2023 Toyota Prius hybrid feels familiar despite added power, new looks
What is it? 2023 Toyota Prius front- or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hybrid hatchback.
Why should you consider it? It's the car that began the electric revolution, adds power.
How much will it cost? Base price $27,450, excluding $1,095 destination charge.
When can you buy it? January.
DEL MAR, California – The 2023 Toyota Prius hybrid will arrive in January, boasting a major technical achievement and recasting of its aero-hatchback design, but the changes to the fifth generation of Toyota’s signature electrified small car feel incremental for a nameplate that once revolutionized the auto industry.
The 2023 Prius is 1.1 inches longer than the current model. A 2-inch lower roof contributes to sportier looks. It features a more advanced and powerful lithium ion battery and a new 2.0L gasoline engine for total output of 194 horsepower from front-wheel and 196 hp from all-wheel-drive models.
All-wheel-drive models cost $1,400 more and have an electric rear axle that’s not connected to the engine. The total power of the current Prius is 121 hp. It’s also available in FWD or AWD.
A plug-in hybrid Prius Prime model will join the lineup in spring. No details on price or electric range are available.
The new Prius also adds updated infotainment and safety and driver assist features.
It’s based on what Toyota calls the second generation of its TNGA C platform. TNGA stands for Toyota New Generation Architecture, an argument against platform names with adjectives like "new" that grow increasingly irrelevant over time.
NASCAR fans may recall how silly announcers sounded calling a car that had been competing for months and years the “Car of Tomorrow.”
2023 Toyota Prius prices and trim levels
LE: $27,450
LE AWD: $28,850
XLE: $30,895
XLE AWD: $32,295
Limited: $34,465
Limited AWD: $35,865
Prices exclude $1,095 destination charge.
Source: Toyota
Best features
Other 2023 Prius strengths are:
12.3-inch touch screen. Available for $610 on XLE models, standard on Limited.
Six USB C ports.
Standard JBL eight-speaker audio on Limited models.
Wireless phone charging in a convenient vertical niche.
Phone as key app.
Toyota’s virtual assistant for cloud-based navigation and other features.
Ability to receive over-the-air software updates.
Its 60%-plus power increase notwithstanding, Toyota says the Prius remains the most fuel efficient hybrid on the American market.
Preliminary fuel economy figures show the best model, should score 57 mpg city, 56 highway and 57 combined.
The key combined figure is only one mpg better than the current Prius, but that’s an achievement in a vehicle that’s bigger, heavier, faster and more powerful.
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The least efficient 2023 Prius will be the AWD Limited model, at 49/50/49. Its combined 49 mpg combined figure matches the top AWD 2022 Prius.
2023 Toyota Prius estimated fuel economy
LE FWD: 57 mpg city/56 highway/57 combined
LE AWD: 53/54/54
XLE Limited: FWD 53/53/53
XLE Limited AWD: 49/50/49
Source: Toyota
Driving impressions
I spent several hours driving a pair of 2023 Prius Limiteds — one FWD, the other AWD — and a 2022 Prius in beach towns and suburbs a few miles north of San Diego.
The additional power is immediately noticeable. Prius fans have always praised the electric motor’s instant torque, which provides good acceleration, but the little hybrid ran out of muscle pretty quickly after the initial push.
The weight-to-horsepower ratio of an AWD 2022 Prius Limited is 26.5 pounds. Despite being more than 100 pounds heavier, the 2023 AWD Prius Limited checks in at 17 pounds to horsepower. Hardly Hellcat territory, but a difference any driver will notice.
Zero to 60 mph time for the AWD model is 7 seconds. FWD 0-60 time falls to 7.2 seconds from the 2022’s glacial 9.8 seconds.
The 2023’s steering is responsive. Its suspension cushions bumpy surfaces. There’s little wind or road noise at highway speeds.
Driver assistance and safety features
Adaptive cruise control
Automatic high beams
Front collision alert with pedestrian, bicycle and motorcycle detection
Lane departure alert and assist
Lane keeping assist
Road sign recognition
Proactive Driving Assist
Emergency stop in case of incapacitated driver
Needs work: Gauge visibility and automatic braking
Toyota moved the instrument cluster from the center of the dashboard — above the audio and climate controls — to the more conventional location in front of the driver.
That sounds like a good idea, but I — and every driver I spoke to over 5 feet tall — found half of the cluster obscured by the steering wheel. The digits showing speed were visible, but trip odometer, fuel range and other common data were not. Adjusting the wheel to its lowest position helped, but at the cost of driver comfort.
Also ripe for improvement: Toyota’s Proactive Driving Assist, which applies the brakes whenever you lift off the accelerator on curves or with other vehicles in front of you.
It won’t allow the vehicle to coast around corners, or in normal traffic, but nor does it bring the Prius to a smooth, full stop when the car ahead stops.
I experienced the same thing from the system in the Toyota Crown sedan. Toyota engineers are continuing to tune the system, but I think it’s trouble: Drivers who don’t fully understand its odd operating parameters — decelerate even when there’s no obstacle ahead, but don’t come to a complete stop for stationary vehicles in your path — are likely to find it unnerving, at a minimum.
Dramatic looks
The new Prius essays a dramatic, sporty look, willingly sacrificing 0.1 point of coefficient of drag, or Cd. Toyota says the new model’s sloping nose offsets that by presenting a smaller front area for aerodynamic drag.
In addition to being longer and lower than the current model, the 2023’s 108.3-inch wheelbase is 2 inches longer, complementing a design that pushes the wheels closer to the car’s corners.
The peak of the roof was moved rearward to create a more classic wedge shape.
Interior comfort and features
The Priuses I drove were well equipped Limited models.
The 12.3-inch touch screen is responsive and the dash has conventional buttons and dials for temperature, fan and volume, but not tuning. The doors, dash and other surfaces were wrapped in soft-touch materials.
The center console has a useful bin and a vertical slot for wirelessly charging phones. The slot does a good job keeping phones properly positioned for charging.
Toyota redesigned the seats and enlarged their bottom cushions for comfort.
The low roofline reduces door size enough that it’s easy to bump into entering and exiting. Rear leg and head room are tight. Cargo space under the rear hatch decreases significantly.
The new body brings with it at least one performance improvement: The horizontally split rear window that used to limit visibility has been replaced by a single large pane of glass for improved rear visibility. A digital video rearview mirror also is available.
2023 Toyota Prius at a glance
Base price: $27,450 (all prices exclude $1,095 destination charge)
Front- or all-wheel-drive hybrid five passenger hatchback
On sale January 2023
Specifications as tested:
Primary tested: Prius Limited AWD
Price as tested: $36,065
Drivetrain: 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine
Output: 196 hp; torque NA
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic transmission
Manufacturer-estimated fuel economy: 49 mpg city/50 highway/49 combined
EPA estimated annual fuel cost: TBD
Wheelbase: 108.3 inches
Length: 181.1 inches
Width: 70.2 inches
Height: 56.3 inches
Passenger volume: 91.2 cubic feet
Cargo volume: 20.3 cubic feet with rear seat up
Curb weight: 3,340 pounds
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2023 Toyota Prius feels familiar despite new looks and added power
