Yahoo Autos 2023 Toyota Prius Prime First Drive Review: Looks great, goes like stink
CARLSBAD, Calif. – After coming to grips with a world in which a Toyota Prius is a cool, genuinely attractive car, it’s time to wrap your head around another doozy: the new 2023 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid is a genuinely quick car. It goes from 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds, a pace comparable to V6-powered midsize sedans and entry-level luxury sport sedans not too long ago. The old one hit 60 in 10.2 seconds, a pace comparable to the snails dotting the soggy sidewalks here in rainy San Diego county.
Perhaps leading off with acceleration times when reviewing the definitive hybrid is an odd choice, but it’s just as representative of the Prius Prime’s stunning transformation as the sleek new looks. Much like the standard Prius, no longer is achieving max efficiency enough. Lay into the throttle, and the 220-horsepower Prime delivers a solid shove into your seat as its electric motor and gas engine combine in a smoother, more seamless manner than before. Our first full-throttle application was on a fairly significant grade, and the pace with which we got up to speed resulted in an exclamation of “whoa!” It’s quick on paper and feels it from behind its chunky, nicely contoured wheel. There’s also less noise and smoother gas engine engagement than both previous-generation Toyota hybrid systems and some that share its fifth-generation system thanks to an added balancing shaft.
This is the Prius Prime, though, so you can do most of your driving without the engine coming on at all. Put the car in EV mode, and the electric motor can solely power the car up to 84 mph for either 44 miles in the SE trim or 39 miles in the XSE and XSE Premium trim levels. The old Prime could only manage 25. Acceleration isn’t as vigorous without the engine lending a hand, but it also doesn’t feel overburdened. The engine will still kick in if conditions or throttle applications demand, but it’ll be rare.
The HV/EV Auto Mode will more readily engage the engine when going up grades, attempting 0-60 runs or when cruising on the highway when engines are at their most efficient and EVs more rapidly lose range. The Hybrid mode, which is engaged once the all-electric capacity is exhausted, basically turns the Prime into a regular Prius, albeit with a bit more electric oomph at your command. That’s not a bad thing as it’ll achieve 52 mpg combined without that all-electric capacity, or if you can’t plug in for some reason. Once you do, it’ll take 11 hours to recharge the battery using the same 120-volt outlet you’d plug in a TV or toaster, or four hours using a 240-volt outlet or home charger. That should be fine considering most people recharge overnight, but the Kia Niro PHEV with its slightly smaller battery size and more powerful onboard charger can get it done in less than three hours.
Speaking of Kia’s little electrified crossover, it’s the Prius Prime’s only competitor now that the Chevy Volt, Hyundai Ioniq and, to a lesser extent, Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid have all bit the dust. It’s certainly an imperfect comparison given the different body styles, but the two are similarly priced plug-in hybrids. The Kia has a bigger, more family-friendly interior and better tech, while the Prius provides more range and is far more powerful than the Niro PHEV, which is just as snail-like as the old Prime (though its six-speed automatic makes it feel quicker and more pleasant in terms of noise).
Besides the Prime relying more on its electric motor and slicing a half-second off the regular Prius 0-60 time, the Prime drives just as surprisingly well. The steering is rather numb, but there’s appropriate, consistent weighting and sufficient precision. Body motions are nicely controlled, and the ride is comfortable. Any thought that this quicker, sleeker new Prius is fun to drive should be checked at the door, but it’s not depressing, and that’s enough.
Visual differences are slight. There’s a nifty, new font for the Prime badge on the tail and unique wheels, 17-inch on SE and 19-inch on the XSE and XSE Premium. There are also subtle trim differences on account of the Prime only being available in those sporty SE trim levels that you can’t get at all on the standard Prius. Unlike other Toyota SE trim levels, though, there are no chassis changes made to sportify it apart from an additional front structural brace on the XSEs. Engineers say it was added because the 19-inch wheels imply a greater emphasis on performance.
