The 2023 Toyota Prius brings back the exciting look to hybrid cars
Toyota Prius 2023 is amazing. Put down that pitchfork and hear me out.
Times are changing, but the redesigned Toyota Prius looks like the car of the future. Although it’s not electric, the Prius seems like a feasible and logical way forward without looking stupid as we move to lower emissions and more miles per gallon, until we stop using gallons.
The 2023 Toyota Prius looks great, is now very fast (for a Prius), and still gets fuel, which adds up to a TCC rating of 7.0 out of 10. Its screen can’t do two jobs at once, and its cabin is cheap and not well insulated from way, but these are things I can live with.
I spent a week running errands and taking a road trip with the family to uncover the pros and cons of the 2023 Toyota Prius.
Toyota Prius 2023
Pro: The Toyota Prius looks great now
The newest Prius looks good from every angle. A low hood, raked windshield, and well-tapered rear end with a short rear hatch provide a sharp appearance. There are no exotic elements like tusks, egg-shaped roofline, or slab sides here as in the past; The stunning headlights that hang around the hood look like nothing else on the road. Even the dashboard looks a bit futuristic with the gauge cluster set forward by the windshield-like windshield Electric bZ4X. A refreshed and different Prius looks like the future even if it’s not fully electric.
Toyota Prius 2023
Cons: Toyota Prius design undermines (some) functionality
That steeply angled windshield and A-pillars make getting in and out of a Prius harder than it was in the past, and if you’re not careful you might hit your head, as I did. Getting in and out of the back seat is worse than in the past because of the rear roofline, loading kids into car seats would be a chore, and my child hated the interior rear door handles hidden by the C-pillar (the design was done to help trick aerodynamics in the name of efficiency). Inside, for some inexplicable reason, just like Highlander crossover 2023The volume knob is mounted on the passenger side of the 12.3-inch touchscreen. It’s quite a distance for the driver, but not as much as in the Highlander due to the Prius being a narrower vehicle. The hatchback’s rear cargo space is 20.3 cubic feet, but 7.0 cubic feet less than the last Prius due to its slim design and packaging.
Toyota Prius 2023
Pro: The Toyota Prius is kinda fast now
Under the Prius’s hood is now a 2.0-liter inline-4 paired with a 194-hp electric motor. That’s a whopping 73 horsepower more than the last Prius. Toyota said the Prius can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, which seems accurate, if not a bit conservative. That’s 2.6 seconds faster to 60 mph than its predecessor. Thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor, the Prius can roll off the line like no model bearing the name before it. Far from boring, he’s quick and never gets frustrated. It’s not a sports car, but it’s entertaining enough and satisfies a daily driver.
Toyota Prius 2023
Toyota Prius 2023
Cons: The Toyota Prius cannot split the screen
While base models feature an 8.0-inch touchscreen, most Prius buyers will find a 12.3-inch touchscreen crowning the dashboard. It’s a big screen, but it lacks a split-screen function. That’s a big screen for one job. Who needs that much of a map, or worse, a dial pad to make a phone call on Apple CarPlay? It looks silly and isn’t a good use of screen real estate.
Toyota Prius 2023
Pro: The Toyota Prius sets the bar for fuel economy
It wouldn’t be a Prius if this hatchback didn’t get exceptional fuel economy, and the latest model doesn’t disappoint. The EPA rates it at 52 mpg city, 52 highway, and 52 combined. Although I didn’t see those numbers in full, I was impressed by an average of 46.1 mpg around town in mixed driving and 46.7 mpg on a highway trip with the cruise control set above 70 mph.
Toyota Prius 2023
Cons: The Toyota Prius feels loud, thin, and cheap
The Prius looks great inside and out, but the materials are thin and cheap and it’s noisy inside. On the highway, there’s clearly a lack of sound insulation, and there’s a surprising amount of wind noise coming from those steep A-pillars. Worse still, my $38,019 Limited model’s faux leather covered the seats and center armrest, but there was no padding on the center armrest. It was just hard plastic under that fake skin. The door panels were covered in hard plastic although they appeared to have a soft-touch material. The whole thing feels like a thin veneer that looks beautiful but becomes dull once you touch it.
Starting at $28,545, the 2023 Toyota Prius is as efficient and affordable as it is attractive. The loaded Limited model looks expensive, but its style and features combined with real-world efficiency provide a 1-2-3 punch that makes a Prius desirable like never before. It’s a brave new world where the Prius is cool and good looking.
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Toyota Prius 2023 Limited
Base price: $28,545, including destination $1,095
Price as tested: $38,019
Power generation: 194 hp hybrid, front-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 52/52/52 mpg
Hits: Looks great, gets crazy fuel economy, and is reasonably quick for a Prius
Lost and Found: It looks a bit cheap, is compromised by the design, and can’t split the large screen
