2023 Toyota Prius Limited Review – Finally a Worthy Choice
2023 Toyota Prius Limited Fast Facts
The Toyota Prius was once reviled by most enthusiasts and often the butt of jokes, even in pop culture. Prius drivers were stereotyped as left-lane camping, NPR-listening, Green Party-voting smug virtue-signalers.
That stereotype was often unfair and inaccurate. But it was based in one truth – the Prius might save you a lot of gas but man it was no fun to drive. Nor did it offer much in the way of creature comfort. It was all about passing up gas pumps.
The 2023 Toyota Prius changes the narrative without sacrificing the core mission. Something I didn’t think could be done.
I’ve driven many a Prius over the years, and the 2023 version is the first one I’d even think about owning for any reason other than fuel mileage.
I never thought I’d see the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. I never thought I’d see the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl and I never thought Las Vegas would get a hockey team, let alone one that won a Stanley Cup just six seasons in. I also thought I’d never see a Prius that could be even a little bit fun to drive.
Well, I have lived long enough to see all of these things.
To be sure, the Prius is no sports car. But you can actually attack an on ramp with some confidence now. A road trip to Detroit and back wasn’t too punishing. And yes, the fuel mileage was still excellent.
The Prius is still not a burner, but the increased power provided by the 2.0-liter four-cylinder/electric motor pairing – 194 horsepower now for front-wheel drive models like my test car, and 139 lb-ft of torque for all models – erases the pokiness of the past and brings the car up to date. You still won’t win a lot if you drag-race this car, but you will be able to much more easily keep up with the flow of traffic.
Similarly, you won’t buy this car for its cornering ability, but it no longer feels like any level of aggression will overcome the tires and send you into the bushes. The ride is a bit stiff, but mostly acceptable, even for longer stints behind the wheel.
The exterior styling is more appealing now, rounding off the wedge shape into something that’s easier on the eyes.
Inside, the gauge cluster sits well ahead of the steering wheel, meaning said steering wheel sometimes obscures your view of the instruments. The large infotainment screen is sort of plopped on, and there are too many buttons and not enough knobs. The shifter is a bit wonky. It’s not as cohesive as the outside, and it’s not as user-friendly as I’d like, but the cabin is still somehow a step up from before. Once again, Toyota’s new infotainment system shines.
My biggest gripe was an intrusion of outside noise above 60 mph. The cacophony is livable for a while, but after driving across Michigan I felt like I’d just left a concert. I get it – sound deadening equals fuel-economy killing weight. And there are worse offenders out there. Still, if you want Lexus quiet from your hybrids, you’ll need to, you know, buy a Lexus.
Then again, a Lexus will cost a lot more. This Prius wasn’t a bargain at $38K, but that’s still under the average transaction price these days and within reach for plenty of folks.
The starting price tag here was a tick under $35K, and standard features included 19-inch wheels, LED headlights and DRLs, rain-sensing wipers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, power liftgate, a fixed glass roof, keyless entry and starting, digital key, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, and wireless cell phone charging.
Toyota’s SafetySense 3.0 suite of driver’s aids was standard and included pre-collision assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit assist.
Options included a digital rearview mirror, panoramic view monitor, heated rear seats, and a dash cam.
Out the door price? $38,019.
Fuel economy is listed at 52 mpg across the board for city/highway/combined. According to the computer, I got about 44.9 mpg -- and the computer wasn't reset when I picked up the car. Some possibly suspect back of envelope math based on my notes showed about 48 mpg. Either way, good numbers though real-world fuel economy often falls short of the EPA rating, as it did here.
The Prius is still no sports sedan or sexy luxury ride. But it’s also no longer a penalty box that sacrifices performance and comfort at the altar of fuel economy.
Instead, it’s now a “have your cake and eat it too” situation. You get a commuter car that sips fuel while still having some popular convenience features and the ability to have a mild bit of fun.
That finally makes the Prius a worthy choice for those who are looking for more than just a cheap fuel bill.
Things change, sometimes for the better. Maybe the Detroit Lions are next in line for a championship.
[Images © 2024 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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- KOKing I owned a Paul Bracq-penned BMW E24 some time ago, and I recently started considering getting Sacco's contemporary, the W124 coupe.
- Bob The answer is partially that stupid manufacturers stopped producing desirable PHEVs.I bought my older kid a beautiful 2011 Volt, #584 off the assembly line and #000007 for HOV exemption in MD. We love the car. It was clearly an old guy's car, and his kids took away his license.It's a perfect car for a high school kid, really. 35 miles battery range gets her to high school, job, practice, and all her friend's houses with a trickle charge from the 120V outlet. In one year (~7k miles), I have put about 10 gallons of gas in her car, and most of that was for the required VA emissions check minimum engine runtime.But -- most importantly -- that gas tank will let her make the 300-mile trip to college in one shot so that when she is allowed to bring her car on campus, she will actually get there!I'm so impressed with the drivetrain that I have active price alerts for the Cadillac CT6 2.0e PHEV on about 12 different marketplaces to replace my BMW. Would I actually trade in my 3GT for a CT6? Well, it depends on what broke in German that week....
- ToolGuy Different vehicle of mine: A truck. 'Example' driving pattern: 3/3/4 miles. 9/12/12/9 miles. 1/1/3/3 miles. 5/5 miles. Call that a 'typical' week. Would I ever replace the ICE powertrain in that truck? No, not now. Would I ever convert that truck to EV? Yes, very possibly. Would I ever convert it to a hybrid or PHEV? No, that would be goofy and pointless. 🙂
- ChristianWimmer Took my ‘89 500SL R129 out for a spin in his honor (not a recent photo).Other great Mercedes’ designers were Friedrich Geiger, who styled the 1930s 500K/540K Roadsters and my favorite S-Class - the W116 - among others. Paul Bracq is also a legend.RIP, Bruno.
- ToolGuy Currently my drives tend to be either extra short or fairly long. (We'll pick that vehicle over there and figure in the last month, 5 miles round trip 3 times a week, plus 1,000 miles round trip once.) The short trips are torture for the internal combustion powertrain, the long trips are (relative) torture for my wallet. There is no possible way that the math works to justify an 'upgrade' to a more efficient ICE, or an EV, or a hybrid, or a PHEV. Plus my long trips tend to include (very) out of the way places. One day the math will work and the range will work and the infrastructure will work (if the range works) and it will work in favor of a straight EV (purchased used). At that point the short trips won't be torture for the EV components and the long trips shouldn't hurt my wallet. What we will have at that point is the steady drip-drip-drip of long-term battery degradation. (I always pictured myself buying generic modular replacement cells at Harbor Freight or its future equivalent, but who knows if that will be possible). The other option that would almost possibly work math-wise would be to lease a new EV at some future point (but the payment would need to be really right). TL;DR: ICE now, EV later, Hybrid maybe, PHEV probably never.
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When GM was wasting development time on the excreable Bolt, Toyota was producing this masterpiece.
I had a '14 Prius from work - I hated driving it because the dynamics were just awful...but the mileage was amazing. Commuting home from NYC to the suburbs is what this car is made for. I would routinely get 60-62 MPG without making any effort to minimize gas use. If I used the driving aids designed to improve mileage (hey, spending 2 hours to drive 43 miles you look for things to pass time) I would get 72 MPG. Even the morning ride with minimal traffic saw 50 plus. Simply outstanding.