My favorite movie in the Rocky franchise is the fourth one. You know, the one where he fights the Soviet superman who killed his friend. Even after all of these decades—including some legitimately good and not-’80s-cheeseball entries like Michael B. Jordan’s Creed films—Rocky training in the wilderness so he can personally defeat communism is still a consistent Friday night go-to move at my house.
There’s a scene in the climactic bout when Russian boxer Ivan Drago—depicted, until then, as an almost inhumanly unbeatable fighter—takes a bad cut to the eye from Rocky. That’s when starts to realize that for all his pounding and hulking size, he’s not really getting anywhere against Rocky; “He is like a piece of iron,” Drago says as they both go into the ring for another round. And that’s the crucial moment in the film: the one where Drago finally realizes he may just be in over his head.
That is what it’s like to try and use any gasoline in the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime. Long respected by hypermilers, commuters and the Save The Earth crowd for its miserly fuel economy, the unexpectedly sleek and sexy new Prius is an absolute champion at saving gas—and you could make a case that it’s the best car in the Toyota lineup right now.
The Basics
Rebooted late last year, to the surprise of all involved, with aggressive new styling and revised driving dynamics, the fifth-generation Prius has transformed from an object of enthusiast scorn to a machine that demands respect. Earlier this summer, I spent a week in a Prius Prime XSE: the middle trim level of the plug-in hybrid version (the non-Prime Prii are standard hybrids that do not have plugs.)
Price: XSE Premium Starting MSRP: $39,170; as-tested, $41,875*
Horsepower: 220 combined system
Engine: 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Battery: 13.6 kWh
EPA Range: 50/47/48 (city/highway/combined, Toyota estimate)
Drive: Front-wheel-drive
Curb Weight: 3,516 lbs
Body Style: Compact four-door hatchback
*Pre-production prototype tested. Prices are estimated and via Toyota.
How Does It Look?
Great! It looks great. I don’t have much to add here that hasn’t already been written elsewhere, but the new Prius is objectively a win for Toyota’s design team. It even comes in some fun colors for a change, like Supersonic Red or this almost matte-looking Guardian Gray. Sadly, the new Prius’ best color, Maximum Yellow, isn’t an option for U.S. buyers. What a shame that is.
But it’s not surprising the design is cool, when you think about it; the Prius has always represented a master class in understated aerodynamics in its relentless pursuit of fuel economy. Granted, the new 2023 Prius actually has a slightly worse drag coefficient than its predecessor, but it’s so much less dowdy and robotic-looking that absolutely nobody is going to care. But it’s still almost supercar-grade with a drag coefficient of just 0.27.
The Prius does all of this while keeping its compact dimensions. It’s only about an inch longer and wider than the previous car, and about two inches lower overall, which speaks to the more sporting pretenses Toyota sought to instill this time. I really love the overall shape, the short overhangs, that aggressive front end and the horizontal light bar out back.
These days you could argue the Prius is Toyota’s flagship or even halo car: the standard-bearer for its vaunted hybrid system and more in-house than the BMW-sourced, Austrian-built Supra is. At last, the Prius has the looks to back that positioning up.
How’s The Interior?
Much of the rest of the auto industry is chasing the Tesla playbook with “green” cars these days—lots of touchscreens and a focus on minimalism to simultaneously emphasize tech and cut costs. By contrast, the new Prius feels like Toyota’s designers and engineers were explicitly told to double down on what they’ve always done while modernizing things in the process.
The result is a car that feels reasonably high-tech and built to serve its fuel-sipping mission but doesn’t fall victim to too many current trends. I can sum this up with one word: buttons. The 2023 Prius has a good amount of them, and they are welcome here. The steering wheel and climate controls all offer fantastic and intuitive physical controls, with a pleasing design to go with them. Everything here feels pretty high-quality, too. It’s not a Lexus, per se, but it’s one of the nicer Toyotas you can buy.
But it’s not completely old-school. You could never say that about my tester’s 12.3-inch touchscreen, which is huge by modern standards but thankfully positioned in a more landscape position (the vertically oriented big portrait screens do less for me.)
