There was as soon as a time when the mere point out of the Toyota Prius elicited laughter and prompted remarks like “A Prius? Critically?” from individuals who didn’t know any higher. Not any longer. The fifth-generation Prius is the most effective wanting and strongest the hybrid has been in its 23-year historical past, and after driving one round for over every week, I get why house owners are so loyal to the Prius. I additionally perceive why Toyota appears to be taking its candy time getting in on totally electrical automobiles. When your hybrids are this good, why rush right into a market that isn’t totally prepared but?
Full Disclosure: Toyota lent me a 2024 Prius for every week to get round in. Except for driving it over 400 miles spherical journey to and from SEMA in Las Vegas, I drove it although mud storms and ate means an excessive amount of meals within it. (Don’t fear, I didn’t depart a large number.)
The Prius obtained a surprising redesign for the 2023 mannequin 12 months. I’m not exaggerating once I say surprising, both. I attended the mannequin’s debut in Los Angeles in late 2022, and there have been audible gasps when the automobile was revealed. The fifth-gen Prius rides on Toyota’s TNGA-C platform that’s shared with different fashions just like the Corolla and Lexus UX, and it’s two inches decrease, an inch longer and an inch wider than the earlier technology.
You’ll be able to inform detailed care was taken with the Prius redesign by wanting on the entrance fascia. Skinny LED lights have higher ends that run into the entrance fenders, the place they get intersected by a small, blade-like lip I’m assuming is for aerodynamics. A singular decrease bumper design with built-in lights and a decrease entrance grille full the entrance fascia.
The entrance of the Prius appears nice, however the rear is its greatest angle. A crimson led mild bar runs the width of the trunk. Beneath which might be small backup lights. It doesn’t matter what colour you select, nearly all of the rear window is black, which can or is probably not factor relying on who you’re. The decrease bumper will get extra black trim and small reflector lamps.
Viewing the Prius from the aspect actually places into perspective how swoopy this new mannequin is. One of the crucial excessive components of the Prius’ design is its windshield, which is raked at a wild supercar-like 21.6 levels. To place that into perspective, Inexperienced Automotive Experiences says that’s simply half a level off the Lexus LFA’s windshield angle.
The perfect a part of all of this consideration to design and element is that it received’t break the financial institution. The Prius is on the market in three trim ranges (LE, XLE, Restricted) with the choice of all-wheel drive on each. I used to be despatched a front-wheel-drive Prius XLE. Together with $1,095 vacation spot cost, the XLE begins at $32,190. The largest choices on my tester have been the Supersonic Crimson paint for $425, the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen for $735, and the mounted glass roof for $1,000, which introduced the whole to a still-not-bad $35,532.
One other shocker with the Prius redesign was within the powertrain division. The Prius has by no means been identified for velocity or energy, regardless of its house owners in some way all the time dashing down the freeway, however Toyota lastly gave us a Prius that would sustain with visitors. Toyota dropped in a 2.0-liter inline-4 and paired it with a brand new lithium-ion battery pack. The result’s 194 horsepower, and also you get two further horses in case you go together with all-wheel drive. Whereas that may not sound like lots, it’s a giant deal within the Prius given the earlier technology had simply 121 hp.
The brand new Prius is the quickest it’s ever been, too. Now you can hit 60 mph in 7 seconds, or 7.2 seconds with all-wheel drive. That’s an enormous enchancment over the past technology. Unbiased testing exhibits the earlier Prius might hit 60 mph in 10.8 seconds, which is just about “finally.” This makes for a driving expertise that may be surprisingly enjoyable, in an surprising, “Oh wow I can safely merge onto the freeway” type of means.
Contained in the Prius you’re greeted with a cabin that’s a pleasant place to spend time in. Gone is the outdated automobile’s vertically oriented touchscreen, middle gauge cluster show that additionally confirmed issues like local weather management, and peculiar bottom-of-the-dash gear shifter. Now the Prius has a horizontally oriented 12.3-inch touchscreen (an eight-inch unit is customary), a digital gauge cluster in entrance of the driving force, a extra conventional shifter within the middle console and precise bodily controls for local weather and seat heating.
