The new Prius finally has good looks, but it's lost some of its spaciousness and utility. Which one is more important for you in a vehicle? Let us know in the comments below!
You can take out the foam under the load floor and then you basically get the same cargo capacity as the outgoing model ! One of your colleagues demonstrated that !
It's a bummer that no one is reviewing the LE FWD and AWD. I don't want to pay for bells and whistles I don't need. I don't want or need 19 inch wheels and tires! I could live with the 17's on the LE but would really prefer 16's for a wider variety of less expensive tires, especially snow tires and let's face it the more sidewall the more durable. I'm not in to railing corners anymore, I'm in to long term durability. As a bonus 16's would make for a smother ride .
I think it's the power increase that was the most surprising to me (yeah even more than the styling tweaks). Is there any car that has had more of a percent increase in power as this revision got?
I rarely use the volume control on the radio and most airways use the steering wheel control so moving the volume to the passenger may actually make a lot of sense.
I’ve never been a fan of the Prius but have admired its efficiency. This new version, for the first time (to me), is actually tempting. The only concerns are the steering wheel/column and instrumentation setup (which is not my favorite), and the headroom compromise that comes with the sleeker design. I wonder if this car would still be suitable (in terms of space and headroom) for Uber duty, which I often see in cities like London? This seems like a good car for commuters, ideally singles or couples who don’t have to worry about hauling kids and too much stuff around.
Prius main selling point was that it's a hatchback. Camry is just as efficient and almost as cheap but has more space for passengers and more comfortable. But Camry will never be able to fit that large TV or ladder like Prius with seats down. So in past you could go for Prius with almost 50 cu ft of space with seats down or corolla hatch with I think around ~40 cu ft of space with seats down. But this gen Prius lost so much space it's basically identical to Corolla hatch now. So the reason you go for Prius 2022 over other cars was more space, but the reason you go for 2023 Prius is style and power. Yeah I think it looks even better than Camry today. But sadly because of lost cargo space Prius is no longer an option for me and cheapest option today to satisfy my space requirement is a rav4.
This Prius is more for solo driving , a drivers car and not for passengers comfort. Its looks more cool which is a bonus. Also more powerful then the outgoing Prius and quite fast acceleration 0-60 for a non-turbo car Uber/Lyft passengers have no choice unless they select UberX and premium cars. It is for people who value fuel efficiency over turbo sports cars. So I think there is nothing NEGATIVE about the 2023 Prius. Families looking for back seat passenger comfort should obviously buy a Camry Hybrid. You cannot have a jack of all car which pleases EVERYONE.
i mean if you were thinking Rav4 utility, not even the 22 Prius was gonna compete.... but if you're still wanting better ride quality, a car more than a crossover/SUV, then, look no further than a 23 Civic Hatchback, plenty of space, drives pretty good, is cheap for brand new compare to others, and it may even be a better overall vehicle than both the 22 & 23 Prius...
@@eltren6120 Civic looks cool, but their reliability tanked last couple of years, it's still isn't bad, but it's also has abysmal mpg where it loses to camry, prius or corolla hybrids and doesn't go far from rav4 mpg. Honda CRV loses substantially to rav4 hybrid.
Long time second gen Prius owner here. When I first saw the new design and saw some of the specs, I was SO excited. One of the most amazing model transformations ever, I thought. But now after learning more, I have mixed feelings and I no longer think it is for me. I think this new Prius model will sell just fine because so many people (SO many) care about looks over function, however the people who have come to love the Prius up until now (like me) love the function/practicality. For a small car, I can fit SO much in my Prius, and the headroom is great. Now this one gets less cargo room (biggest downer of all), less headroom, less visibility, and poor backseat passenger entry and view. It is zippier, for sure, but ... lots of cars are zippy, that's nothing special.
The goid. More front and rear legroom hiproom same mpg AWD in all models as an option. Much much much better performance handling ride and safety features infotainment. 6 usbs. Much better ride and steering and stability. More comfortable frin seats available heat ventilation digital mirror etc. Better aero lithium only much better styling. Not much more comparatively equipped The bad visibility back and rear. Head room all around is worse but mainly in back. Cargo at 20 cubic with wide opening is still better than most including Edmunds number one Honda insight by far But it's 4 cubics less. Quirky styling us gone. The stupid rear door handles look bad are electric not mechanical and hurt visibility. Getting in and out the rear will be harder passenger rear visibility will be harder.
Journalists are now coming out and saying how ugly the previous gen was, but when they were reviewing it at the time they didn't have the balls to call it out.
@@gilbrook Depends, I prefer the 2nd gen in many areas. To me the 3rd gen can look a bit cheaper or tacky for some reason, maybe it's the flatter areas and shaper angles at the back and sides. Some of it is good
Extremely fair review, I think the sacrifices in storage and backseat headroom were worth it. The redesign now looks modern and equally balances Form and Function instead of function over form. Thanks for posting!
