensive materials used than you would like to have, but the electronics are easy to use and once you learn the systems you’ll enjoy the ride, but this is certainly one area that could use some upgrades. When you have a car that is considered an affordable solution to our mobility needs there is going to be something that doesn’t receive the attention you want.

Thankfully Toyota has includes the Toyota Safety Sense tech package on this car which gives you a pre-collision system, pedestrian detection, lane departure alerts, automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control. This cruise control is intelligent enough to bring the car to a stop when needed in traffic, making the ride much more enjoyable for you.

On the outside the Prius does have the basic wedge shape, but it now has much more character with the gorgeous narrow headlights and several folds in the body that give the car a sportier look. You won’t feel like you’re looking at a car that should be the punchline, but rather one that might just give a great punch and when you consider the fuel mileage, that’s exactly what the Prius will do.

Is this car fast; not really, is it efficient; absolutely. The Prius brings in 52 mpg combined between the city and the highway from the 1.8-liter hybrid four-cylinder powertrain. Thankfully this isn’t a car that you will be begging for more power as it does keep highway speeds well and feels like a great car to drive around town as well. There is very little you’ll be begging for with the Prius and you should be able to show off some smiles, especially when you consider the excellent mileage you’re enjoying from your new Toyota Prius.