I’d say Toyota’s infotainment and software game is getting better these days—something I definitely couldn’t say in the 2010s—but I still used Apple CarPlay the vast majority of the time here. Thankfully, it and Android Auto are available via a wireless connection, which you still cannot say of things like Hyundai’s current electric vehicles.
Also, major points to Toyota for finally moving the main display unit above the steering wheel, in front of the driver, and not shoving it into a bar-thing at the top-center of the dashboard. It’s easier to read and a very clear, intuitive display in its own right.
What’s It Like To Drive?
As good as it looks, here’s where the Prius most deserves its Hybrid Rocky status—small but unbeatable, capable of sustaining a franchise for decades, and a winner despite always being the underdog somehow.
We’ll start with some context. We—and by that I mean both enthusiasts and normal commuters—do not expect a great driving experience from the Prius. When I moved to Washington D.C. some years ago and didn’t have a car at first (something we rectified in quick order by getting a Mini Cooper S), I often used the Zipcar car-sharing service. If I was lucky, I’d be able to snag an Audi A3 hatchback, which is basically a Volkswagen GTI in a blazer. But most of the time, I got stuck in a third-generation Prius.
As a Prius should be, it was phenomenal at saving gas; that’s the entire point. It was also a slow, unresponsive, almost narcoleptic machine, allergic to any demand for acceleration—which I occasionally did need even in D.C.’s abysmal city and highway traffic. It was a pure commuter car, a means to an end; it had 50 mpg combined and that was the point.
It’s a very different story for the new Prius Prime, which has clearly spent some time chopping wood and running up mountains since its last go-round. In Prime form, this compact plug-in hybrid packs 220 combined system horsepower, nearly 100 up from its predecessor and 26 hp from the standard non-plug Prius.
That output comes from a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine good for 150 horsepower, and the rest comes from the electrical setup powered by a 13.6-kWh battery. That’s a dual-motor system, one for the drive wheels, one for the planetary gearbox. The result: Car and Driver’s instrumented tests yielded a zero to 60 mph time of 6.7 seconds, which is quite respectable—and a marked improvement over the old days.
Now, despite having almost as much total horsepower as my old Subaru WRX, the Prius Prime is not fast. In the “hybrid vs. EV” debate, acceleration falls pretty firmly in the latter camp. But the Prius Prime does feel quick, more so than I expected. My week of testing involved mostly Brooklyn city driving and errand-running, including a trip to Rockaway Beach. In both settings I was surprised at how punchy the Prius Prime is—it’s great at delivering that no-nonsense electric torque that makes passing a breeze. In short bursts, this thing can move better than you’d think. (As a downside, that engine sounds quite industrial. But I’ve found few modern four-cylinder motors to be terribly pleasing to the ear at all, and engine sounds period are probably on the way out.)
It’s a decent little handler, too. That compact size, short nose and small steering wheel all work together to craft a hybrid that feels pretty agile. Toyota has said its engineers worked to improve the chassis, weight and center of gravity with this new Prius, and all of it shows. Whereas the old Prius was a car I respected but generally loathed driving, I actually looked forward to my time in this little gray tester.
I looked forward! To driving! A Toyota Prius! What fascinating times we find ourselves in.
But you’re not really driving a Prius for fun, right? You’re driving it to save gas. And that’s where this thing still shines the most. The Prius Prime is rated at a very impressive 50 mpg city and 47 mpg highway; I averaged around 48 mpg for my week of testing. Best of all, the Prius Prime offers up to 44 miles of all-electric range, or 39 miles on my XSE thanks to its bigger tires.
The fuel-saving may have been helped by this tester’s solar panel roof, a $610 option that allows some electric accessories like the air conditioner, and the battery itself, to get some juice from the sun. Motor Trend’s testing and optimistic revealed it could add as much as four miles of daily range to the car, though they debated whether it’s worth the cost or not; I think I’d spring for it.
All told, in a week of normal driving—again, mostly short trips, errands and one medium-length drive to the coast—I just didn’t really use gas in the damn thing. At all. Almost no matter how hard I tried. I plugged it in once at a street Level 2 charger to juice up the battery, but I don’t even think I cracked an eighth of a tank before I handed this car back to the press fleet folks.
