First, some bad news. That glorious mustard color seen on the global model won’t make it to America for 2023. It’s a shame, it would save taxi companies the cost of a respray at the very minimum. Still, there’s plenty exciting about the new Prius that a lack of yellow paint will seem quite minor. Since the Prius has always been about fuel economy, fans will love to learn that the new car should be capable of 57 mpg combined, a strong figure for a series parallel hybrid. Best of all, that fuel economy comes hand-in-hand with increased performance, like 194 horsepower and zero-to-sixty in 7.2 seconds. Opt for all-wheel-drive, and that time falls to seven seconds flat while horsepower rises to 196.
Since the traditional hybrid Prius is considered the mainstream version, Toyota’s kept things classy with LE, XLE, and Limited trims. While the published equipment list is a bit short on the LE trim, it’s thoughtful and includes a faux-leather steering wheel, an eight-inch infotainment system, and six USB-C ports. Step up to the XLE trim and you’ll see a big jump in equipment. After all, XLE is Toyota-speak for Executive Luxury Edition, so expect such fancy features as wireless charging, heated seats, a digital rearview mirror, a smart key, and 19-inch wheels. A glass roof, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and digital key functionality are optional on XLE trim, but they’re all standard on the Limited model. Speaking of the top-dog Prius, it also gets a JBL audio system, ventilated front seats, and a power tailgate, with advanced parking assistance, a panoramic camera system, heated rear seats, and a digital rearview mirror all on the options list.
If you have reasonable access to a plug socket, the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime seems like a bit of a no-brainer. Not only does it put out a stout 220 horsepower, good for a zero-to-sixty time of 6.6 seconds, it’s not full-on hot hatch territory, but it’s firmly in the warm hatch realm. There’s more good news for enthusiastic drivers, as the hip point’s been lowered by almost an inch over the outgoing car. Toyota’s very clearly positioning the Prime as the quick Prius, so it’s available in SE, XSE, and XSE Premium trims. Equipment on Prius Prime trim levels largely mirrors that on regular Prius trim levels, with a few exceptions. The basic SE Prius Prime adds a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, and traffic jam assist over a standard Prius LE, the latter working as a hands-free Level 2 advanced driver assistance system at speeds below 25 mph. Move up to the XSE trim and the equipment list gets considerably longer than on the Prius XLE. We’re talking unique 19-inch wheels, special heated and perforated faux-leather seats, and clear tail lights for a sleek look. Mind you, the Prius Prime XSE doesn’t get a digital rearview mirror, a bit of a blessing considering how terrible they are.
Moving all the way up to the Prius Prime XSE Premium, it’s largely similar to the luxury contents of the Prius Limited and the appearance bits of the Prius Prime XSE, with two big exceptions. A digital rearview mirror remains optional for the Prius Prime XSE Premium, while a solar roof joins the options list. Not only does that solar roof slowly recharge the car’s battery pack, it can also power accessories like the air conditioning when on the move. As for paint, both the Prius and the Prius Prime share a similar color palette. Wind Chill Pearl white, Cutting Edge silver, Guardian Grey, Black and Supersonic Red. Non-plug-in models get the added color of Reservoir Blue, but that’s about it as far as colors go. Given the popularity of the bright Blue Magnetism color on the outgoing Prius Prime, it’s a bit surprising to see Toyota avoiding fun colors for the most part.
Curiously, both regular and plug-in Prius models will wear Toyota’s Beyond Zero badge despite not being battery electric vehicles or fuel cell electric vehicles. So what gives? Well, Toyota claims that the 2023 Prius is their first model to be carbon neutral, which should reduce its total lifetime environmental footprint from manufacturing to recycling. While pricing for the 2023 Toyota Prius hasn’t been announced yet, it looks like we don’t have long to wait. Toyota plans on releasing pricing and an on-sale date for the regular Prius before 2023 rolls around, while the Prius Prime will have a slight delay with pricing and an on-sale date to be announced in the first half of 2023. If Toyota plans to keep pricing relatively close to the current model, the new Prius should be an absolute winner. Between sleek design, claimed efficiency, and a big power bump, it’s not here to ess around. All photos courtesy of Toyota
- Insert orb. 2. Panic as orb disappears, unreachable. 3. Tell skeptical ER nurse he fell on it.
Dealers in the US make every part of buying a new car worse.
I do wish they offered a real freaking color though. I almost want to spend $50k just get a Lexus in Nori Green Metallic. Also wish you could get a brown interior or something. Don’t want black. Don’t want the “white” the current Prius has.
ATTN: Toyota Management – Do you like money?
Make the GR Prius plug-in we know you could make.
I have never in my life considered a Prius, but this thing is amazing as is. I would buy the theoretical hot hatch version of this car immediately at full MSRP. Many others would as well.
So, in the RX 500h and the Crown Hybrid Max, there’s a 6-speed automatic with a single motor (I believe 64 kW) in the bellhousing. (I actually think this is a step back from Toyota, but this is their performance hybrid system built to hold up to high-torque turbocharged engines.) It’s paired with a 2.4T at 268-271 hp, and an ~80 kW rear motor.
I doubt the 2.4T will fit, however. But, there’s a related suitable engine already in Toyota’s lineup, that definitely fits in a Prius (because it fits in a Yaris, and they’re also selling it in the Corolla that’s closely related to the Prius): the GR Yaris/Corolla’s 1.6T. It has a bit less torque than the 2.4T, but similar or better power.
Then, there’s three choices for the rear motor: the ~30 kW one that the regular Gen 5 Prius gets, the ~40 kW one that things like the RAV4/NX 350h/450h+ and Highlander/RX 350h/450h+ gets, or the ~80 kW one from the original 2.4T hybrid applications.
Then it’s a matter of getting a powerful enough battery in, and once that’s done, you’re looking at well over 300 hp, probably over 350 hp.
I’d also make the solar roof available as an option on all trims. Doesn’t matter that it never recoups its option price, it’s green, baby!
According to The Internet, a typical residential solar panel generates around 2 kwh of electricity per day and measures around 5.5 x 3.5 feet. My Leaf gets around 4.5 miles per kwh of electricity, so this 2 kwh would add around 9 miles of range. I assume a Prius is similarly efficient.
The Prius solar roof is smaller than a residential solar panel (I think?), so it will produce less output than a typical residential solar panel in the same conditions. More importantly, the Prius will receive less sunlight, since residential solar panels are located in positions where sun exposure is optimized, and cars often park in areas with shade (garages, under trees, in the shadows of buildings, outdoors at night, etc.). The Internet (again, I don’t know if this is correct) says that a solar panel will produce around 25% as much electricity on a cloudy day, so the lack of direct sunlight is going to reduce output (and added range) substantially. Between smaller panels and non-optimized conditions, it is hard to image the solar roof would produce anywhere near 2 kwh per day. I think even 1 kwh per day is almost certainly optimistic. Again, my Leaf gets around 4.5 miles per kwh, so it seems like 4-5 miles of range might be the absolute upper limit under ideal conditions (i.e. you live in the desert and always park outdoors), and added range in real-world situations will likely be substantially less (i.e. maybe one mile added range per day, assuming the car is parked outside most of the time). I’m wildly speculating here, but I don’t think the solar roof is going to meaningfully add range in real world use. It is still a cool idea, though. Literally so if that is how you power the A/C after the car has sat all day parked in the hot summer sun.
