Prius front

Living in rural Nova Scotia, Matthew Guy has immersed himself in car culture for over 30 years and relishes the thought of a good road trip. A certified gearhead, he enjoys professionally writing about cars and is very pleased to contribute for wheels.ca.

His work has also appeared on Car Throttle, The Truth About Cars, and in CAA Magazine. Find him on Twitter @matthewkguy

It doesn’t happen often, but there are occasions in which a vehicle model goes through an impressive overhaul to the point where its fresh styling wholly and thoroughly erase sins (and jokes) of the past. Enter the new-for-’23 Toyota Prius, sheathed in slinky new bodywork whilst retaining the type of efficiency which made the car so popular in the first place – only now, you don’t have to be embarrassed if seen in one.

This year’s car is available in two trims, starting with the XLE. A 2.0L four-cylinder engine lives under the curvaceous new hood, tag-teamed with a hybrid powertrain to deliver a system total of 196 horsepower – roughly 60 percent more than last year. A brace of electric motors means even this sub-$40,000 XLE is equipped with all-wheel drive. This is good for an estimated 4.8L/100km in combined city and highway driving.

Toyota makes plenty of noise about their Safety Sense suite of driver aids, and version 3.0 is found on the new Prius. This means gear like pre-collision with pedestrian detection is on board plus lane tracing assist and dynamic radar cruise control. Lane departure alert with a steering assist now has enhanced lane recognition which includes detection of certain 3D objects such as guardrails that can be used to help define the lane. In other words, the council’s refusal to paint new lines shouldn’t be as much of an issue with this system.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-176116" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Prius-interior.jpg" alt="Toyota Prius interior" width="1800" height="900" />

All ’23 Prius trims get the same snazzy headlamps and 19-inch alloy wheels. A good-looking Reservoir Blue is available for $0 on the XLE, though we won’t begrudge anyone paying $255 for Supersonic Red. If you must, Wind Chill Pearl is on offer for those who want their new Prius to look like something from the Apple Store.

Inside the XLE is an 8-inch infotainment tablet featuring goodies like satellite radio capability, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and no fewer than six USB-C charging ports. Having more outlets in which to plug in than places to sit is a good thing these days. The front seats are heated, the driver’s perch is eight-way power adjustable, and the rear bench folds 60/40 for those times you have underestimated that IKEA purchase. Automatic climate control and a heated steering wheel should keep most occupants comfy.

What We'd Choose

One of the biggest, literally and figuratively, differences between the XLE and Limited is the latter’s 12.3-inch infotainment screen, a thoroughly modern unit packing wireless smartphone mirroring and an 8-speaker JBL sound system. The $4,500 walk also brings comforts like ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, wireless device charging, and a fixed glass roof panel. The price spread is not chump change – but at least the extra feature count seems worth the cash if those items are important to you.

The rest of us should probably bank the $4,500 spread, a sum which will purchase approximately 2,800 litres of regular-grade gasoline as of this writing. At the Prius’ fuel-sipping rate, that’s enough to travel roughly 58,000 kilometres – or almost 3 years of average driving. Combined with its attractive new styling, choosing the XLE is the easiest decision Prius shoppers will ever make.

Every week, wheels.ca selects a new vehicle and takes a good look at its entry-level trim. If we find it worthy of your consideration, we'll let you know. If not, we'll recommend one - or the required options - which earns a passing grade.

Base Camp: 2023 Toyota Prius

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Evan is an East Coast based automotive journalist and a Certified Engineering Technologist. He is an avid autocrosser, hack mechanic, and a member of AJAC. If you don't find him driving or writing about cars, you'll probably find him in the garage breaking one.

To say we were shocked by the 2023 <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/reviews/2023-toyota-prius-first-drive-review">Toyota Prius</a> is an understatement. Toyota transformed what was an oddball eco-special into something that was, well, fire. Prius was suddenly a car you wanted for the looks that just happened to get good fuel economy and not a car you bought for its economy despite the looks.

Toyota has just launched the second part of the Prius equation, the plug-in hybrid 2023 Toyota Prius Prime. With this model, we think Toyota has officially got its mojo back.

This is a company that built its name by building solid, reliable, well-engineered cars. Great ergonomics, satisfying build quality, and highly efficient. Yes, there were absolutely some great enthusiast cars over the years, but that was almost a byproduct of the things that made Toyota so popular.

