Wagon style Prius higher and heavier

The new Prius gets an optional polycarbonate panoramic moonroof. Photo / Supplied

The new wagon-style Toyota Prius has entered production before its global sales debut next month in Japan.

And despite outward similarities with its hatchback predecessor, the newest member of the Prius family also gets noteworthy changes.

At a preview and test drive for journalists in Japan, Toyota Motor showed a roomier petrol-electric hybrid that rides higher and heavier than the standard Prius.

The driver sits 3cm higher for more vanlike command. And the wagon weighs about 100kg more, with the same drivetrain - meaning it can't match its sibling's zero to 100km/h time of 9.8 seconds, says Kenichi Kanada, a body design engineer on the car.

The new Prius also gets better visibility - to the rear and above.

The extended rear cargo space eliminates the need for the hatchback's split rear window. But it also increases the wagon's drag co-efficient to 0.29, from the standard Prius' 0.25.

The new Prius also gets an optional polycarbonate panoramic moonroof.

It's the largest moonroof in Toyota's lineup and its first made out of resin, which weighs 40 per cent less than glass.

Other wagon improvements include a version equipped with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery and Toyota's latest computer mouse-inspired one-dial climate control button.

Toyota declined to give the concept's final model name, price or sales target. The test cars seen and driven by journalists had their nameplates concealed in thick black tape.

The car goes on sale in Japan next month, followed by launches in the United States and Europe.

The wagon will start at 2.35 million ($38,562) in Japan, according to Japan's Nikkei business daily.

That compares with a starting price of 2.05 million ($33,631) for the standard Prius.