Finally, A Prius With Pizazz

The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime is rather more than merely the subsequent technology of the model’s standard plug-in hybrid. Its styling and efficiency are so un-Prius-like that it compelled me to evaluate it by completely different requirements than I’ve when testing Prius Prime automobiles of earlier years. 

Since its inception in 1997, Toyota has offered tens of millions of Priuses. Nonetheless, styling and efficiency have by no means been thought of a number of the car’s finest attributes. After peaking in 2012, US Prius gross sales have quickly declined in recent times for a number of causes. Toyota’s different choices are partly accountable for falling Prius gross sales because the hybridization of the model’s different fashions has made them extra engaging to patrons in search of environment friendly transportation.

Moreover, rising electrical car gross sales might have additionally performed an instrumental position in Prius’ latest decline. So Toyota stepped up its recreation and created a Prius like no different, one which’s extra fashionable, extra highly effective, and extra environment friendly than any earlier Prius: Enter the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime.

First off, Toyota’s designers killed it, and I imply that in one of the best ways. The styling on the brand new Prius is just beautiful, full cease, and I’m nonetheless having a tough time accepting that I’m saying that. However Toyota didn’t cease there, the brand new Prius Prime additionally has 99 horsepower extra – an unimaginable 82 p.c improve over final 12 months’s mannequin, which fully modifications the car’s driving dynamics.

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Prime Propulsion

Toyota’s second-generation TNGA-C platform underpins the Prime, which brings a decrease heart of gravity, decreased weight, and elevated rigidity in comparison with the earlier automobile. The 13.6-kilowatt-hour, high-voltage lithium-ion battery is 55 p.c bigger than the 8.8-kilowatt-hour pack within the outgoing Prime and is positioned below the rear seat. Toyota has additionally moved the gasoline tank barely ahead to enhance the car’s weight distribution and dealing with. 

Entrance unbiased MacPherson struts and a multi-link rear suspension present wheel management, with stabilizer bars entrance and rear for decreased lean. It really works, and whereas the Prius Prime received’t seemingly stroll away with many trophies out of your native weekend autocross occasions, its steering really feel, stability, and total dealing with are a lot better than another Prius I’ve ever pushed. 

The Prius Prime’s 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine places out 150 hp and 139 pound-feet of torque and when mixed with the 161 hp everlasting magnet synchronous electrical motor has a complete output of 220 hp. That’s ok to propel the Prius Prime from a standstill to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, which is a drastic enchancment over the ten.2 seconds it takes the 121 hp, 105 lb-ft, 2022 Prius Prime to perform the identical feat.

Driving Vary And Charging

The 13.6-kWh battery pack can propel the entry-level Prius Prime SE an EPA-rated 44 miles per cost, with the XSE and XSE Premium rated barely decrease at 39 miles because of the wheel sizes and weight. The SE comes with 17-inch wheels and 195/60R17 tires and the XSE and XSE Premium with bigger 19-inch wheels carrying 195/50R19 sneakers. 

I used to be in a position to conduct the InsideEVs 70-mph freeway vary check with the 2023 Prius Prime throughout the first drive occasion, and the XSE Premium that we examined went 34 miles at 70 mph within the rain earlier than its gasoline engine turned on. It was raining fairly onerous throughout the drive and we determine that in all probability shaved not less than a mile or two from the tip end result.

Subsequently, I consider the Prime would have gotten fairly near its EPA vary score driving at 70 mph if it wasn’t raining, which is encouraging. Driving at decrease speeds in higher circumstances, I feel 50 miles of all-electric driving vary is definitely attainable after my freeway vary check. 

The Prius Prime has a 16-amp onboard charger and takes roughly 4 hours to completely recharge when plugged right into a 240-volt supply. It would take roughly 11 hours when utilizing the equipped 120-volt degree 1 charging twine that Toyota offers with the car. As with most plug-in hybrids, the Prius Prime isn’t able to accepting energy from a DC quick charger. 

Decide Your Efficiency

There are 4 drive modes within the front-wheel drive Prius Prime: Sport, Regular, Eco, and Customized, which permits the driving force to configure particular person drive settings to their liking. Moreover, so long as the high-voltage traction battery isn’t depleted, the driving force can then choose in the event that they wish to drive in all-electric mode (EV) mode, hybrid mode (HV), or auto mode (Auto EV/HV) through which the car decides what mode is your best option for max effectivity at the moment. 

Not like another plug-in hybrid automobiles we’ve examined, the Prius Prime will keep in all-electric mode even below onerous acceleration. I may simply full the InsideEVs 70-mph vary check with out the combustion engine becoming a member of in till the battery was exhausted, because the Prius Prime can drive as much as 84 mph in EV mode. 

There may be noticeably much less energy in EV mode, as the utmost output of the electrical motor is 161 hp. You additionally don’t get that neck-snapping on the spot soar ahead that electrical automobiles are recognized for as quickly as you press the go pedal. Nonetheless, the Prius Prime applies the facility in a linear trend and the car does pull strongly till you attain freeway speeds in EV mode. 

If you’d like a extra spirited driving expertise at freeway speeds, you’ll wish to drop the Prime into hybrid mode and permit the combustion engine to hitch in so you possibly can take full benefit of the car’s accessible 220 hp. 

Gimme A Brake

Toyota employed a blended regenerative braking system within the Prius Prime that mixes each lift-off vitality recuperation in addition to growing the regenerative braking pressure when miserable the friction brake pedal. 

When the car is positioned in Drive, the lift-off regeneration is noticeable, however not very sturdy. To extend the quantity of brake regeneration the driving force can shift the car into the B driving mode (braking mode) by pushing the shifter to the precise and pulling again. Doing so dramatically will increase the quantity of lift-off regenerative braking pressure.