Just know that the Prius Prime does not have the rapid-fire charging times that many modern EVs do; Toyota says it’ll get fully juiced in four hours on a Level 2 charger, or 11 hours on a standard wall outlet. Then again, being a hybrid, you could argue fast charging just isn’t needed here.
Does The Prius Still Matter?
I chose Rocky IV as an analog for this car for a reason. If this thing is the car version of the fictional boxing champ, I wondered about its mid-career relevance in a world that’s increasingly fully electric. The Prius smacks of effort in a way that the bZ4x, with its awkward name and questionable build quality, does not. Moreover, the Prius proudly remains a compact car in an SUV and truck world. It’s as if Toyota kept evolving a car central to its company thesis, agnostic of so many modern trends—screen dominance, SUV supremacy, the move to battery power.
So did Toyota make the right call here? When it comes to hybrid technology, I believe so. I too have wondered if Toyota’s previous administration got the future all wrong. But as the year went on and EV adoption turned out not to be a smooth upward curve, the value of hybrids in reducing gas use and emissions has become all the more apparent. It’s why Toyota’s applying the same hybrid systems to its new trucks and SUVs, like the Tacoma and Land Cruiser. That’s impressive to see. I’ve had a record number of pals and family members ask me for hybrid recommendations this year, many of them saying they can’t buy another fully gasoline car again; wildfire smoke blanketing your city will do that. We will need hybrid cars for a long time to come in this race to reduce car emissions.
That doesn’t fix the challenge facing the Prius itself. Sales of the car have been down for years, though I owe that more to its size (and for years, cheaper gas) than anything else. Even Toyota’s sales projections for this one are a fraction of the car’s heights a decade earlier. Frankly, I’m shocked Toyota hasn’t made a modern SUV version of the Prius brand yet, though that role is filled by the RAV4 Hybrid and Prime, Highlander Hybrid, Venza, Corolla Cross Hybrid and others.
Then again, I don’t have to question a car’s relevance to give it high marks. And I am giving those to the 2023 Prius Prime. It’s a fantastic car, easily the best Prius yet. Like other hybrids, it’s a fantastic option for those who, for whatever reason, aren’t ready or able to deal with the ongoing hurdles of full EV adoption yet—or just want a great car that doesn’t use much gas or create a lot of carbon emissions. That it looks and drives so well is merely an added bonus these days. I suspect a lot of 2023 Prius buyers will be repeat customers, but I hope some newcomers give it a look as well.
And it’s still a more affordable option. My Prime XSE tester was a pre-production prototype, but Toyota estimated it at $41,875. Not a bad option if running out and buying a $60,000 electric Hyundai and hunting for charging everywhere doesn’t seem palatable to you.
Three Things To Know About The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE
- You actually won’t hate driving this Prius for a change
- You’ll be shocked how much money you don’t spend on gas
- It’s an EV alternative worth your attention
Does It Fulfill Its Purpose?
As a versatile, fuel-saving, low-emission hybrid, yes it does. And it shows Toyota’s still willing to put a ton of work into arguably its most notable car of the past 25 years.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE?
Don’t count the hybrids out just yet. And the 2023 Prius Prime is still a champ that throws a formidable punch.
I’m a current Prius owner. I’d be happy to get one of these if I can actually find one for sale without some asshole dealer making it as expensive as a far nicer car.
When the RAV4 Prime came out, I said I’d probably get one of those next but of course will wait for supply to get better. Years later, you still can’t find one. Luckily thanks to minimal to no commuting over the past few years, my Prius isn’t on its last leg yet.
Besides I need to replace the other car first, which we’d also like to do with a Toyota/Lexus hybrid, but can’t find any of those either.
ADM is a disaster but good dealers are out there. And there are lots of all vehicles. You just have to go get it. My current daily was 7 hours away to find. So…off I went.
How do you do it once the distance is that large? Fly out and rideshare to the dealership?
I can’t imagine any other method unless you’re trading in. Even if you were, say, buying a second F-150 you’d then have to drive somewhere to get a trailer just to load up the old one and bring it back…
And either way every dollar of your time (or spent on gas, rideshare, plane ticket, etc.) is just margin that could be spent on a closer one.
