The Gorgeous New Toyota Prius Prime’s Pricing Is Out. Here’s How I’d Spec Mine

Morning Dump 2023 Toyota Prius Prime Price And Range April 6 2023
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Welcome back to The Morning Dump, where we carefully curate bite-sized morsels of automotive news you need to know. Today, we’re taking a look at pricing and electric range for the new Toyota Prius Prime, a nifty little Ford van called the E-Transit Courier, a Volkswagen Atlas in hiking boots, and a Honda CR-V recall that could result in a nasty surprise if left unchecked. Let’s get into it.

Prime Contender

2023 Priusprime Xse Cuttingedge 001

Electric range and pricing for the sexy new Toyota Prius Prime are out and boy are they ever promising. This latest plug-in hybrid pulls 44 miles of all-electric range from the SE trim with the small wheels, falling to 39 miles for XSE and XSE Premium trims. Either way, that’s a huge jump over the old car’s 25 miles of electric range.

The base Prius Prime SE trim starts at a reasonable $33,445 and is only available with one no-brainer option – front and rear parking assistance for $35. I had to check that wasn’t a typo, $35 is unbelievably cheap for anything on a car. You can’t even fill most cars’ fuel tanks for $35. Step up to the XSE trim for $36,695 and you get gorgeous alloy wheels that sap some range, leatherette upholstery, an eight-way power heated driver’s seat, wireless charging, and a smart key system. Optional on this grade is a glass roof for $1,000, a 12.3-inch infotainment system for $735, and digital key functionality for $275. Finally, there’s the XSE Premium trim for $40,265 which adds ventilated seats, a JBL stereo, and everything optional on the regular XSE trim. Options for this top Prius Prime model include a 360-degree camera system and automated parking for $1,085, solar panels in the roof for $610, heated rear seats for $350, and a digital rear-view mirror for $200.

2023 Prius Prime My Spec

As for how I’d spec a Prius Prime using Toyota’s configurator, I’d go for the base SE model as it gets the longest electric range and still comes with a heated steering wheel. I’d then spend the $35 on front and rear parking sensors because that’s so cheap it feels like I’m robbing Toyota, splash out $450 on the Supersonic Red paint because it’s a great color, and spend $299 on the all-weather floor mat package because that’s a fair price for rubber floor mats and a cargo mat that fit. That brings the grand total to $34,204, which is a great price for a PHEV with this range.

So long as you don’t dip too deeply into the options list and have a place to plug in, the new Toyota Prius Prime seems like an incredible daily driver that offers loads of all-electric range and the ability to take advantage of the reliable coast-to-coast infrastructure of gas stations for longer journeys. Expect the first ones to arrive in showrooms come May.

The Transit Connect Replacement We Deserve

2023 Ford E-Transit Courier Exterior 02

For decades now, it’s felt like European mass-market Fords have been so much cooler than American mass-market Fords. Sure, we have awesome enthusiast vehicles like the Mustang GT500, Bronco Raptor, and F-150 Raptor, but European mainstream models like the pillarless B-Max people carrier, diesel Ranger, Puma crossover, and Ka city-car look sweet. The new E-Transit Courier is another one of those awesome Euro Fords that will never see our shores — a small electric van that seems perfect for urban use.

Although we don’t have many specs, the E-Transit Courier will charge at up to 11 kW on a Level 2 AC charger or 100 kW on a DC fast charger, fits two Euro pallets in its cargo bay, and is an all-Ford design that’s actually slightly shorter than the sadly-outgoing Transit Connect. However, it’s much larger than the old Fiesta-based Transit Courier, which should mean it’s just the right size for cities – nimble enough for back alleys, roomy enough to carry 8.5-foot lengths of lumber. Payload clocks in at 1,543 pounds, while towing capacity is just marginally higher at 1,653 pounds.

