2017 Toyota Mirai
The Mirai is unique in the Toyota lineup (and in all lineups, for that matter) as the only commercially available hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to be sold in the United States by a mainstream manufacturer.
As such, the Mirai is exclusively available in California for the current model year. Shoppers who are interested in a Mirai must visit www.toyota.com/mirai and apply for the opportunity. It is not available in dealerships on a walk-in basis.
Overview
While the Mirai's powertrain may be unique, its basic construction is entirely conventional. Up front, you'll find a MacPherson strut independent suspension. Out back is a double-wishbone setup with a stabilizer bar.
The Mirai utilizes disc brakes at all four corners and employs regenerative braking for additional battery charging.
Despite outward looks that more closely resemble Toyota's compact lines, the unibody chassis is roughly the same size as the midsize Camry's.
Inside and out
Inside, the Mirai blends weight-saving materials, futuristic styling and high-tech gadgetry with day-to-day practicality. Like the Volt, the Mirai is a four-door, four-seat sedan with a permanent rear center armrest.
The dash compliments the Mirai's high-tech underpinnings. Essentially all controls and instrumentation is contained in digital screens, including a full-width digital cluster and three separate center stack screens mated to touch-sensitive controls.
Completing the futuristic look (and some additional weight savings) is a large helping of carbon fiber trim.
Outside, the Mirai looks like an enlarged Corolla with a serious case of Back-to-the-Future-itis.
The Mirai's body isn't quite as aerodynamically sleek as the Prius's, but a lot of that is down to the size difference between the two. Like the Prius, however, the Mirai is designed to cut through the air as efficiently as possible.
The overall shape is very similar, but the commonalities end there. Dark trim extends from the standard LED headlamps to the greenhouse, whose pillars are blacked out for a "floating” look similar to that of Nissan's Maxima.
In the rear, a character line cuts up from in front of the wheel well to the trunk finisher, cutting through the tail lamps and accentuating the Mirai's aerodynamic lines.
Under the Hood
Fundamentally, the Mirai is an EV. The electric motor produces 151 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, and that's enough to motivate the FCV from 0 to 60 in exactly nine seconds on the way to a top speed of 111 mph.
The Mirai's similarity to conventional electric vehicles ends there. Under the hood, you'll find a power control unit (PCU) which is mated to four key components located elsewhere along the Mirai's floor: The motor, the boost converter, the fuel cell stack and its accompanying hydrogen tanks, and the battery.
Since the Mirai is a FCV, it requires hydrogen from an external source in order to run. Like gasoline, hydrogen must be obtained from filling stations. Unlike gasoline-powered cars, however, the Mirai's fuel economy is not measured in miles per gallon, but in MPGe. The Mirai has been certified at 67 MPGe, and has a maximum highway range of 312 miles on a single fill-up.
Features
The Mirai lacks conventional trim levels or option packages. Aside from color, there's else in the way of choice.
Standard features include LED headlamps, heated and power-folding outside mirrors, touch-sensor-operated locking for the front doors and trunk, 17” alloy wheels, electronic push-button start, noise-isolating front and side glass, 8-way power adjustable heated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, premium JBL Audio with navigation and Toyota's Entune system and app suite, and a whole slew of safety features.
Occupant Safety
Standard safety features include eight air bags, LATCH anchors, Toyota's pre-collision system, lane departure warning, a backup camera, cross-traffic alert, auto high beams, blind spot monitoring, dynamic radar cruise control, brake assist and (unique to the Mirai) a hydrogen monitoring system with leak detection and safety shut-off valves.
Key Competitors
The Mirai stands alone as the only commercial fuel cell vehicle currently available to consumers in the United States.
- Propulsion: Electric N/AL
- Power: 151hp
@
N/Arpm - Torque: 247ft⋅lb
@
N/Arpm - Mileage: 67 MPG ( 67 city, 67 hwy)
- Transmission: -speed
- Seating: 4 seats
in
2 rows - Passenger Volume: TBDcu ft
- Length: 192.5in
- Wheelbase: 109.4in
- Height: 60.4in
- Weight: 4078.5lbs
- Cargo Volume: TBDcu ft
- Front Leg Room: TBDin
- Front Head Room: TBDin
- Front Hip Room: TBDin
- Rear Leg Room: TBDin
- Rear Head Room: TBDin
- Rear Hip Room: TBDin
- Drag Coefficient: TBD
- Drag Coefficient: TBD