So, there are different ways, obviously. The first time I ever did it, I was able to pick up a very cheap stripper-model Tundra with a stick from Virginia 20 or so years ago. I flew to VA, took the train to Richmond (IIRC) and drove it home.
My most recent one I was able to find using specific parameters (it was used, so no accidents on CarWeasel, full service records online, etc.) and I wanted to go no further than 500 miles away. There were many on the West Coast, for instance. But that’s too far. So, I actually paid extra for a hotshot to get it to me and I legitimately had the rig in my driveway in about 24 hours.
I have done this three times. That Tundra? Sludge motor 3.4 that cost me a ton. I had an independent inspection on the second one and it was great, but the rust monster ate it. This new one? Mechanically perfect. But after inspecting it (and over time) I found that it had been in some sort of a fender bender that was minor, but also not reported. Short of taking off the bumper to view the bash bar, I don’t know if it could have been spotted by anyone anyway.
Look online in forums for places where the dealers are “good people.” I have been told of one I know in Florida that is OK-ish and I know someone in Cleveland that is the same. I am certain there are more.
I have a 2012 prius plug-in, bc when these were new it was sold as a ‘partial zero emissions vehicle’ in a handful of states for emissions compliance reasons, I bought used and this Is exactly what I did bc none were available anywhere close to my middle of America location, I flew to the closest one that looked really clean & at a great price, I took a lyft to the seller, had it checked out at an independent mechanic shop so I could have an impartial review on its condition. Made the decision to buy it & drove it 12 hours home. Costs to me… 1-2 days of my time & flight/hotel/food/fuel $600.
At the time of purchase searching all over the US I saved approx. $3-5k over similar plug-in Priis advertised, which isn’t nothing but not a huge difference. The biggest difference was that (12 hrs. away) was literally the closest clean condition one I could find.
So for me it worked out & overall was a good experience.
I would consider doing it again given similar circumstances, although I’d also consider buying remotely and having a car shipped too, as long as it checked out with an independent mechanic locally 1st to confirm condition was/is as advertised
I saw one on the highway a couple of days ago. I wasn’t sure that it was some other model that someone had added “Prius” to the rear end!
I have a 2020 AWD Prius and on a recent run from the Sacramento to Seattle area, I was convoying with a leadfoot. We were in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s for a lot of the trip and I got 48 MPG.
I wish I’d sprung for a gen 4 instead of the Prius v. I love the space, but not the horrors of long-term gen 3 ownership I apparently have to look forward to.
Well I have a 2012 so also Gen III now with +216k miles and so far (knock on wood) has been perfect.
Only work has been routine maintenance: wheel bearings, brakes and shocks/springs, fluid replacements
I got mine at 116k in 2019 and now I’m at 145k. Only extraordinary thing I’ve had done was getting the EGR system preventatively cleaned out.
It’s hard to get a clear number since it’s not an issue with a TSB or recall, and of course there’s a negativity bias, but you’d think from the Prius subreddit and PriusChat that every gen 3 is doomed to have a blown head gasket before 200k.
That, and concerns that a failed water pump (one of the 3? I don’t even know; researching this stuff gives me a headache) or brake accumulator lead to repairs more expensive than getting a new OEM HV battery.
I’m fully prepared to replace the HV battery when it needs it, but I dunno if I should be doing something about the brake accumulator or water pumps preemptively, or just “brace for impact” and be able to get them replaced the minute they show any trouble.
In all fairness, we did change a ton of headgaskets and water pumps on Gen 3 Priuses at the Toyota dealership where i used to work. It was a known fault. Gen 4’s however, had trouble with the exhaust heat exchanger until the 2020 MY that, if left unchecked, could result in a damaged engine. (Coolant leaking in exhaust..) You have a 2016 to 2019? Check that coolant level often!
The styling is indeed quite compelling. I read somewhere that the rake of the windshield might be problematic for taller drivers. Comments on your experience?
Also, the one irritating styling decision for me:
Design foreman – “Akio, you have been an excellent intern this summer. You have been polite and done a great job fetching miso soup for your colleagues. Before you go back to your last year of high school, we would like to reward you with the task of designing the rear door handles for our new masterpiece.”
Akio – “I am honoured, but I fear I might ruin this perfect car, it’s best I be modest and hide them somewhere where nobody will every find them or use them.”