In case electrons don’t float your boat, Ford will also build regular Transit Couriers with gasoline or diesel power. In fact, the models you fill up at a forecourt will actually arrive first, with Ford targeting deliveries this year. Expect the electric version to come along in 2024, right in time for the ramp-up to 900,000 annual units. The E-Transit Courier sounds perfect for city-based contractors and small businesses in America looking to replace their soon-to-be-discontinued Transit Connects, so it’s a shame that it’ll likely never tread tire on American soil. Thanks, Chicken Tax.

Topographical Atlas

Large 16392 Volkswagenshows2024atlaspeakeditionatnyias

Just about every manufacturer seems to be jumping into the trend of putting crossovers in Otterboxes, and Volkswagen is the latest to board the bandwagon. The Atlas Peak Edition is arriving this year for anyone who misses the styling touches of the original Audi Allroad but doesn’t miss the repair bills.

So what turns a regular Atlas into a Peak Edition? Well, this model gets silver trim that looks a bit like skid plates to the uninitiated, a set of 255/60R18 Continental Crosscontact ATR all-terrain tires on black wheels, black trim, special green or grey paint, orange stitching on the interior, and some badges. That doesn’t sound like a whole lot, mostly because it isn’t.

However, it’s not like most of the competition or the customer base serious into off-roading. The owner of a well-specced Touareg with the rear diff lock would scoff at this posturing attempt, but a stock Atlas should get down fire trails and cottage driveways with ease. The Peak Edition just adds slightly knobbier tires and a little bit of extra styling. It cashes in on the desire to look rugged without any huge compromises for typical on-road use, so expect to see Atlas Peak Edition examples everywhere after launch this summer.

Dissolving CR-Vs

2007 Honda Cr V

After a recall campaign in Canada spurred internal investigation in America, Honda is recalling 563,711 CR-Vs from model years 2007 to 2011 that were ever used in the salt belt due to the potential for catastrophic unibody rot. Let’s see what the defect report has to say:

In salt-belt states where de-icing agents are used to maintain the roadway, the de-icing agents, along with mud and water, could enter the rear frame through drainage/positioning holes when the vehicle is driven through flooded areas or puddles at high speeds. Over time, the accumulated de-icing agents/mud/water mixture could cause corrosion to the frame’s internal structure. If this occurs, the rear trailing arm can fall off.

Ah, that doesn’t sound good. So what on earth does Honda plan on doing to fix this? Well, there are several options. If the rear trailing arm bolt comes out cleanly, Honda will install a brace. However, if it just falls out or is absolutely seized in place, Honda will either repair the frame or repurchase the entire vehicle. Imagine a buy-back on a 16-year-old crossover. If you happen to own an affected CR-V, expect to receive a letter in the post about this in early May. On the plus side, no injuries associated with this defect have been reported, but Honda has logged 61 complaints.

The Big Question

Spring is here, which means perfect weather for dropping the windows a touch and cranking the tunes up. With that in mind, I’d love to know what you’ve been listening to in your car lately. I’ve been bumping music from Snow Strippers, a Detroit-based Electropop/Witch House duo. One of their latest tracks, It’s Goin’ Bad, is perfect for chill night cruises under expressway lighting. Whether Slayer, Kenny Chensey, Mr. Oizo, or Injury Reserve, I’d love to know what driving songs have been stuck in your head lately.

(Photo credits: Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda)

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100 thoughts on “The Gorgeous New Toyota Prius Prime’s Pricing Is Out. Here’s How I’d Spec Mine”

  2. The PHEV Prius is a compelling option at that price, even in the higher trims. It would make for a mighty fine commuter car. Now give us the GR Prius you cowards…and don’t make it an appearance package either. Give it MO POWAAAA and the ability to drain the batteries for righteous acceleration on a whim. That’d be great.

    In regards to the Atlas, what do you mean by “don’t miss the repair bills” of the original Allroad? Current VW ICE cars are an absolute nightmare reliability wise, particularly all the EA888 boosted 4 cylinder variants. If they still offered a VR6 I might be a little more amenable to this statement but my EA888 having GTI had 3 or 4 unscheduled maintenance visits in the first 5,000 miles. Its favorite thing to do was misfire and throw a bunch of codes that the techs CLAIMED led no where. One even said “don’t worry, VW turbo 4s just do this sometimes, it’s common”.

