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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsSneak Peek: All-New 2023 Toyota Prius
The new fifth-generation Toyota Prius is completely reimagined with added power and a legitimately brilliant design.
A New Old Hybrid
This past November Toyota unveiled the all-new fifth generation Prius at the LA Auto Show. Toyota has always been a conservative company, usually content with tinkering, incrementally improving their models generation to generation rather than making bold and uncertain leaps into the future.
The new 2023 Toyota Prius, then, is a major departure from precedent as it makes radical revisions to the car’s styling and major upgrades to its hybrid powertrain. In an increasingly competitive hybrid/EV space, the new Prius sheds its rep for oddball styling and lackadaisical acceleration, and in doing so again becomes the market go-to for shoppers prioritizing efficiency.
New Looks
Historically speaking, the Toyota Prius has never been a “good looking” car. Efficiency-friendly aerodynamics combined with try-hard design elements to produce a car only the defiantly anti-aesthetic could love (don’t believe me? Take a long look at the outgoing fourth-generation Prius).
The new 2023 Prius maintains the car’s classic wedge-on-wheels silhouette while simplifying the overall design. A new and fashionable light bar now adorns the back end which also finally sheds the Prius’ split window hatch for one continuous pane of glass. The rake from the front bumper was always exaggerated in the Prius but, in the fifth-gen car, seems to go on and on to the point that the new car resembles a right triangle, but in a good way. The front of the car also received an overhaul. The new Prius’ face is not just simpler and less busy, it is downright elegant.
Put simply, the next-gen Prius finally looks modern rather than just new.
New Powertrain
Toyota did not stop at visual updated to the Prius, either. Upgrades to the powertrain add significantly to power while also lending a modest boost in efficiency. A new 2.0L inline-four replaces the prior 1.8L engine while a new lithium-ion battery pack comes in for the old nickel hydride battery. This new system gives the regular hybrid Prius 194 horsepower in front-wheel drive or 196 horsepower when equipped with all-wheel drive. That is a huge jump from the 121 horsepower in the 2022 and means the new Prius can get from zero to sixty mph in roughly seven seconds, three seconds faster than the previous generation. Efficiency notches up one mpg to 57 combined.
The plug-in hybrid Prius Prime gets an even greater increase in horsepower, now boasting 220 hp and a 0-60 run of 6.6 seconds. More significantly, the Prius Prime makes major gains in electric-only range, up from 25 miles for the 2022 model to 38 miles for the new 2023 model.
Trims & Features
The hybrid Prius will be offered in three trim levels: LE, XLE, and Limited. As with prior Prii, the latest Prius is, at its core, utilitarian and as such the base trim level is spartan. It includes an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen and six USB-C ports. Like many other Toyota models, expect the new Prius to offer an expansive list of standard safety and driver assistance tech. The XLE trims adds items like heated front seats and keyless entry as well as options for the larger 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a glass roof. The Limited gets all these goodies while adding a JBL premium stereo system, a power liftgate, and parking assist to name just a few.
The Prius Prime comes in SE, XSE, and XSE Premium trims. Base features are similar here, but the Prius Prime SE gets a few additions like traffic jam assist (hands-free driving below 25mph) and a heated steering wheel. The XSE adds 19-inch wheels and heated seats among other features. The top trim XSE Premium gets some of the new car’s most compelling options like a solar panel roof and a digital rearview mirror.
Pricing & Release
Given the on-going struggles manufacturers are having getting new cars to market, it is not too surprising Toyota has not set a firm date for the 2023 Prius’ release. They tentatively plan on official release date and pricing for the Prius by the end of the year, with the Prius Prime to follow in early 2023. Given current pricing on the 2022 model year, we expect the new 2023 Prius to start with an MSRP of around $27,000 and the 2023 Prius Prime running at approximately $29,000 MSRP.
Those numbers plus increased efficiency, power, and eye-catching good looks redefine what we think of when we think of a Prius.
