Turns out a 60-percent horsepower increase has quite an effect.
ToyotaWhen Toyota revealed the design of the all-new Prius, we were hopeful. For the first time, the Prius looks not dorky, but athletic. Thanks to testing numbers from our friends at Car and Driver, we now know that it can back up those looks.
The new one sprinted to 60 in 7.1 seconds during C/D’s instrumented testing, a full 3.4 seconds less than the last Prius took to accomplish the same task. Credit the new 2.0-liter engine, that replaces the groaning 1.8, and upgraded motors and batteries. Total output for the system climbs to 194 hp, up from 121 hp.
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Opt for all-wheel drive and the Prius gets an extra 2 hp, plus some more traction off the line. We don’t have numbers for the all-wheel-drive model yet, but there’s a chance it could cross into the high six-second range. The last one took over 10 seconds to hit 60, so the generational change has been quite kind to the Prius. It’s gone from Eighties-hatchback slow to acceptably quick for a family hauler. Internal-combustion mainstream sedan buyers won’t feel like they’re getting a downgrade.
Those still unsatisfied by the Prius’ Civic Si-like output don’t need to turn away from the brand entirely, either. A plug-in hybrid Prius Prime is coming with 220 hp, promising a 0-60 sprint in the low six-second range. It wasn’t too long ago that those were hot hatch numbers. In a package that’ll have Toyota reliability and plug-in hybrid fuel savings, that’s hard to complain about.
Keyword: The 2023 Toyota Prius Is 3.4 Seconds Quicker to 60