    EXCUSE ME?! Plus the Atlas just got VW’s Tech Hell World interior with all the touch sliders and haptic nonsense. Even if the engine doesn’t have issues I promise you electronic gremlins will be popping up within the first 12-24 months of ownership. And you’d better not equip it with a sunroof…because broken seals and leaks are a VW sunroof feature, not a bug.

    God I hate modern VW so much. I’m sure plenty of people have had problem free experiences and the spicy Golf variants are fun but after my sister and I had to go to hell and back on VWs we bought in 2020 that neither of us own anymore I’m not touching the brand again with a 10 foot pole.

    I’m sure I’ll get plenty of “okay Boomer” comments for this one (even though I’m in my early 30s) but I genuinely really like SiriusXM radio. Sometimes you’ll deal with some massive hit crossover songs that get hugely overplayed across several channels, but all in all as a music nerd I find that there are a lot of great channels if you know where to look.

    My mainstays lately have been First Wave (80s alternative is the peak of music don’t @ me) XMU for modern indie, Rock The Bells because it’s some of the best curated oldhead hip hop out there, and The Groove because 70s and 80s R&B always improves my mood. When I want to rock out Ozzy’s Boneyard and Turbo always scratch the itch…I’m a metalhead as well but Liquid Metal can be kind of hit or miss at times, although I’ve actually met Jose Mangin who curates it and he’s an absolutely amazing human being. Finally for road trips I like Willie’s Roadhouse…because if you can’t enjoy some Willie Nelson and his classic country contemporaries on an American road trip then I’m not sure if we can be friends.

    1. Also in my 30’s, also been loving XM lately.

      As for VW, a friend of mine refers to his ownership of VW’s as “like being the gimp from Pulp Fiction. It’s not for everyone.”

    2. I’m with you on First Wave and Willie’s Roadhouse. Rock The Bells is also solid. I mostly keep Outlaw Country on for the DJ personalities… Mojo Nixon screaming his hillbilly heart out always makes me happy.

      1. Agreed. That’s also on the road trip rotation…and they’ve given a lot of love to Orville Peck, who’s an artist that’s very near and dear to me, so I’ll always respect them for that. Country can be a difficult genre to be different in and support from assorted parts of the establishment can be a big deal…although Orville’s gotten so big so fast that I’m not sure he needs to be legitimized at this stage. I think it’s safe to say he’s made it at this point, and I’m happy for him because he seems like a genuinely great dude.

          1. I saw him for the first time in May of 22 at the 930 club in DC. It was such an amazing show. He has a really infectious, positive energy and his band mates feed off of him. You could just tell how happy they all are to be doing what they’re doing and it shows when it comes to the music and performances. Crowd was great too…it felt like everyone knew every word to every song.

            I could gush about Orville all day. He’s a gem and I feel a personal connection to his music that’s hard to fully explain. Last summer when I got married and was driving to meet my now wife for the first look I was nervous as all hell…I wound up playing Dead Of Night in the rental Camaro SS and it really settled me down. My wife loves him as well and he was one of the early artists we bonded over.

    3. First Wave all the way as my primary listening choice, especially as someone who constantly listened to Richard Blade and Swedish Egil on KROQ in the 80s. XMU and Rock the Bells are also on my presets, and I frequently take a run up through Ozzy’s Boneyard and Hair Nation as well. You have the Groove, I have the Soul station and Real Jazz as my other main presets. I think we’d get along on a road trip just fine.

      1. I could listen to Richard Blade all day. As someone who didn’t live through the music a lot of his stories and insights make me feel like I was there to a degree. He also does an amazing job of sprinkling in deeper cuts and not just focusing on the big singles. It’s nice to hear songs like The Last Day Of Summer, The Headmaster Ritual, and Black Celebration rather than Friday I’m In Love, How Soon Is Now, and Personal Jesus for the 9000th time.

    4. My main problem with Satellite radio is the sound quality. The rare time I’d want to turn a song up – the sound quality was overcompressed garbage on a stereo that sounded fine with aux-in or CDs.

