2022 Toyota Mirai Review

2022 Toyota Mirai Review
LIKES
  • Shapely silhouette
  • Luxurious ride
  • Precise steering
DISLIKES
  • Small back seat
  • No cargo flexibility
  • Tethered to a sparse fueling network
BUYING TIP
  • Toyota officially offers the option to buy a Mirai. Don’t. While the number of hydrogen stations are increasing slowly, don’t bet on the Mirai as your long-term vehicle for a future hydrogen economy. The lease offers are good, too.

The 2022 Toyota Mirai is an enticing and luxurious sedan—and a stylish technology outlier for those who want to flaunt the future. But make sure you’re OK being tethered to certain regions in California.

What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Toyota Mirai? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Toyota Mirai is a large sedan powered by hydrogen fuel-cell technology. The Mirai, which emphasizes a luxurious ride, feels at times like it could wear the Lexus badge, and it goes up to 402 miles on a tank of hydrogen. Availability is limited to where a hydrogen infrastructure has been built to support it—which in the U.S. is in select regions of California. It compares to the Hyundai Nexo and Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.

Is the 2022 Toyota Mirai a good car?
When judged purely for what it is, and not the logistics surrounding keeping it fueled, the Mirai is attractive, well-designed, and comfortable—with engaging steering and handling. It earns a TCC Rating of 7.2 out of 10.

What's new for the 2022 Toyota Mirai?
For 2022, the Mirai gets a version of Toyota’s Teammate system, which otherwise for the U.S. debuts on the Lexus LS. It includes a set of assisted-driving functions, allowing auto-steering, automated lane changes, and automated passing—all with the assumption that the driver will still be paying attention to the road ahead. 
2022 Toyota Mirai Review

Everything else carries over for this hydrogen-powered technology flagship, which was completely redesigned for 2021. Everything. The 2021 Mirai had nothing to do with its predecessor other than the fuel, and it marked the debut of a a new sport-sedan shape, a new rear-wheel-drive layout, and a new generation for Toyota’s fuel-cell stack, which produces electricity, allowing the Mirai to deliver its power as an electric car. 

To get that fast roofline, the long-nose sport-sedan proportions, and the strong stance, the Mirai starts with the platform from the latest Lexus LS luxury flagship. The Mirai looks great from about every angle—and with that you can simply forget the gawky front-wheel-drive predecessor that had this name prior to last year.  

A 1.2-kwh battery pack helps buffer the energy from the fuel-cell stack, and the Mirai makes 182 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque through a rear-mounted electric motor. Just about 12 pounds of the lightest element is compressed to about 10,000 psi, in three cylindrical hydrogen tanks, enabling a driving range of up to 402 miles. 

Interior space isn’t a strong suit here, though. Although the Mirai is about 196 inches long—Avalon-sized—it feels barely Corolla-sized on the inside. Be prepared for a back seat that simply isn’t comfortable for 6-footers. If that’s acceptable, it’s a classy affair inside, with a pleasing mashup of top-level Toyota trims mated with design themes that feel more Lexus. 

How much does the 2022 Toyota Mirai cost?
Toyota hasn’t hiked the Mirai’s price despite the supply issues that have affected the auto industry last year. The 2022 Mirai XLE costs $50,455, including the $955 destination charge. Both versions include a full array of active-safety features. The Limited model, at a starting price of $66,955 feels even more like a luxury car, adding perforated upholstery, heated and cooled seats all around, and a fold-down armrest/console in back.

Where is the 2022 Toyota Mirai made?
In Japan.

Styling

The 2022 Toyota Mirai has better proportions than any other Toyota sedan today.

Is the 2022 Toyota Mirai a good-looking car?
Never mind the gawky eco-warrior, closely aligned with the Prius, that preceded this car up until last year. The latest Mirai is a completely different kind of car—with a look that’s more Lexus luxurious than Toyota frugal. Because of the way it’s racy yet restrained, with a sporty profile yet calming details up close, its exterior earns a bonus point for a rating of 6. 

While the outside look brings to mind the big Avalon sedan reinterpreted for rear-wheel-drive proportions, the sporty yet mature summation applies inside, too. The Mirai freely mashes up Toyota and Lexus influences, with a line of vents cutting diagonally down the instrument panel from the passenger door, and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen canted slightly toward the driver. Altogether, it’s the cockpit layout of a sport sedan, made more upright, with a choice of textures and soft-touch trims, in subdued yet contrasting hues.

Performance

The 2022 Toyota Mirai isn’t downright quick, but it’s graceful all around.

Is the 2022 Toyota Mirai a good-looking car?
Never mind the gawky eco-warrior, closely aligned with the Prius, that preceded this car up until last year. The latest Mirai is a completely different kind of car—with a look that’s more Lexus luxurious than Toyota frugal. Because of the way it’s racy yet restrained, with a sporty profile yet calming details up close, its exterior earns a bonus point for a rating of 6. 

While the outside look brings to mind the big Avalon sedan reinterpreted for rear-wheel-drive proportions, the sporty yet mature summation applies inside, too. The Mirai freely mashes up Toyota and Lexus influences, with a line of vents cutting diagonally down the instrument panel from the passenger door, and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen canted slightly toward the driver. Altogether, it’s the cockpit layout of a sport sedan, made more upright, with a choice of textures and soft-touch trims, in subdued yet contrasting hues.

Comfort & Quality

This big sedan has a surprisingly cramped back seat; but it’s quiet and feels premium in most respects.

