2023 Toyota Prius

Pros

• Shows that the Prius can be both fuel-efficient and nice to look at.
• A simple multimedia interface
• For passing and merging on the highway, you need to speed up quickly.
• The systems that help the driver are accurate and easy to use.

Cons

• The cargo space and back door are both much smaller.
• There isn’t much room for the head in the back seat.
• The steering wheel makes it hard to see the cluster of gauges.
• When the gas engine starts, it makes a loud noise.

Even though the new Prius has much more power, it’s hard to tell when driving in the city. Like older models, the car is smooth and can accelerate smartly from a stoplight. But the extra horsepower helps when merging onto a highway or climbing a long grade. These tasks are now much less stressful because of the extra power. Our test Prius with front-wheel drive went a 0-60 mph time of 7.7 seconds, achieved by a significant improvement over the last generation, which took 10.7 seconds.

Also, structural changes and new suspension parts have made the Prius better on the road in several ways. Even though the steering isn’t very responsive, it is accurate and goes straight without any work.

The front seats of the Prius are comfortable enough to sit in for long periods. Even though they don’t lie back, the back seats are comfortable. We like how smoothly the Prius goes over bumps and cracks in the road. But the Prius isn’t a relaxing car because it makes too much noise when you speed up from the tires, wind, and engine.

There is only one climate zone, and the latest Prius lacks finer climate controls found in older models, such as the ability to turn off fans in all seats except the driver to save energy. All Prius trims except the base LE have heated front seats, and the Limited top edge has heated back seats and front air vents. That can be added as an option.

The Prius’s interior is functional and easy to use because of how the dashboard is set up and where the controls are placed. Less attractive is the digital instrument cluster. It shows way too much information, which makes it look cluttered. It also needs to be more appropriately placed and shaped. When most of our drivers put the seat and steering wheel where they liked them, the top of the steering wheel locked part of their view of the display.

The latest model of the Prius has a smaller back seat and less visibility than older models. The rear door openings have gotten smaller, so you must bend down a lot to get into the back. Once inside, people over 6 feet tall will only have a little room to stand up. That means you have to slump down so your head doesn’t hit the ceiling every time the car goes over a bump. The thick, slanted roof pillars and rear window hinder one’s ability to look behind one. The changes to Prius’s design make it look better, but they also make it less useful in some ways.

In our test Prius Limited, the 12.3-inch center touchscreen was more giant. The latest Toyota multimedia system is easy to use, quick to respond and uses Google Maps for navigation. Standard is wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and higher trims come with a wireless charging pad. But be careful: it’s not cooled, so your phone will get hot after about an hour. If you want to charge your device more traditionally, six USB-C ports are spread out throughout the cabin.

Prius’s features that help the driver are also worth mentioning. When adaptive cruise control is on, the lane-keeping assistance system keeps the hybrid in the middle of its lane and makes it easy to speed up and slow down. Proactive Driving Assist is another feature that helps the driver in everyday ways. For example, if traffic slows down ahead of you, as soon as you take your foot off the gas pedal, the Prius will start to break very gently to let you know to start slowing down when the car in front of you moves out of the way, a strip of LED lights on the dashboard flashes. It’s easy for a system like this to be annoying enough to make you want to turn it off, but it never felt too much during our tests.

When the hatchback of the Prius is opened, there are 20.3 cubic feet of space behind the back seats. This is more space than the trunk of a sedan of a similar size but less than what was available in older Prius models. We needed more space to stow golf clubs. Across the back of the Prius because it’s now shorter and thinner than it used to be. The raised cargo floor might make you think there is storage under the bed, but there isn’t any.

The Prius has a narrow but deep bin in the center console and a functional rubberized space for small things under the dashboard. The wireless charging pad, which is available, is right next to the gear shifter, which is very convenient. The cup holders are more significant than usual, so that most water bottles will fit.

The Prius is known for being efficient, and the latest model is no different. The EPA says the LE trim will get 57 mpg in both city and highway driving, while the XLE and Limited trims will get 52 mpg in both city and highway driving (front-wheel-drive models). Each of these numbers goes down by three mpg for AWD models. On our real-world test route, we got 52.3 mpg, close to the 52 mpg combined number that the EPA estimates for the Limited FWD Prius. There’s a reason why the words “Prius” and “gas mileage” are often used together.

Toyota gives a standard warranty of three years/36,000 miles and a powertrain warranty of five years/60,000 miles. On hybrids, however, the hybrid parts last eight years or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first, and the battery is covered for ten years or 150,000 miles. Toyota also gives free maintenance for two years, which is rare outside the luxury market.

The Prius is a cheap car, but its higher trims have become so expensive that they are no longer affordable. When you choose all-wheel drive, the price goes up even more. At these high prices, some hybrid SUVs and midsize sedans come into play if you need or want more space for people or cargo.

With this new model, the quality of the Prius’s interior has improved, but some rigid plastic panels are still easy to spot. When you shut the doors, they make a tinny sound and feel like they’re made of paper.

The Prius used to be on lists of the “ugliest cars,” but it is now sleek and well put together after a significant redesign. Even though the new Prius has a lot more power, it has kept the same level of efficiency, which is impressive. The hybrid is now one of the fastest compact cars on the market, though it is still not very exciting. It can get over 50 mpg most of the time. The best thing about the Prius is that it still gets good gas mileage, but other parts of the car have become more appealing.

The XLE trim, which is in the middle, is the best value. Some nice extras over the base LE trim are keyless entry, heated front seats, and faux leather upholstery. You could also get an XLE with a 12.3-inch touchscreen in the middle, but it’s unnecessary.

Prius models from Toyota

There are three trim levels for the 2023 Toyota Prius hatchback: LE, XLE, and Limited. Each car has a hybrid system with a 2.0-liter engine and electric motors that work together to make 194 horsepower. All-wheel drive (AWD) is available on all three trim levels. The front-wheel purpose is standard. With an all-wheel aim, the power goes up to 196 hp.