      I used to listen to Satellite radio a lot on long road trips. The Comedy channels were great for that. Then they got really bad – couldn’t listen for an hour without bits repeating. They also, for some reason, played a TON of Jeff Dunham stuff. Puppets don’t play well over the radio.

      1. I had a Sirius/XM trial from my car purchase going when I took a long road trip last summer. Lots of repetition I noticed after a couple of days. But the special shows they’d have generally were quite enjoyable.

        1. Like I said, that’s the biggest issue. If an artist that gets played over several channels releases something new and/or popular you’re not going to be able to escape it. I remember when that damn Pearl Jam song Sirens was released it was being played every day on like 6-7 different channels and it was obnoxious. Pear Jam hasn’t been good in like 25 years, why do we have to beat this dead horse?

          It also happened with that absolutely inescapable Manchester Orchestra song…The Gold, I think? When that song got huge every single goddamn channel played it every hour on the hour. It’s not THAT good of a song…oh and the heavy stations play entirely too much Pantera.

          Don’t get me wrong…I can get down to some Pantera and they were a very important band, but I don’t need to hear Walk, This Love, or Cemetery Gates every single day. But Octane, Ozzy’s Boneyard, Liquid Metal, and Turbo all play them so I will hear one every commute without fail. Basically I agree and it’s my biggest issue with the service as well.

          1. It’s like they learned nothing from terrestrial radio. Seattle-area stations were still overplaying grunge to death in the ’00s.

            You’d think “people are subscribing to this and we’ve got a little more freedom to fart around the whole subgenre this station is about” would lead to longer playlists, but nope. Grumble.

      2. I really want satellite radio, but their signal processing gives me headaches after about an hour of listening. Sometimes less.

        Everything sounds wet with reverb, even songs that I know the studio mix was very dry. I think that’s how they try to mask the compression artifacts.

  3. For the Prius Prime – rather odd for the entry trim to have a heated steering wheel, but not heated front seats. I do kinda miss having the heated wheel, but the heated seats are more valuable and would think they’d include them on the base Prime for helping stretch the electric range in lieu of the heater. Otherwise the base model seems like a strong value for a PHEV.

    1. I will disagree with you here. If you gave me a choice between heated seats and a heated steering wheel, it’s steering wheel all the way. It’s so nice not having to wear gloves to drive without getting frostbite on your fingers. Heated seats are of much more limited value because if it’s cold enough to need them I’m probably already dressed warmly and insulated from the seats.

      1. I feel similarly about heated seats when bundled up, they can’t really get through all the layers. But, at that point, you’d probably be running the heater too. I’m thinking more for reducing dependence on the heater to help range. There are some times I’m good with just the heated seat on more mildly cold days where I’m not wearing super heavy clothes or jackets. Even in the 50s or a low-sun 60s I’ll run the seat heater and I normally run warm. Maybe it’s regional or dependent on one’s definition of cold too, lol.

        Kind of like the news Ford and/or others were working on heated interior trim that would give off sort of ambient heat in EVs.

      2. I agree heated steering is nicer to have in a vehicle straight from the factory. But that’s because it’s much easier to get an aftermarket automotive heated seat cover, that runs off DC, than trying to wire something for the wheel.

  7. Listening to Dark Side of the Moon. Even after 50 years, (shit) it’s still the best LP ever produced. Much better than the crap being called music these days. Fight me.

    2. Yes! Great to drive to at night on an Interstate. The Wall too. Amazing albums. Best listen ever was Laserium – Laser Floyd at the, then, Hayden Planetarium in New York.

  8. The new (to me) van has a satellite radio trial, so I’ve been enjoying what that has to offer. Mostly Phish radio because I appear to be entering a weird jam band based mid-life crisis.

    2. I appear to be entering a weird jam band based mid-life crisis

      Do you need it to get weirder? Check out anything the late “Col.” Bruce Hampton had his hands in – the Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Late Bronze Age, or the Hampton Grease Band.