Toyota's vehicles were like good high-end appliances. A Miele or a Kitchen Aid, not a Smeg. Style was not important, functionality was key.

In the last couple of decades, Toyota seemed to have lost sight of what made it the automotive juggernaut it had become. The cars were still as well-built and reliable as ever, but the simple designs became increasingly complex (inside and out) and the experience suffered.

When Toyota announced back in 2018 that it had decided it was time to go after enthusiasts, it was hard to believe. They certainly accomplished it, bringing a new <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/reviews/2022-toyota-gr86-review">GR 86</a> to market, and the <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/reviews/track-test-review-2023-toyota-gr-supra-mt">Supra</a> and <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/vehicle-reviews/review-2022-toyota-camry-xse-v6-trd">TRD Camry</a> to dealers. Of course there's the <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/reviews/2023-toyota-gr-corolla-first-drive-review">GR Corolla</a>, too.

But it wasn't hard-core performance that made cars like the 1996-2006 Camry and Corolla so ubiquitous. And gained them a cult-like status with many of my fellow journalists.

It was that they were just so damn good at being cars.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175555" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-7-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />

The 2023 Toyota Prius hit the spike on the head, but this Prius Prime drove it all the way home. Toyota has brought back what made it so great in the first place. Even better, great styling and driving enjoyment have come along for the ride as part of that new push.

At its heart, the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime is the same car as the standard Prius. The big difference is that large battery hidden underneath.

The pack is much bigger, too, at least as far as energy is concerned. 13.6 kWh instead of 8.1, though the actual physical volume is largely the same. That battery has been reshuffled so that Toyota doesn't lose cargo space in the transition from Prius to Prime.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175552" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-4-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />

The bigger battery feeds a more powerful motor. The old motor produced snores, the new one 161 hp. Pair that with the same 2.0L four as the standard hybrid and you get 220 hp in total.

On electric power, the 2023 Prime can do up to 72 km; 64 km for XSE and XSE Premium, because 19-inch wheels look great but suck down range. It can hit 135 km/h on electric power, and it still has plenty of acceleration even at highway speeds.

Strangely, there is no throttle-pedal kickdown to put you from electric into gas when you're in EV mode. Good for economy, but you'll need a button press to get max power.

When the gas engine is on, you're probably moving at speed. So the engine doesn't add much to the low levels of cabin noise. The four-cylinder and its eCVT have been tweaked so that there's no engine drone the way you might expect in a previous Toyota hybrid.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175553" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-5-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />

Prius Prime does give up one perk to the Prius, and that's all-wheel drive. The smaller battery of the standard car leaves room for a motor on the rear axle and Toyota has made AWD standard on that car.

Prime doesn't have the space. If you want an AWD plug-in from Toyota, it will have to be the RAV4.

Run down the battery and the Prius Prime should give you 4.5 L/100 km. That's for the SE, the larger wheels of XSE hurt that figure too, taking it up to 4.9 combined. The figure neatly splits the standard Prius which gets 4.8.

On the road the Prius Prime feels slightly heftier than the non-Prime, but unless you drive the two back to back it's unlikely you'll notice. Or care.

The Prime rides smoothly and drives reassuringly. It's not a sports car, no matter how much Toyota wants you to think its new vehicles are, but it is predictable. A car that does exactly what you want it to with a minimum of fuss, be it a relaxing Sunday drive or a bumper-to-bumper highway grind. Yet another sign that Toyota is back in its groove. Get in, go, and you've suddenly just arrived with a minimum of stress.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175562" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-16-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" />

Inside, the Prius Prime is nearly identical to the standard Prius. It has the same high-mount dash display that sits nicely just below your sightlines. It also has the same 8.0 and 12.3-inch available multimedia screens.

The functional difference is that little EV mode button on the centre console. There's now a button to hold the charge for later if you're on the highway and want to save some electrons for in town.

As far as cosmetic changes, Toyota is seeing red. The silver trim and blue LED light bar (it flashes warnings at you too!) that frame the separation between the upper and lower tiers of the dash are now both red. There are red accents on the Softex seats, too.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175560" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-14-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />
Like the standard Prius, there's not much flashy in this cabin. There aren't any materials or details trying to convince you it is a luxury car. Instead, its dependable feeling and looking plastics arranged in a way that is practical and easy to use. The high-end appliance comparison sticks.

