2023 Toyota Prius It was unusual. When I rounded the corner, a person walking down the street quit suddenly, took out his phone, and started imitating a paparazzi, taking pictures of my test automobile like it was an incredibly celebrity. Add this incident to the to the number of thumbs-up indicators my test cars and truck scored, as well as you ‘d presume I was driving something unusual and also exotic. However I wasn’t. I was driving a 2023 Toyota Prius … something distinctly un-exotic. Yes, it’s all-new for the 2023 model year. As well as, yes, it has a drastically new svelte form. Yet it was still a Prius. Just goes to reveal eco-chic can be ultra-cool. There’s even more than a brand-new appearance going on below.
2023 Toyota Prius Past the certainly reimagined new design, the most considerable changes to Toyota’s stalwart fuel-saver come under the hood. Replacing a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine is a brand-new 2.0-liter system mated to a pair of electric motors. The brand-new set up supplies a consolidated output of up to 196 horse power on all-wheel-drive models, and also 194 horsepower on front-wheel-drive models. That’s a whopping 60-percent power rise over the outgoing design, which delivered a combined 121 horsepower.
Test Drive: 2022 Ford Escape Titanium PHEV
2023 Toyota Prius Toyota had both the brand-new and old Prii (Prii, by the way, is the real, official, brand-approved plural of Prius)on hand for back-to-back examinations, and as you would certainly picture the power upgrade appears. Where the 2022 version could have felt slow-moving and also uncreative, the 2023 Prius was smooth and light on its feet. The hybrid engine/motor interplay, which can be stubborn, was normally smooth. From a city woman’s viewpoint, this new Toyota crossbreed will be potent sufficient for freeway merges and passing maneuvers, however still refined sufficient for smooth metropolitan drives.
The charm of Prius crossbreed system is that you take pleasure in both power and also effectiveness, partly since both motor-generators are used to charge the lithium-ion battery throughout stopping and periods of light engine demand. The Electronically Controlled Brake (ECB) system, as Toyota calls it, aids to make the 2023 Prius the most-efficient iteration of the model to date.
About that efficiency: Toyota is proclaiming the vehicle’s 57-mpg EPA integrated price quote, which goes over, yet that’s for the base front-drive LE version on common 17-inch wheels. Go with a mid-level XLE, or top-trim Limited furnished with AWD, and also your gas mileage drops to just 49 mpg– which is still quite impressive. A couple of even more numbers: a base LE with AWD is, according to the EPA, is good for 54 mpg, and also front-drive versions of the XLE and Limited 52 mpg.
Finest Mileage: 2022 Consumer Guide Fuel-Economy Champions (No Plug-ins)
2023 Toyota Prius My test-drive possibilities did not permit any actual fuel-economy evaluations, however every automobile I sampled reported mileage in the 45-48 mpg variety. Particularly outstanding given the needs of a media test drive.
While the automobile’s new style, smooth power, and fuel economic situation impress, not every person is taken with the scale collection. Comparable to the setup in Toyota’s new all-electric bZ4X small crossover, the cluster in the Prius shows up on a narrow triangular panel that juts up over the dash before the driver. The net impact is less like viewing a traditional instrument cluster, and also more like enjoying a head-up display screen.
This worked well enough for me, but taller drivers complained that the guiding wheel leading bisected the collection, obscuring the tools. This is definitely among those “try it before you purchase it” situations, and a tip of the value of a thorough examination drive.
The remainder of the interior is merely developed with minimal horizontal lines. You have buttons for your climate controls, and a quantity knob (hurray!), yet radio tuning drops by way of the touchscreen.
The brand-new Prius infomercial system is similar to the one we’ve seen in the Toyota Tundra, GR Corolla, and also bZ4X, as well as it includes wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, in addition to a solid base of voice prompts for navigating as well as various other hands-free controls.
2023 Toyota Prius Test Drive Gallery: 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited While I like basically whatever about the interior, there is one huge miss, which’s the readily available cordless charger. Toyota did a wonderful task with the design as well as place, however the problem is that it overheats your phone(to the factor of sluggishness, but not shut-down failing )in much less than 30 mins. Prior to you shrug your shoulders and also claim, that’s simply what cordless battery chargers do, I’ll point out that I’ve driven numerous General Motors test lorries that put a cool pad under the cordless battery charger, and that in these vehicles my phone not only charges much faster, yet likewise remains cooler.
For 2023, Prius goes down the base L Eco trim and dives right into the LE. Pricing, consisting of destination, and also essential functions for every trim are as follows:
LE ($28,545): 17-inch enable wheels, 8-inch infomercial display, 6-way adjustable fabric pole position in black or grey, blind-spot monitoring with back cross-traffic alert.
XLE ($31,990): 19-inch alloy wheels, auto-dimming rearview mirror, motorist as well as front-passenger warmed seats, heated steering wheel, 8-way power vehicle driver’s seat, leatherette seating surface areas, rain-sensing wipers, passive access, wireless phone charger, front-and-rear car park help with automated braking. Options consist of: 12.3-inch infomercial screen, fixed glass roofing, electronic trick.
Limited ($35,560): 12.3-inch infomercial display, JBL premium sound with 8 audio speakers, taken care of glass roofing system, driver as well as front-passenger ventilated seats, 8-way power vehicle driver’s seat with memory, electronic secret, power back entrance. Choices consist of 360-degree monitor, electronic rearview mirror, warmed rear seats, progressed park help.
All-wheel drive is a $1,400 add top of these prices.
Base model to base model, the 2023 Prius is $2375 extra pricey that the ’22. Yet, LE to LE, the brand-new vehicle is up just $1165. For an entirely brand-new version with even more power, lots of brand-new technology, and attractive (yeah, I’m stating it) excellent looks, the 2023 Prius is well worth the asking cost.
Toyota revealed the next-gen 2023 Prius at the LA Auto Show, it won’t be available in dealers till June.
