I did not have “the Toyota Prius gets really hot” on my Bingo card for 2023, but here we are. Toyota’s stalwart hybrid car is back and all-new, and bizarrely, it may just be the best-looking car in the company’s entire lineup. (Yes, it looks better than the Supra. You know I’m right.) Today, we also find out that, barring any dealer shenanigans, it won’t take much to look that good.
Reviews of the new Prius are out today, and it’s getting solid marks; make sure and read ours here. With those comes official pricing from Toyota: the new hot hybrid starts at $27,450 for the base LE trim. If you want a fully loaded Limited AWD model, that goes up to a still-reasonable $35,865; see the chart below for details. (As with Toyota’s numbers, ours exclude delivery fees.)
Like the looks of the car, the verdict on pricing is Not Bad. It’s up a little bit from the 2022 car’s base price of $25,075, but still extremely reasonable in a world where the average new car price is almost $50,000 these days. And with that decent price tag comes up to 57 combined MPG and a bigger engine putting out nearly 200 horsepower. It seems like a great deal for a car that will be a solid, gas-sipping commuter that you also don’t hate looking at.
The Prius has had a bit of a challenge staying relevant in our current market, where everyone’s gone SUV-crazy and electric vehicles are rapidly taking over. But going fully EV still isn’t a great option for some people; some of us still need gasoline for now. The new Prius gets by great using very little of that, and finally, it’s easy on the eyes too.
I’ll tell you this officially: It’s okay to want a Prius now. You can admit it. You’re among friends here.
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This car is IMO the best value for the money on the market. Assuming it has no major design flaws that result in recalls of major components. You get a quick car, even by today’s performance-spoiled standards, that has among the best fuel economy of anything you can buy, and is hopefully built to a given standard of quality that its manufacturer is rightfully world-renown for consistently meeting or exceeding, while also being able to haul a lot of stuff? I’ve met people who have lived out of Toyota Prii. They are surprisingly practical cars, especially for their size. This new one appears to improve upon previous models in many ways. The massive upgrade in performance, for the car’s price, gives it a lot more value for the money.
I’m wondering if/when we’re going to get a similarly priced MR2 built with the same ICE and electric drive system, and kept at Miata-like weights or below while retaining the Prius’ low drag? Think of what that could be like…
I like this new Prius. I’m hoping to buy a used 2023 Prius cheap in 2033… unless I get a deal on a used Tesla. And I figure this will become a cheap used car as BEVs will be the vehicles everyone wants.
Coming soon: Prius Prime vs. Bolt showdown. The “Battle for my Bucks”.
“Yes, it looks better than the Supra. You know I’m right.” A bold and true statement.
Also, I hate myself for not hating this new Prius. Hating on the looks of Prii (thanks Emily Velasco for that delightful plural of “Prius”) has been one of my favorite hobbies for the past ~20 years and now I don’t know what to do with myself.
I would take this over a Maverick all day long.
Given my 80 mile-per-day suburban commute, and my penchant for road-tripping across the country, this would be the ideal car for me. But my $3,100 LeSabre just keeps on running.
This is using the new Toyota / Lexus design language that was introduced earlier this year or last when Toyota said they would have many new models in the next few years. I don’t have a reference for that but there was a large group of cars with these headlights and LED accents.
No pricing on the Prime versions? PHEV is where it’s at.
Pricing on the Prime should drop early next year!
It would be nice if they actually came in cool colors.
And bring back the Prius V wagon too.
The V wagon was diluting sales of the Rav4 Hybrid, so they dropped it. They also added a hybrid only Sienna, so everyone is covered.
Can we discuss the paint color names? Cutting Edge? The fuck is Wind Chill Pearl?
I’m going to guess silver for the cutting edge and white for the wind chill. But, yeah, the naming should include the actual color, not just the cutesy bits.
You think that’s bad, Toyota had a burgundy color a few years ago called “Moulin Rouge” that they renamed “Ooh La La Rouge Mica” from one model year to the next.
The new Prius is nice, but the larger Camry hybrid starts at roughly the same price and has comparable performance. I think that’s still a better deal overall.
Now imagine if Toyota made a Camry hybrid wagon or new Civic-style hatchback and not just a sedan.
No hatch in the Camry is a dealbreaker for me. One of my biggest uses for my Prius is as transportation to bike trails, and being able to throw my bike in the back where it’s out of the weather and locked away from at least casual bike thieves is a killer feature.
Yeah, the reason the Prius shape won’t go away despite journalists all whining that ‘it’s an irrelevant model now that everything’s a hybrid!’ is because it’s the only way to convince Americans to buy a medium-ish hatch. I know quite a few musicians who swear by their Prii because for the size and price point, it can haul an entire drum set or a double bass.
I think it’s somewhat telling that neither of the Prius articles show a direct side view, since IMO that is easily the worst angle. Look on the Toyota site under Upcoming Vehicles.
From the quarter shots, it’s easy to imagine the rear doors being short like an extended cab truck; when you see the full profile, it looks too long or stretched, at least to my eyes.
IMO, it looks better at its worst angle than a majority of modern vehicles look from any angle. But that’s not a high bar to clear.
You keep saying stylish and I keep seeing 8th Gen Civic Coupe from the front and Dodge Dart from the rear. It will probably work better in person.
I always thought the Mk8 Civic and the last Dart were pretty attractive cars, certainly more tasteful than the overstyled insanity that most companies are putting out there now
I think the point is the new Prius looks more like a “normal” car. I guess we’ll see if Prius fans prefer the quirkiness or this will broaden the pool of potential buyers.
I mean, it’s surprisingly attractive for a Toyota, and even more so for a Prius. In the grand scheme of things, though? Not so much. It’s just another aggressive blob on wheels.
Came here to say this. It is not attractive, Toyota just tricked us because we compare it to the previous generation.
Those hidden rear door handles are going to confuse a lot of Uber passengers.
People shouldn’t be using Uber anyway. They are a bad and unethical company.