This is a solo drivers car or maximum the front passenger girlfriend or spouse. If you need more space at the back, buy a Camry Hybrid or a Mini-Van if you have small kids , People are never satisfied. They want a Jack of all Cars , master of none !!
I definitely don't like buying the first year of a new model, but I may have to trade in my 2019 Corolla for this. I love the new styling and the Gas Mileage is still over 50MPG city. I drive 75 miles round trip to work and back everyday. My Corolla (non hybrid) still get's 36MPG, but man that 50 plus MPG would be awesome.
I have same distance commute as you. I have a 21 Prius but I may upgrade to the new one in later part of 2023. I get close to 50 mpg and was glad when gas prices spiked. They are great cars. My daughter has a 2012 model she loves. I’m like you , I usually don’t buy the first model year of a major upgrade.
@@apollo1464 My Mother-In law has a white 2012 Prius and she loves it as well! I live in Texas and my wife and I have even taken that car on road trips with no problem. I don't think the steering wheel covering the speedometer display will be that big of an issue if you simply move the wheel down a bit. But I'm excited to see what consumers think of this new prius!
Do the math on 36 vs 50 mpg. You won't save much money, and after you factor in the cost of switching cars, it would take forrrever to pay back. I'll be going from 19 to 50 and drop premium grade, and I drive further than you. It'll pay off better for me.
@@aluisious I'm glad that makes you feel better about yourself, but I'm not going to make financial decisions from a youtube comment telling me how wrong I am for wanting atleast 14-20 more mpg on my daily commute lol.
@@SeaHusker54 It's still something to consider. Buying a new car to "save fuel" is like people who buy cars based on how much it costs to fill up the tank. Plus, you could buy a used Prius and still save fuel over the Corolla and have $20k in your pocket. Maybe the new driving experience is worth that extra to some. If you keep the car for many years, it's better value.
Thank you so much for your testing- I was looking for a review that went in-depth into the new Toyota Sense 3.0. I wasn't super pleased with test-driving a Camry with the old system so I'm happy to hear the lane-centering assist has been improved. Super excited to add my name to the pre-order list.
as someone that has owned the 2 priuss or prei? and currently owns a Honda insight I have to say without a reasonable doubt that I am a much bigger fan of the prius than the insight. the new prius is tempting, but like stated in the video, the compromise in cargo space and of the new prius for performance and styling has me hesitant about making the switch from the insight, because the lack of space in the insight is exactly why I am not 100% happy with the insight. I think I am just going to get a 2022 Prius Prime.. the end.
My 2012 Prius has served me well. It is such a nice city car. Love everything about the new one, but the less cargo capacity is giving me a pause. I might go for a small/mid sized SUV instead this time.
We have a 2012 Prius V and space is a consideration for us as well. Of course we traded space for efficiency over the non-V, but the even less cargo space than the outgoing non-V model might nix the option for us.
That’s funny when the last Prius came out everyone praised its suspension for being a good handler. Now people hate it. I wonder if that will happen to this 2023 when the next next Prius comes out
@@gilbrook it’s a measurement of the lateral grip. The Prius being able to achieve anything close to .90g is remarkable, especially given the width of the tires and the econo-type tires. You can go back about 10-15 years and find high-end sports cars that are barely better for this particular test.
This is also with the crap tires that come from the manufacturer. Put some DWS Extreme Contact tires on and you'll be pulling a G. There was another test that posted a 0.87G which is still very good.
Good in depth review Brian, never seen this level of honesty from Edmunds before, but I’ll definitely be subscribing and looking out for your car reviews in the future 👍👍👍
Reduce headroom, reduce cargo space, reduce practicality. I drove a Prius because it's counter-culture and the blue-collar vehicle of choice...the vehicle of delivery people and taxi-drivers ... not to look "hip"...now it looks conformist like every other car...very dissapointed.
I've owned a third gen and currently a fourth gen, I love the utility Prius has offered, but this is definitely a rethink for my future vehicle for how I use it. One thing I haven't seen any reviewer talk about is the lack of a rear windshield wiper in the '23. Maybe it's because these reviewers are all in the southwest of the US but this seems concerning to me living in a place with... weather... given that the rear glass is even more sloped than before. And no, the "digital rearview mirror" isn't a replacement, because if the lens is in the same place as the rear back up camera, it and the entire back end gets dirty from road grime just from driving making it useless in wet weather after so many miles. The power and style are great, and if I was just replacing the vehicle with me in thought, I might consider it, but not as an Uber/Lyft driver. One didn't buy a Prius for sex and speed in the past, one bought it for its amazing practical utility and reliability at a great price. Now, I am definitely going to have to consider other hybrids, if I can't fit two pieces of luggage in the back (like I can with my current 2017), or have passengers not bang their heads, or even find the door handle (which is up on the side), then it's going to be a non-starter. While I appreciate Toyota's pledge of "no more boring cars", I think they either missed the boat or are just having a hard time justifying the Prius' continued existence when they can put this hybrid tech in all their other vehicles now. I'm not sure if going the other direction and designing a utility-minded "fleet vehicle" would be more profitable than upping the sex appeal, but it seems the Prius is losing some of the practical appeal, and that's why I bought two of them before.