One of many best components of the inside is the wi-fi telephone charger, which is probably going the most effective wi-fi charger any automaker has ever designed. Located proper alongside the gearshifter, Toyota designers made a wi-fi telephone charger that your telephone drops into. It’s like placing a Pop-Tart right into a toaster. As soon as in, your telephone snaps in place. And it’s not all the time on; on the entrance of the slot on the forefront is a small energy button together with a inexperienced indicator mild. Provided that you press that button will the charger be on. When off, the slot is solely a terrific place to carry your telephone.
Beginning the Prius is straightforward sufficient. Whenever you press the starter button on the sprint, except for the beeps and chimes of system checks, you’re greeted with silence because the automobile begins in EV mode. The engine solely cranks on startup in case you instantly use the heater or air-con. Toyota has been constructing hybrids for therefore lengthy now that it has them mainly perfected, and also you hardly discover the transition between electrical and fuel operation. There’s no thump or clunkiness when the methods change, you simply hear the engine begin up. The additional energy from the hybrid drive system offers it a little bit of a pep while you get on the throttle for passing or stoplight races.
One thing that threw me for a loop when driving the Prius was simply how good its dealing with was. I’m fairly certain if it had the best wheel and tire mixture and about 35 extra horsepower, this factor can be a cheap sizzling hatch. Fortunately Toyota really offers us that within the 220-hp Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, you’ll simply should put some aftermarket wheels on it.
Talking of economical, fuel mileage was stellar, in fact. Driving to Las Vegas from Southern California I averaged barely higher than Toyota’s estimates at 54 mpg general. Even with a little bit of quicker driving after stopping for some meals and realizing I used to be on a time crunch, I nonetheless managed 41 mpg.
The Prius’ hybrid brilliance wasn’t sufficient to maintain various downsides from souring the expertise a bit. The brand new design positively makes the Prius a looker, however that quick roofline prices you within the inside headroom and rear visibility departments. Headroom entrance and rear is down simply over an inch in comparison with the earlier Prius, and it’s most likely worse in case you’re taller otherwise you go for the glass roof. Rear visibility will not be nice, and due to the C-pillars and rear window design, you solely have a slim view out the again. A dwell feed rear digicam would work effectively right here. Sadly you need to spend a bit extra to get it because it’s solely out there on the top-of-the-line Prius Restricted.
Shared with the bZ4X, the steering wheel design is without doubt one of the worst I’ve seen in any automobile. Its hub is weirdly formed and the wheel itself is surprisingly small, much more so in case you’re somebody who has enormous fingers like me. The speedometer, whereas now not positioned within the middle of the sprint, is now correctly in entrance of the driving force. Nonetheless, it’s pushed away from the driving force and nonetheless up close to the windshield for causes I’m undecided of.
The gear shifter additionally would possibly take a studying curve for some regardless of being in a greater location. Like within the outdated Prius, it’s digital and never a traditional in-line PRNDL setup. Park is its personal separate button, reverse is to the left and up, impartial is to the left and requires a number of seconds held in that place earlier than it engages, and drive is to the left and down. B, Toyota’s place for decrease gears, is simply straight again.
The four-cylinder engine will not be clean or refined in any respect, both. Underneath full throttle or in Sport mode, it’s coarse and loud, and the CVT transmission simply emphasizes the engine’s drone much more. There’s a button for the devoted EV mode, but it surely’s largely pointless. The Prius already defaults to EV mode at low speeds, underneath sure situations when cruising at freeway speeds, or as I discussed earlier than, upon preliminary startup. Having a separate EV mode toggle is senseless as a result of the edge for the mode is so low. So long as the battery has sufficient cost, you’ll be able to interact EV mode, however hit 25 mph or give it an excessive amount of throttle and the mode deactivates. Lastly, I don’t know if this can be a Prius factor generally or one thing that was weirdly distinctive to my check automobile, however the B-pillar had a ton of static electrical energy. There was a lot of it that the hairs on the higher a part of my arm have been continuously standing anytime I used to be behind the wheel of the automobile.
Even with these faults, that is the most effective Prius but. You now not should be embarrassed or shrink back from saying that you just personal one or drive one. I’d definitely purchase one. On condition that Toyota has bought almost 30,000 of these items thus far this 12 months, 1000’s of different consumers appear to agree with me.
