Plug-in powertrain is an efficiency win for the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime
Enlarge / After a confusing mess for the last generation, Toyota's stylists have done a decent job with the new Prius. I think it needs a front plate if you're going to have it a light shade like this silver. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
Earlier this year, we spent some time with the new Toyota Prius. There was a lot to like about the new car, the fifth to bear its name-sleek looks and minimal fuel consumption are the highlights. Today, it's Prius Prime, the plug-in hybrid variant. Toyota might have been early to hybrids and uncomfortably late to battery-electric vehicles, but the Prius Prime straddles the line between the two, offering a battery big enough for most daily driving and a highly efficient gas-burning powertrain for longer journeys.
Much of what I wrote about the not-Prime Prius applies to the plug-in, too. There are the same sleek looks, with a steeply raked windshield and a far more cohesive design than the model it replaced-that one looked like the result of two separate car designs that were later crashed into each other. I'm starting to think that the car needs a front license plate to look right-that little bump out on the fascia where a plate is supposed to attach looks rather obvious in the case of our Virginia-registered tester.
The $39,170 Prius Prime XSE Premium we tested doesn't look quite as racy as the blue car we had in May-mostly, that's down to the different design of the alloy wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels with aerodynamic covers are available with the Prius Prime SE ($32,350), but like the XSE Premium, the mid-range XSE ($35,600) also rides on the bigger 19-inch wheels. I mention this upfront because if you're looking for the most efficient option, the stripped-out base model on small wheels has a lower drag coefficient and runs more economically.