*Sorry for the blatant stereotyping. I don’t mean to imply all young people make bad design decisions. /s
Hey now. I make a lot of really, really bad design decisions on a daily basis.
I have an ex-wife, so yes, we all do
I’m 5’7 and i fit perfectly. My 6’1 coworker that also have a gen 4 prime wasn’t able to get in the new Prime.
Guys, they made a Chevy Volt… 6 years late and 9 miles short. And if Toyota does its usual thing, they’ll almost exclusively sell the 39 mile XSE.
39 miles is not a lot, and neither is 44. I drive a Clarity with 48, and over the last 70k miles, only around 65% have been on battery power. According to the ICCT, that’s pretty typical for US real-world PHEV usage in this range bracket. 65% is better than 0%, sure, but if I were to replace my Clarity, I’d want more range, and the best this market has to offer is less range for more money.
I’ve been disappointed with PHEV development since 2019. The technological premise has so much potential. With advances in battery and engine tech, you’d expect longer range and more efficiency with the flexibility to work in more niche applications. But instead, what’s on the market (or Autotrader, at least) struggles to exceed 40 miles of range, typically languishes in the mid-30s for mpg, and they’re almost all premium crossovers in the $40-50k bracket. No trucks, nothing niche/oddball, no economy cars.
Manufacturers need to PHEV all the things, to bring prices down and effectiveness up, and they’re just… not.
The Prius Prime is a breath of fresh air, but that’s only because the PHEV market has become so horribly stale. The Prime isn’t any better than the Volt, Clarity, or i3, it just recaptures a bit of their spark.
The car I share with my wife is used for less than 20KM round trips a few times a week. Perfect BEV use case, especially as we could probably easily charge at home. But almost monthly we also need to do a 350-400KM round trip with no charging infrastructure on route or at destination. Also factoring in Ontario winter range. This PHEV, is probably the first real perfect match for our use case. I also appreciate that it is not an oversized crossover. It’s pretty much a Goldilocks choice for us and is going on our “when we finally have to buy a new car list”. I’m not happy about the price point, once converted to Canadian dollars, it’s going to be pretty steep. Hopefully by the time we get to needing to buy they will also clean up the tablet land with something a little nicer inside.
This is kinda how I feel. Everyone’s all about pushing PHEVs, but every PHEV seems to have the same estimated battery range they’ve had for years at a cost of ~20% more than a standard hybrid variant. With regular hybrids, we’re at least seeing the
the cost difference over a standard comparable nonhybrid RAV4/Accord/etc. become narrower or nil.
Not even quite a Volt, unfortunately. The Volt’s full power in electric-only mode. Even this Prius will kick on the ICE if you want full acceleration.
I had a “reservation” for a Prius Prime from a dealer in Phoenix. When I asked about pricing, the bastards wanted a $15,000 market adjustment (a 30% markup). Total with taxes and other bullshit was just over $60,000. Plus, Toyota has no tax rebate available. To hell with the Prius.
how far are you willing to drive? The good dealers are out there
People don’t want to work hard to buy products when they can buy almost as good products for the same price and a lot less work.
As long as people are willing to take “good enough,” that’s how you get mom and pop Chevy dealers on every corner peddling Equinoxes and Traverses with engines that go boom. Your point is correct…but it’s on them.
Nah, the Toyota dealer problem is on Toyota. That’s not to say other brands don’t suffer from similar issues for specific models, but to blame it on customers is ridiculous.
Expecting someone to drive an entire state away to be able to purchase a vehicle for MSRP is just ridiculous. It’s a Prius too, not a Ferrari or some limited edition 911.
So, you don’t know about franchise laws around the country, or….
And, you haven’t been paying attention to transaction prices over the last four years or so….
gotcha
So your answer is “We’ve tried nothing and we are all out of ideas?”
Gotcha. Man, I guess with your head so far up your ass, it probably is a bit hard to see that Toyota actually could at least try some things. I mean, at least Dodge tried some stuff when they released the Hellcat, and Ford has tried some stuff with the Maverick…
What is it; is Toyota this amazing company or are they a powerless victim to franchise laws?
I mean, your reply is dumber than the original post.