Looks are a bit deceiving here. The Mirai looks like a racy sport sedan from some angles, but after just a short time in the driver’s seat it’s easy to realize that’s not the overarching message here. This car drives with almost unparalleled sophistication, with exceptionally smooth power delivery negating its leisurely acceleration and a great ride-and-handling balance gaining a point, for a 6.

Is the Mirai 4WD?
The Mirai is driven only at the rear wheels, by an electric motor making 182 hp and 221 lb-ft. A 1.2-kwh lithium-ion battery pack acts as a buffer and booster, like it might in a hybrid system, but the primary power source is Toyota’s fuel-cell stack, fed a flow of hydrogen and producing electricity and water vapor. 
2022 Toyota Mirai Review

How fast is the Mirai?
The 2022 Toyota Mirai sells you on hydrogen fuel-cell technology in a completely different way than a Tesla Model S Plaid might sell you on the virtues of battery-electric tech. The emphasis is smoothness and precision, not downright quickness. Toyota cites a 0-60 mph time of 9.1 seconds—slower than most Camrys and Corollas of the time, but with a quiet, punchy responsiveness that’s consistent and unwavering below 50 mph.

Steering, handling, and body control are very, very good in the Mirai—absurdly so, as it feels like it would be truly great fun with double the power. We’d rate its precise-feeling steering better than Lexus sport sedans like the GS and IS, and you get a great mix of a plush ride plus fluidity and poise—all at a 4,300-lb curb weight that’s really no heavier than comparable gasoline sedans.

Safety

There aren’t any independent crash-tests for the Mirai, but it sure covers the safety-feature bases.

The 2022 Toyota Mirai makes some great first impressions inside, with top-notch fit and finish and a quiet cabin that feels like it might carry the Lexus badge. The only exception is the cramped back seat—knocking it down one point to a 6.

The look in base XLE grades of the Mirai is subdued, with nice soft-touch materials and textures that meet or beat expectations for the price tag of about $50,000—all but the underwhelming synthetic leather. What truly wows in the Mirai is its cabin quiet; wind noise is hushed to an extreme, fuel-cell components are a distant whir, and you only hear the muted whine of electric motors on hard acceleration. 

Reconciling the racy roofline with the space to stow the hydrogen system’s three cylindrical tanks had to cut in somewhere, and it’s seating. The Mirai isn’t nearly as spacious as you might suspect. Front seats in the Mirai offer plenty of support and comfort, but they barely meet the cut in head room for 6-footers. In back, the packaging trade-offs are more easily apparent; cushions are rather short and leg room is tight for nearly all adults but taller ones will find the head room completely limiting. There’s no way to fold the back seats to expand the cargo space, and the trunk is a barely adequate 9.6 cubic feet. Again, thank those big cylinders of pressurized hydrogen.

Features

The interface is lacking, but the rest of the Mirai is loaded with goodness.

How safe is the Mirai?
Neither of the major U.S. safety organizations have rated the 2022 Toyota Mirai for occupant safety; and because it’s such a low-volume model, limited to California in the U.S., as well as a few other select places in the world, it’s unlikely to be rated. Thus, we’re refraining from rating it here.

The Mirai includes an impressive list of active-safety items. Items on the standard-features list include automatic emergency braking, active lane control, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitors, plus eight airbags. The Limited model adds a digital rear camera mirror that can be useful but is a bit disorienting (try it out if in doubt); the XLE has a standard mirror, but you can add a surround-view camera system.

Fuel Economy

The 2022 Mirai doesn’t produce any tailpipe emissions except water vapor—but not all hydrogen is green.

The Mirai gets a point for having a robust list of features that any luxury-car owner won’t find lacking. Toyota’s solid warranty coverage earns another. But an infotainment system we’d best describe as obtuse knocks the points down to 6.

The 2022 Toyota Mirai XLE comes with a full range of heated and power items and will likely not leave you wanting except for the synthetic leather upholstery. Limited models take care of that with upgraded perforated synthetic leather, heated and cooled seats in the front and rear and, in back, a fold-down armrest with climate and audio controls.

Up front, the 12.3-inch infotainment system isn’t so charming. It includes Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, and Android Auto compatibility, dynamic navigation, and 14 JBL speakers, but it’s the low point of the whole experience—a different system that much of the Toyota or Lexus lineups get, flanked just below with a thin band of physical buttons.
2022 Toyota Mirai Review

This year, the Mirai will be the only Toyota-brand vehicle—outside of its Lexus LS cousin—to get the Teammate system, which allows auto-steering, automated lane changes, and automated passing, all with proper driver attention. Toyota hasn’t yet detailed the system in exact U.S. spec. 

Toyota offers 3-year/35,000-mile coverage—an unusual cadence for a U.S. vehicle—on about everything, and 8-year/100,000-mile coverage on powertrain, for the rare few who will decide to buy. Most will lease. And either way you get it, Toyota’s including up to $15,000 of hydrogen fuel. 

Which Toyota Mirai should I buy?
Are you really sure you should buy a Mirai? Make sure it fits your lifestyle with the current station network, then lease it. 
2022 Toyota Mirai Review

How much is a fully loaded 2022 Toyota Mirai?
The 2022 Toyota Mirai Limited remains the top model in the lineup, and it adds up to $66,955—or $68,500 if you spring for the chrome wheels and special paint hues.

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About Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera

Hey, I'm Perera! I will try to give you technology reviews(mobile,gadgets,smart watch & other technology things), Automobiles, News and entertainment for built up your knowledge.
2022 Toyota Mirai Review 2022 Toyota Mirai Review Reviewed by Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera on March 22, 2022 Rating: 5

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