Eco Goes Wild: 5th gen Toyota Prius Off-road Build With a lift
Even though the off-road community has grown quite significantly during the last couple of years, and we’ve seen various unexpected vehicles used for 4×4 adventures, seeing a lifted car still causes a huge splash of excitement, especially if it’s something that hasn’t been modified for offroading yet.
The vehicle in question today is a lifted 5th gen Toyota Prius off road build by the company from Chico California with a very descriptive name – Prius Offroad. For many years, they’ve been a supplier of lift kits and off-road enhancements for Toyota cars such as Prius, Mirai, and some other hybrid models.
The Off-road Build
With the arrival of the new generation Prius, which became Motor Trends 2024 Car of the Year they knew there will be a market for their off-road solutions because these cars are being equipped with an tested on the previus generation eAWD All-wheel-drive system, making them much more capable than early models. That’s why they released a 1.5″ inch lift kit designed specifically for these vehicles which is installed on this particular off-road build.
How eAWD works? – Front wheels are powered directly by the hybrid powertrain, rear wheels are powered by a dedicated electric motor with its own power control unit, reduction gear and differential. Amount of torque transferred to the rear wheels is automatically adjusted by the vehicle’s electronic control unit according to driving conditions
Lift
Like on many cars and unibody crossover‘s, the lift kit is represented by 1.5 inch spacers front and 2 inch HD lift springs on the back which, along with the 6 inch standard ground clearance allowed to bump up the overall ride height to about 8 inches which equals to the ground clearance of a typical crossover.
Wheels
Added space in the wheel wells allowed the guys to install JDM inspired 16×7 Enkei PX-10 rims wrapped in much larger 215x70R16 off-road tires With the overall diameter of 28 inches. It’s even a tiny bit larger tire that comes standard on my Subaru Forester(!) which allows Prius to play on the territory of the bigger crossovers with confidence.
Exterior
Among other exterior upgrades are the must-have for any adventurers low profile aluminum roof rack which sits on top of the car, rear hitch, mounted spare tire carrier, front bullbar/lightbar , and A-pillar ditch light brackets.
Lights
To light up the road on dark trails and give the car that beefed up off-road ready look it was decided to install stylish and effective KC off-road lights. On the roof rack you will find a long Gravity Pro LED light bar that consists of 7 lights. On the front bulbar, Dora, three gravity, pro six LED lights. To flex era for LED rights are mounted on the sides and Casey Highland see series RGB six light system lights up the wheel wells.
List of Mods
Lift
- 1.5” front lift spacers
- Rear 2” HD lift springs,
Wheels
- 16×7 Enkei PX-10 Rims
- 215/70R16 Falken Wildpeak AT trail tires
Exterior
- Low profile aluminum roof rack
- Rear hatch mounted spare tire carrier
- Front bull bar/light mount
- A-pillar ditch light brackets
Lights
- Front: KC Highlights 3 Gravity Pro6 LED lights
- Side: KC Highlights 2 Flex Era 4 LED lights
- Roof: KC Highlights 7 Gravity Pro6 LED lights
- Under/wheel well: KC Highlights C-series RGB 6 light system
Conclusion
With its 28-inch off-road tires, significantly increased ground clearance, and thoughtful modifications, this Prius has outgown its original eco-friendly city car status. It’s no longer just an eye-stopper for a local car show, the combination of the AWD system, lift kit, and robust tires provides this hybrid with the basic capabilities required for tany vehicle that’s intended for use off the pavement.
While it may not conquer difficult trails, this 5th gen Prius off road build is now equipped to confidently explore dirt roads, forest trails, and mild off-road adventures that were previously off-limits for the cars like this.