When you have a chance, let me know who is actively trying to take on dealers to stop things like ADM and all that. Remember, Tesla tried…and even they couldn’t get it to change in most states.
Ford has been able to accomplish nothing with the Maverick/Raptor/Bronco, and Dodge/Ram/Stellantis has been able to do nothing with anything desirable that they churn out. But it’s super cool that you want to bring your Angry Twitter Energy to this site. That shit’s not going to work, dunce.
So, got any concrete examples of all those domestic manufacturers that have taken on the dealers and won? I can wait all day.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I can change, and you can change, we all can change.
“Yo Adrian, we did it!”
Sales might be down because they aren’t making any. Just try and find one in a non-CARB state.
I assumed it was because the previous generation looked like it had rear-ended a truck carrying an oversize load of ugly sticks.
Honestly, it distresses me to realize how much of people’s car-buying decisions are made based on aesthetics. Truly, one of the only cars I actively dislike the appearance of is the Nissan Cube (back view), and I’d still take one if it was given to me.
The gen 4 Prius look doesn’t bother me at all, and I’ve heard that (gen 5 long-term pending of course) it’s the most mechanically reliable generation of Priuses.
Who wants to pay money to look at ugly every day?
I mean, for an individual model year of a given vehicle, I’ll have personal preferences for paint/interior color, and I’ll always do my best to keep my own vehicles fairly clean, inside and out, but…given the choice between an “ugly” Prius and a beautiful, but less fuel-efficient vehicle, I’ll take the Prius every time.
One annoying trend that Toyota isn’t immune to is adding bigger wheels to higher trim levels. The XSE models have 19″ rims while the base SE has 17s and better mileage, range and (I assume) ride comfort as well.
It’s one thing not being able to get leather or moonroof without the big wheels (not unusual for the market), but you’re locked out of some little creature comforts if you don’t step up to a model with 19s. Not that the SE (and LE for regular Prius) are sparsely equipped, but if you want heated seats or a power driver seat it’s another 3k plus the bigger wheels (or buy a Corolla Hybrid I guess, if you’re not going Prime). A Camry Hybrid by contrast you can equip moderately well in the entry LE trim.
I guess you could get the higher trim level, swap out for smaller wheels, and sell the originals for 50% of list price, and maybe break even? It’s one thing to do this on a luxury/sporty model, but this is a Prius, targeting customers for whom efficiency is supposed to be a high priority.
Right, a lot of effort that most probably won’t bother with, and that’s my thinking too – even heated seats are a common PHEV/BEV standard item to try and reduce the driver using the heater as much to help range.
All that said, my father has a 2017 Niro with the larger 18″ wheels which had the same hit to MPG estimates. Finding a used one with some options meant pretty much looking for ones with the bigger wheels as there weren’t many mid-spec ones out there which offered more options with the smaller wheels. It has mostly met or exceeded the EPA estimates (hand calculated), often touching the rating of the smaller wheels, which was a pleasant surprise, so perhaps the real world difference will be negligible. The new Niro makes it easier by making a Touring version of EX/SX trims that adds the larger wheels, at least on the standard hybrid; the PHEV doesn’t list different MPGe or range between the wheel options.
Yeah, that pisses me off, too. Okay, we get it, you’re shifting the focus to aesthetic. Maybe it makes business sense, but it’s stupid from this side. I’m not about to brag about tire size with my Prius.
My commute is about 45 miles each way, but was thankfully able to work from home during COVID and we are still allowed to WFH 50% of the time. If we ever return to the office full time, I’ll be trading in my gas-guzzling pickup for one of these.
I really, really, really wish they would find a way to add a manual transmission to these things.
Huh, I’ve never met a CR-Z owner before. How do you like it?
1g Insight, buddy. 300k miles, original engine, clutch, trans, and battery. Thing runs great. I am determined to kill it but I don’t know if I can.
It’ll likely outlive us all at this rate. The fender skirts always remind me of Cassette Futurism and the tomorrow promised by Demolition Man. I wish more vehicles had them.
But why? The eCVT is fantastic. You can barely find stories of them going bad, at least for earlier gen Priuses…wouldn’t a manual just be adding complexity/friction/inefficiency/etc.?