The cosmetic changes on the outside of the Prime are even less noticeable. The hatch gets a Prime badge in a neat vintage-style script and the opening in the nose has silver trim. The trim is almost impossible to spot on a silver car, and since most of them likely will be silver (and not the wonderful optional Maximum Yellow), it makes spotting a Prime even tougher.

Prius Prime suffers from the same confined cabin as the standard car. Headroom, especially in the rear, is much lower than the previous generation. This is going to be a problem for your Uber or Lyft driver (or you as the passenger) and approximately zero other people.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175559" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-13-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />

Cargo space didn't change when Toyota added the bigger battery. 574 L of space with the seats up and 756 with them folded. No, folding the seats doesn't really make for much more room. The space with the seats up is also short in height, more like a sedan that you open from above than a hatchback.

Canada gets two grades of Prius Prime, SE ($37,990) and XSE. SE has the smaller screen and wheels, but it still has heated front seats and a heated wheel, six USB-C ports, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.

XSE ($42,990) adds a fixed glass roof, Softex faux leather, smart key, wireless phone charging, and the bigger 12.3-inch screen. Buyers can also add a Premium package to XSE to get ventilated front seats, heated rears, driver seat memory, parking assist, and JBL audio. The Premium package also lets you use your phone as your key and comes with a camera display in the rear view mirror.

Toyota's latest infotainment system has been around for a couple of years now and it remains one of the best around. Smooth and intuitive voice control functions, responsive screens, and crisp graphics all make for an excellent package.

Prius Prime comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. Toyota's latest version has a pre-collision system, full-speed adaptive cruise, lane tracing, road sign assist, and countless other acronyms designed to make driving less stressful. It also comes standard with blind spot monitoring, one handy bit of kit Toyota has previously held back for only the top trims.

Toyota has enhanced TSS 3.0 as well. The Prime adds an emergency driving stop system that can monitor driver inputs. If it thinks you're not responsive, it can bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

It also offers Traffic Jam Assist which can drive hands-free in heavy traffic under 40 km/h. This one requires a subscription service, though there is a free three-year trial on XSE and higher.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-175551" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/priprimewheels-3-of-17-scaled.jpg" alt="2023 Toyota Prius Prime" width="2560" height="1707" />

If you want telematics, Prius Prime has Service Connect with personalized maintenance updates for up to 10 years, as well as Safety Connect with emergency assistance and automatic collision notification. That one too is free for up to 10 years and a fee after. Lastly, Remote Connect which includes smart services like remote start through your phone comes with a three-year trial.

The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime is good at just about everything, and, frankly, tough to find fault with. That's the Toyota that we used to know. The Toyota that built a car you could drive home and then largely ignore until you woke up one morning and decided you wanted a new one. Not because there was a problem, but because it was finally time for a change.

Prius Prime sips fuel, has excellent ergonomics and build quality. It’s even good to look at. The biggest problem for anyone looking to buy one is probably going to be finding one. Toyota has spent the last two years unable to meet demand for its vehicles even as plants are running all-out to try and keep up.

The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime is going to be the next hot ticket, and that could mean long lines. If you're already a Toyota customer, though, you probably won't mind the wait. Your current kitchen is working perfectly, you're just ready for one that's newer and more efficient.
<h3>2023 Toyota Prius Prime</h3>
BODY STYLE: compact five-door liftback
DRIVE METHOD: Front-engine plug-in hybrid.
ENGINE: 2.0-litre inline-four; 150 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 139 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
MOTOR: Front 161 hp
System Total: 220 hp
FUEL ECONOMY: (Regular gasoline) 4.5 L/100 km city / highway / combined (SE)
ELECTRIC RANGE: 72 km (SE)l 64 km (XSE, XSE Premium)
OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 2.5 L/100 km
CARGO VOLUME: 574 litres
PRICE: SE $37,990, XSE $42,990, XSE Premium (as tested) $46,990. Plus destination, taxes, and fees

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Base Camp: 2023 Toyota Prius

2023 Toyota Prius Prime First Drive Review