      2. Noted and will dive in. Typically I’ve been more of an “indie” rock guy over the years but lately I’ve been more into live music, exploratory jams and weird stuff that takes itself less seriously. Phish and a lot of others fill that void for me.

        1. I’m generally not a jam band guy – I had a Phish phase, as a native Vermonter nearly the same age as those dudes; a college roommate obsessed wtih the Dead & everything peripherally related ruined them for me, forever. (but OGs like the Allman Brothers? Fuck yes!)

          Bruce Hampton’s stuff is a bit more out there, and it may be doing him a disservice to use the label jam band, but “weird & exploratory” is dead on.

  9. That recall is nuts! The newest ones are 12 years old now. If it had the rot problem, it’s probably already been junked, but it’s great that Honda’s being responsible here. Not sure why just this case as it’s not like they’ve been a stranger to rust and I would think people in the rust belt would be accustomed to disposing of vehicles for corrosion. I guess it must be the particular failure mode and maybe the rot doesn’t present itself obviously elsewhere first, like the rockers and arches? Another reason annual inspections are useful.

    1. In their early days in Canada their cars rusted audibly in moments. Honda employees used to carry cards around to put on windshields saying “we’ll fix your rust. Call this number”.

      A few years back (2018?) the front subframe of my 2009 Mazda6 rotted out. Mazda was on the verge of a formal recall, so they took the car for repairs and rented me a Chrysler 300 to drive for the whole 59 days I was waiting. At that point, I am sure the rental expense was more than the car was worth.

      There was a guy who had his V6 model there for 147 days so far when I picked mine up.

      I sure am glad Mazda did the right thing. Honda generally does as well.

  10. Since I started driving my dad’s old car, which has satellite radio, it’s been on Ozzy’s Boneyard (or occasionally Hair Nation) almost exclusively. Lots of steering-wheel drumming going on.

    1. I listen to a lot of Outlaw Country on Satellite radio, unless someone else is in the car, at which point I go to 1st Wave to hide my alt-country tendencies.

    2. Thank God for Sirius! As a former FM rock DJ, can say that the commercial radio industry has turned to shit the last 30 years.The cost just keeps going up, but what isn’t going up in cost. BTW, I call them each time they raise prices, threaten to shut off the service. Always end up with a crazy discount for another year.

      1. The fact that every city has a Jack FM, which is grudgingly the most listenable thing on FM is such a sad state of affairs for radio. Sirius has its own problems, and repeats pretty often, but it is so much better than what I even find on the local college rock stations.

      2. Every year they keep giving me the $5/mo promo deal for 12 mos. If I had to listen to Houston commercial radio again I would give up driving

    3. (Throws devil horns)

      Yeah, I was pumped for Hair Nation when we got satellite radio, but find myself on Boneyard more often than not. After all, none of the local stations will play “Balls to the Wall.”

      In terms of driving music, AC/DC is hard to beat on a long drive.

    1. I was interested in the new Prius until I saw one in person. It looks great but it’s really small, like smaller than a Corolla. My 4’11” wife called it tiny. We decided to walk.

  12. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Heavy Metal. From Hair Metal to Thrash Metal and even some Industrial Metal, I’ve been enjoying the metal a lot and it makes my commute much more fun!

    Honestly its so amusing blasting Motörhead tunes like Ace of Spades through my neighborhood
    https://youtu.be/PMavhk16FJU

    1. Every time I hear that, I think of my friend’s kid singing along to it in the car many years ago: “It’s an M&M Crunch! It’s an M&M Crunch!”

      1. That might be better than when I heard my girlfriend and her mother singing, “Reelin’ in the yeast, stowin’ away the thyme”. I was indeed laughing pretty hard.

        In a Cadillac Cimmaron no less!

  16. So, car companies are now expected to recall or buy back cars due to rust? Has David heard about this?

    In all seriousness, I’m not sure why the manufacturer should be on the hook for environmental circumstances beyond their control? I mean if it’s that rusty that it’s falling apart then the vehicle is at the end of its service life.