I love always being in the power band, no little blips or hesitations to change gears
I’m a stick guy but i absolutely love the fact that the Prius uses a CVT that won’t go bad like a CVT usually does. Very reliable transmission. Now if only it would have about 50 more horses and a LSD. My Prius Prime, with all it’s qualities, still sucks more then my Civic Si on snow/ice..
I just saw one of these in the wild for the first time last week and was impressed. This is about as good of a balance out there as I can think of. Hatchback for versatility, good EV range, fuel sipping when not in EV, and 6.7 seconds 0-60 is reasonably fast for a commuter car. If you have a short work commute and access to charging (which can really just be a dedicated plug for your level 1 charger), you’ll probably hardly ever use gas, but you won’t be dependent on the charging infrastructure. We need more cars like this.
This is the first Prius that I would consider buying. What a sweet-looking ride, and a fuel-miser to boot!
I wish the Prius C was still around. This tech in a smaller form-factor would be great for a city runabout. Too bad it would barely sell.
I like the concept of the Prius C for people who don’t need the space and recognize they don’t need the space, but at the same time I hate cars with a purely decorative second row.
The underhood pic on this looks pretty scary complex. However I can’t afford one anyway and by the time the used ones are affordable I’ll be too old to work on stuff. Very nice looking car and great engineering from Toyota.
Agreed. I took one look at that and I was like “woof. i would never want to work on that.”
That’s just because they didn’t put a plastic cover over everything. I don’t know how this one will turn out, but in the past they’ve been pretty easy cars to work on.
I’m not interested in a PHEV, give us at least the full BEV option. A six year old Bolt is better at not burning gasoline.
Yes, but how big is the battery (and the related emissions) needed to make a 2023 Bolt? https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/when-do-electric-vehicles-become-cleaner-than-gasoline-cars-2021-06-29/
Maximum yellow IS available in Canada. And would be my choice if I had the cash.
Why don’t they offer it down here? 🙁
Canadians have better taste. 😉
It’s the maple syrup glaze.
To boost sales next year when they do.
I really hope we get it next year
Please Toyota, apply the PHEV treatment to the Sienna! Or Honda too if you’re trading this!
PHEV all the things
This is the correct take.
yesssss!
Honda needs to bring back the i-MMD series PHEV powertrain from the Clarity and put it in absolutely everything.
As long as we’re daydreaming, I’d like that powertrain in a CR-Z. Give it the power and snappy throttle response it always deserved.
I legitimately get excited when I see the new Prius in the wild. What Bizarro world are we living in when I get hyped up to see a Prius? It’s weird and I’m not sure how to feel about it…but boy is it striking in person.
I’ve also said innumerable times that PHEVs are amazing and are the perfect solution for folks in urban environments who need extra range every now and then. I’m not surprised at all that you barely touched the gas tank in the press car. I think around 50 miles of pure EV range is the sweet spot for a lot of people and it seems like it’s more or less what manufacturers are aiming for at this point.
Hell my dad’s new X5 50e has nearly 50 miles of EV range! That’s nuts to me. Anyway if you want to reduce your emissions and save some money without all the BEV comprises PHEVs are great right now. They’re here! They’re available! They don’t cost $60,000…and I remain perplexed as to why we aren’t talking about them more.
This summer we did a 3,500 mile road trip in my 2016 X5 PHEV, including a couple of nearly 600mi days. Never could have done it in a pure EV. We were able to charge nearly every night at hotels, which helped with overall fuel economy. Performed really well on rural two-lanes even though it’s only a 4cyl 2.0L gas engine because the electric motor kicked in to aid in passing maneuvers – 55 to 85 in practically no time. Definitely will be looking for another PHEV next time I’m in the market for a new car. Now that I’m back home, I won’t need to visit a gas station for at least a month, since nearly 100% of my day-to-day driving is in EV mode.
Have the Grand Cherokee 4xe myself and this echos my experience. I use 0 gas during the week commuting, and I have a powerful spacious SUV for weekend road trips with no range anxiety. I bought it in May and have put gas in it once.
