Ugly Duckling becomes a swan that can swim 44 miles on a charge.
- The new Prius Prime adds almost 100 hp to 220, increases electric-only range to 44 miles, and manages to look darn nice doing it.
- Increased efficiencies everywhere mean more miles in gas or EV modes.
- Prices will start at $33,445 when it comes out in May.
It wasn’t long after the original Toyota Prius came out in 1997 that engineers and inventors started thinking of ways to add a bigger battery to the groundbreaking hybrid so it could go farther on electricity alone. Remember, in 1997 there were none of the fancy BEVs we have now—there was no Mercedes EQS, Audi e-tron, or Tesla Model Anything.
There was only a minimalist number of science experiments like the GM EV1, Honda EV Plus, and the Nissan Altra for battery-electric cars; for hybrids there was the Honda Insight. Anyone recall the Solectria Sunrise?
Prius Prime is lookin’ fine…
Toyota
By the time the second-gen Prius came out, you could double your then-Prius’ range by adding an aftermarket battery pack that fit into the spare wheel hiding spot under the rear floorboards. I saw one at the LA auto show. It was not on fire. The maker claimed it boosted range to an astounding 12 miles.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Toyota itself offered more battery range in the Prius when it came out with the “Prius Plug-In Hybrid” that gave you a whopping 11 miles of EV range, more if you hyper-miled or rolled downhill. The first vehicle called the Prius Prime came out in 2016 and more than doubled EV-only range to a then-spectacular 25 miles, as well as returning 54 mpg in hybrid mode and a then-and-still-gobsmacking 133 MPGe.
Now, for the 2023 model year, we get the new Prius Prime you see here, a hybrid car that Toyota estimates will return 44 miles on electricity alone, while offering 220 ground-pounding horsepower, and look darn good doing it.
“Right off the bat, as everyone undeniably saw when we revealed it last year, it’s sexy,” says Toyota’s VP of marketing Michael Tripp.
That slippery exterior is pulled through the air by two electric motors—one an electric generator called Motor Generator 1 to charge the battery and start the gas engine—and a 161-hp electric Motor Generator 2 to propel the car forward and gather regenerated electricty when the car is slowing down. The electric motors get their juice from a 13.6-kWh lithium-ion battery, and they are mated to a 150-hp 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
In this price range the offerings are almost all crossover/utility vehicles.
Together they make 220 hp, 99 more than this Prius Prime’s predecessor. Toyota has labeled all of the above elements the Hybrid Synergy Drive, the name for the automaker’s fifth-gen hybrid powertrain. And it works! The new car’s 0-60-mph time is a respectable-for-a-hybrid 6.6 seconds.
The best thing about the 2023 Prius Prime is it’s actually pleasant to drive. No longer do you have to be slightly embarrassed, or give up all hope of finding a mate, just because you are driving an efficient car. The driver’s seat is comfortable enough, though I myself like more tilt in the seat bottom cushion (maybe I’m the exception).
No one we’ve talked to who has seen the new car has disagreed with that assessment. What a revolutionary notion: Make a car that looks good! Someone alert BMW. The looks also return a coefficient of drag of just 0.27.
Funky dash layout reminds us Prius was once funky.
Toyota
The steering wheel adjusts nicely but rather than staring through it to see the instrument gauges, you look instead up over the top of the wheel to an instrument binnacle perched right about where you’d expect a head-up display to be. It’s a bit odd but you get used to it, and Toyota doesn’t have to install an expensive HUD.
To your right, centered atop the dash, is a 12.3-inch horizontal infotainment display with everything you need to stay informed and entertained while you drive. That includes the now-requisite wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. Or you can say, “Hey Toyota” to get Connected Service Drive Connect, which takes you to Intelligent Assistant, Cloud Navigation, Destination Assist, and Cloud Navigation.
The screeen responds to either voice or touch commands. Then, you can connect two Bluetooth-enabled phones into the system and choose from either one. If you’re willing to pay for it, Prius Prime also offers Wi-Fi Connect that gives you 4G connectivity for up to five devices.
Overall, the interior looks much less crowded than the previous Prius Prime, with that simple infotainment display as the centerpiece and the rest of the dash uncluttered.
Step on the gas and, if you’re in EV mode, all you hear is… nothing. If the gasoline engine comes on, which it does automatically in Hybrid EV Mode when the car thinks that would be most efficient, the sound of the gas-fed four-cylinder engine is a little startling. It may even sound a little raspy. But this phenomenon seems to occur with most hybrids, from Fiskers to Fords. The jump from the quiet serenity of electric propulsion to the harsh reality of gasoline explosions comes on suddenly. But again, you get used to it.
And by the way, that 6.6-second 0-60 time is 35% quicker than the previous plug-in Prius’ time of 10.2 seconds. To get the most out of driving this rig, switch the drive mode to Sport. It’s not just a marketing slogan—the car really changes character and feels a lot more lively or, as Toyota says, it “enhances dynamic performance and acceleration.”
New Prius Prime with Super Sonic Red interior trim.
Toyota
The new Prius Prime is longer, lower, and wider than the car it replaces, with a lower center of gravity. All that helps give the sporty feeling you’ll notice in Sport mode. It’s also lighter and stronger, with aluminum hood and brake calipers adding lightness.
Is it the car for you? Prices will range from $33,445 to $40,265 when it starts arriving in dealer showrooms here in May. Granted, if money were no object there are many PHEVs on the market worth considering for an even-more sporty feel. But in this price range the offerings are almost all crossover/utility vehicles. The Prius Prime’s lower center of gravity, combined with its relatively sporty 220 hp propelling its 3461-to-3571-pound curb weight mean it will outperform most PHEV crossovers. Plus, it looks so dang sexy.
Mark Vaughn Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed Ford, all its products and everyone who ever worked there.
Keyword: 2023 Toyota Prius Prime Gets Looks—and Legs