    1. The ultimate solution is to break our addiction to road salt – the United States has about 4.2 million miles of roads, and we use 24 million tons of salt per year.

      Compare that to, say, the early 1940s, when winters were colder and harsher, a larger percentage of roads were unpaved, cars were all RWD with drum brakes, crappy tires, and no electronic nannies, and, yet, we only needed 164,000 tons of salt to keep 3.2 million miles of road clear. If anything, with winters being milder, and everyone driving FWD, AWD, or 4X4 crossovers or pickups with antilock disc brakes and electronic traction control, and nearly all paved roads, we should be using less salt today, not many, many times more

      1. Good points, however back then it seems to me that people were sort of apathetic about safety and survival in general. Also, the modern suburban work commute hadn’t quite been developed into the so-called American Dream yet. I bet no one was commuting from the Poconos into Manhattan like so many are today.

      2. Our addiction to salt is because we have local politicians that insist on “bare pavement” conditions, which you can only get by melting the snowpack.

    2. The rust issues were often severe and dangerous even relatively early in the vehicles’ milespan, because Honda engineers didn’t consider the effect of trapped saline solution. Check out the other article on the Ridgeline rust problems. Essentially, the rust issue is caused by defective workmanship from the manufacturer.

  18. The Big Question:

    Dan Deacon’s America is a great driving (or motorcycling) album. I don’t have anything profound to say about it, but it just feels like a great soundtrack to accompany you on a trip through some twisty roads alongside a meandering river or chugging along next to a lumbering freight train.

  20. Thomas, I know it’s boring to say so, but I really do think I’d spec my Prius Prime identical to yours. Wind Chill Pearl White is a good color, too, but red is always best.

    I’d go extra to the XSE model for the heated power front seats, but only if I can get it without the Digital Key and the Toyota Audio Multimedia, because the Digital Key, XM Radio and Drive Connect all require subscriptions and I’m DEFINITELY NOT buying any subscriptions to go with my car. I know many dealers won’t order them without stacking on options.

    I’d also buy suction cup mount based kayak and bicycle racks, but Toyota doesn’t currently offer either fitted racks or suction cup racks. Someone’s eventually going to make a tow hitch for it, and I would definitely get that for a hitch mounted bike rack I already have, and for pulling lightweight trailers, too.

    I’m no longer in the PHEV market right now, because I scored a great deal on a Honda Clarity that I love every bit as much as I do my Toyota.

  21. That is going to be an expensive buy back program for Honda. Imagine telling a Honda executive in 2011 that their CRV would still retain over 50% of its original value 16 years down the road?

  22. I’m not buying one, but I’d probably spring for top trim. I love my ventilated seats. That said, for the price of the base model, I could probably just spring for Katzkins or something and be better off. Those and an autodimming mirror would still be cheaper than the top trim, I think.

  24. I picked up a 6 LP box set of Stereo Total recently, and while spinning records is great at home, I’ve added them to Spotify. Crunchy electro-punk sung in French, German, Spanish, Japanese and English just tickles the right parts of me. Here’s the video to Holiday Inn, which is fantastic:
    https://youtu.be/Bae0vli-lQw

        1. I agree. I can’t even think of another small sedan that’s even close. I’m still in shock that it’s a Prius.

          I swore I’d never own a Prius when I was younger but I might make a liar out of my younger self. The 39 miles of electric range is almost enough for my daily commute, it looks gorgeous and it’s not an SUV. I just don’t want to have a car payment right now but if I change my mind in the near future this and a handful of other cars are at the top of my list.

    2. I was ready to hate that when I clicked the link because I generally think lowered cars look stupid, but other than the stanced rear wheels it actually works pretty well.

      1. You’re using the wrong word. Cars get negative camber when the suspension is compressed because of the geometry of the suspension. While some people modify to go even more extreme for looks, the vast majority of cars get positive camber upon compressing/lowering the rear of the car.

        Also, every car has a stance. You can have a stinkbug stance (70s jacked up in back, low in front), donk stance (ride high), low rider (low obv), etc etc etc.

        Stance is how a vehicle sits in combination with wheel fitment.

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