Did a similar length road trip in a Tesla this spring. Had no issue and did some 500+ mile days also. Long road trips are no problem for EVs like Tesla that have a good charging network. I would not want to try to do the trip I did this spring in a car stuck with CCS non-Tesla networks but the Tesla network is amazing and widespread. I charged overnight at hotels and at lunch and rest breaks. All over Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, and Oregon.
Also great for rural folks. Source: I know how to pronounce words like “Hoosier” and “Missouruh”.
I’m equally frustrated with the lack of attention PHEVs get, but I think it’s because they’re not actually cheaper or more available. On Autotrader, within a 200 mile radius of me, there are 893 PHEVs for sale and 2457 EVs. The cheapest EV is $25k (Leaf). The cheapest PHEV is $39k (Tuscon), which is more than an ID.4 Pro. The Tuscon should fit a wider audience than the ID.4 thanks to the drivetrain, but it’s not cheaper, and it’s not more available.
I blame the manufacturers for this. The premise of a PHEV has tons of potential. Do it right and you undercut and outperform every hybrid and EV at your price point. (See also: Volt, Clarity, i3.) But the manufacturers seem very content to make overpriced mediocrity that really isn’t very noteworthy.
I hope the Prius Prime can sell at low enough prices and high enough volumes to change this trend, but I’m not holding my breath.
It is mostly about the mfgs focusing on EVs over PHEVs. I was pretty disgusted when I heard that Ford’s recent annoucement about more Hybrids specifically standard and on Plug-ins. CA and states that follow their lead are going to force automakers into offering PHEVs since they only way they are currently planning on allowing an ICE in a car is in a PHEV with a min 50mi electric range.
That’s actually a good thing. They would only offer $75,000 V8 pickups and SUVs if they could get away with it.
Does the id4 pro actually exist in the wild tho?
This thing would look incredible as a wagon – bring back the Prius V!
+1
Patrick over here making me have to google “Punctum” :-/
They started it doing it first, and then I had to Google it too, if that makes you feel any better
It does, a little 😉
Now all they have to do is bring back the Prius V
Honestly, I think the Prius v is antithetical to this new generation…it sacrificed performance even more with the added weight. If this new one already has reduced headroom for both rows, I don’t see how the same design could be made into a spacious wagon, and certainly not maintaining the same speed.
I just want a Prius v with the gen 4 drivetrain, but apparently even the 2016-17 v’s kept the gen 3 drivetrain.
I hate to say it but the current Prius looks…decent?
Toyota has good hybrids right now…just not any you can go and actually buy. If they could get them on the lots, they would have a lot more sales.
I just took a look at my local dealer’s site to see what they had. 15 total new cars. The next closest dealership has 140, but only 17 are apparently on the lot. The rest are in transit, with probably 80% of those listed as “pending sale” already. And only 4 of those were the regular Prius. 3 of those pending sale too.
Terrible.
I’m still trying to figure out the whole hand-to-mouth inventory strategy Toyota is ostensibly implementing.
It’s called “Just-in-time delivery”
One dealer principal I know told me they’re saving a ton on floor planning (rates are up, obviously) and as long as cars are a bit in short supply it’s a good strategy. It’s gonna take a recession in the car biz to change the model.
That’s a good point; I don’t have to like it, but it makes sense. I also agree that this is what we’re going to get until there’s a sustained downturn in economic growth. It’s a hard time to be a car person.
Not going to lie, I got a little chuckle out of that. 🙂
I tried to go sit in the new Prius, but the local dealer can’t keep them on the lot. Which has definitely not been the case around here for previous iterations. And the Prime is even better.
If I were shopping today that would be my wife’s next car. (pending her approval)
Rocky IV is best Rocky for sure. It’s 80’s cheese done right.
As for the Prius, if I wasn’t rocking the van right now it would be my first choice for a commuter. PHEVs just make so much sense right now for so many more people than pure EVs. We’ve beaten it to death here, but getting small batteries into everyone’s commuters makes a whole lot more sense than taking all those resources and jamming them into a few thousand pickups.
Have you seen Rocky IV in the past 20 years? I ask because until I rewatched the whole series recently I would have agreed. The other movies still largely hold up today. Rocky IV? Not so much.
If you haven’t watched it in the past couple of decades I recommend you keep it that way and enjoy the rose-tinted memory. 🙂