Nonetheless, there are different methods to control the quantity of regenerative braking. By deciding on the Sport driving mode the car will improve its brake regeneration to a stronger degree than is it in Regular or Eco drive modes. 

And if the proprietor is actually specific about how a lot regen they get, they will additionally select three completely different ranges of brake regeneration ranges from the settings tab on the driving force’s show. After biking by various screens, you arrive on the regenerative brake setting that lets you select from three ranges of “deceleration”. The one drawback with this setting is that it’ll reset each time the car is turned off. A Toyota rep advised me they’re engaged on an replace that can enable that setting to stay, however at launch, it is not going to. 

I can’t think about taking the time to scroll by the settings each time I drive the automobile simply to regulate the regen. Selecting drive or B driving mode mixed with the completely different driving modes gives sufficient flexibility to get the extent of regenerative braking pressure to go well with most drivers’ preferences.

Inside The Prius Prime

Sitting within the Prius Prime’s driver’s seat jogged my memory of the bZ4X as a result of the driving force’s show is about up larger than normal and is supposed to be seen from above the highest of the steering wheel. That compelled me to regulate the seat larger than I initially deliberate to and in addition decrease the steering wheel a bit. With out these changes, the highest of the steering wheel was smack-dab in the course of the show. The bZ4X has an identical format, though I want the aesthetics of the Prius Prime’s design rather more.

The entrance seats are agency and supportive, holding the driving force in place greater than any Prius seat I’ve sat in prior to now. The seats are additionally accented with crimson piping, which provides to the sporty really feel of the cabin. The Prius Prime SE comes with an 8.0-inch heart show, and a big 12.3-inch show is offered on the XSE and commonplace on the XSE Premium. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are commonplace on all variations, however a digital rearview mirror is just accessible as an choice on the XSE Premium. 

The buttons to disable and allow traction management, choose the drive modes, brake maintain, and EV/HV modes are positioned on the middle console. There’s additionally a drop-in wi-fi cellphone charger that I discovered to be positioned within the good place and intensely user-friendly. I don’t perceive why extra automakers don’t make use of this identical kind of resolution for wi-fi cellphone charging as a result of it really works so effectively. 

The rear seating is comfy for 2, however just a little cramped for 3 adults. The rear headroom will even be an issue for tall adults and gives practically an inch lower than the 2022 Prius Prime. I’m solely 5-foot-8 and sitting upright within the rear seat I may really feel my hair touching the headliner.

Rear seat headroom within the 2023 Prius Prime

That is an instance of how the brand new Prius has developed from the earlier 12 months’s fashions and the brand new styling has prioritized type over perform.

One other instance of that’s within the cargo house. The brand new Prius Prime has an EPA-rated cargo quantity of 20.3 cubic ft behind the rear seats, and 26.7 cubic ft with the seats folded down.  That’s significantly lower than the 36.6 cubic ft of whole cargo house accessible within the outgoing mannequin. 

Security First

All variations of the Prius Prime have Toyota’s Security Sense 3.0 and are filled with commonplace security techniques. Security Sense 3.0 options embody a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, steering help, radar-controlled adaptive cruise management lane tracing and lane change help, and a entrance site visitors help amongst different options.

The excellent news is that the majority accessible security options will come commonplace on all Prius Prime, apart from the panoramic view monitor together with a 360-degree overhead view (accessible solely on XSE Premium) and entrance and rear parking help which is non-compulsory on the SE, and commonplace on XSE and XSE Premium. 

Moreover, Toyota’s new Site visitors Jam Help is offered with a subscription as soon as the trial interval expires) on all Prius Prime fashions. Site visitors Jam Help is a radar-based system that can principally drive the car itself in stop-and-go site visitors at speeds below 25 mph. The system is designed to make driving in site visitors jams much less irritating. Sadly, I couldn’t check out this new function in our time with the car, however I’m trying ahead to doing so within the close to future and reporting on how efficient Site visitors Jam Help is. 

The Value Of A Prime

The Prius Prime SE begins at $33,445 together with a $1,095 vacation spot price however we suspect it will likely be extraordinarily troublesome to come up with one for that worth. Toyota has solely dedicated to creating a complete of 15,000 Prius Prime per 12 months initially for the US market so availability will seemingly be a difficulty. Leaping as much as an XSE will add $3,250 and convey the MSRP to $36,695 whereas the XSE Premium will set you again $40,295, together with vacation spot.

With as much as 44 miles of electrical driving vary and a mixed EPA gasoline financial system of round 50 miles per gallon (52 for SE and 48 for XSE and XSE Premium), the brand new Prius Prime will progressively sip the really useful 87-octane gasoline and electrons effectively. We may simply see house owners averaging effectively over 100 miles per gallon of gasoline if they can plug in throughout the day and cost up a bit between driving journeys.

That’s fairly good for a plug-in hybrid that may additionally scoot to 60 in below seven seconds. Whereas we all know a number of the InsideEVs trustworthy will complain that Toyota ought to have additionally provided a BEV model of the Prius, and I personally want that have been the case, the brand new Prius Prime will attraction to a large viewers, and I doubt Toyota will any drawback promoting each one they make. 

It’s not only a higher Prius Prime, it’s actually a very completely different automobile with completely different priorities. Effectivity, being the hallmark of the Prius identify, stays, however aside from that, the brand new Prius Prime doesn’t resemble what we’ve come to count on from a Prius. It prioritizes styling over perform and locations an emphasis on the driving expertise, one thing that simply wasn’t current in any earlier Prius provided.