Great review! Very neutral and serious. Too bad about rear viz. already poor in my 2017 Prius. I would def get a model w the digital rear view. I love my 2017. Prius Incredible value
Why didn't they do the 0 to 60 Test for both FWD and AWD models? Also, it would be nice to see if there is a different 0 to 60 time in All drive modes (Sport, Eco, Normal and Custom).
I wish they would have done what BMWa and Kia did by making 1 long curved screen from center to right behind the steering wheel. All they needed to do was take what they have and move is closer to the steering wheel. How could Toyota not have noticed this issue in pre production models that virtually every car reviewer points out as a flaw?
WTF people kept saying the old Prius is ugly? What about the, chevy m Spark, VW Passat, or Nissan Altima or Versa? Being ugly won't make it to the fifth generation and sold over 8 million units world wide.
I love the design and I also have a 2021 and 2022 Prius. However, did you notice in the video that this new Prius is lower in the front and back. This makes it more difficult to get in and out of the car. So if your over 6 feet tall or/and weigh a bit, you might have a problem with the styling.
Very good review... I was seriously thinking of buying one but your honest and insightful review of some of the areas that are important to me (cargo space, rear seat room, instrument cluster location, and other minor things) has given me pause... I guess I will look at it at the dealership when they get one to see if those things are really a deterrent for me, but your insight has given me the heads up for what to focus on... thanks.
Why do people keep knocking the position of the volume button on the screen? It's clearly for the passenger. The driver has one on the steering wheel, the driver doesn't need to reach out for the volume button on the screen... Why would the driver need both?!
I think the new Prius is perfect. Fun, fast, stylish, great mpg. And probably won’t be an Uber anymore which I find a huge positive for buying a fun car. I don’t want to buy a 37k taxi they can buy the Camry hybrid for Uber
To overcome the display ambiguity behind the wheel, why not raise the screen higher and round-off the bottom portion to the same shape as the steering wheel?
First Reviewer (out of 10 professional I watched) that complained about the Instrument cluster and complaining about the back seat. Obviously a Huge person.
You will usually have compromises when it comes to vehicle style. I don't care. I would buy this one! The previous versions to ugly, to odd on the inside. The new design is so graceful from front to back. Really like this.
Greetings from southern Ontario Canada I really enjoyed the video looking forward to seeing this vehicle here and I'm glad about the gear shift is on the console and the joy stick shift is gone and the rear flush door handles are very good
I think tuners are going to find they like this one, especially with awd. We will have to see who is the first crazy person to try and tune a prius but on paper a 2.0l 4cyl with a hybrid system has potential
i really liked the honda insight. used prices are high though. the 2023 prius looks good too. maybe wait 5-10 years when prices are a lot more reasonable.
Some good points made here, such as limited rear visibility (making digital rear view mirror essential, not an option). Also, pointing out that a high-price version (which approaches $39K US) opens the door to a number of alternative hybrids that compete favorably. I’d mention the Venza which corrects several defects of the Prius when you get up in the $39K range. For example, wider and normal sidewall tires instead of skinny ones, and a spare tire. A rear window washer/wiper. A power passenger seat. Two zone climate control. Smoother and quieter ride. Better sound system. Rear seating air vents. Main disadvantage: 10mpg less.
This is the best review I have seen and I've seen a lot. His words ring with truth and cover the things people really care about with the exception how fast I can go off the line. This is not a sports car after all and boy racers don't go for these.
It was designed for functionality. The old design has better rear room and better head room for passengers. Even the little things like bumps in the rear lights were put there for aerodynamics. As people have told me that my car is kind of ugly, I tell them this..."I am on the inside and don't have to look at it when I am driving and I take great glee in making you go crazy while you have to look at it." That pretty much shuts them up. There is a lot of hate from very shallow people out there for the older Prius. If they only knew how great a car it really is.
@@Stevesmith-yw7cr It odd since I think there are plenty of ugly cars on the road, not sure why the Prius stands out so much. Except maybe the 4th Gen since that really is quite different.
Thx for the test. My opinion, Nice car, but the biggest problem is the steering wheel vs display. The central display is ridiculously simple. This is not enough for me in 2023. I choose a Honda Civic.
Third gen Prius owner here. The looks are a massive improvement over the fourth gen Prius which is so ugly I never for a moment even considered ever buying one. There's a lot about this new design that really appeals to me. I am concerned though about the reduced utility. I've always liked how amazingly roomy the back seat is on my car for a car this size and how much stuff fits under the hatchback. I also don't care for the reduced visiblity out the back. And, after designing cars for many decades now, Toyota can't place the gauge display correctly so it's easily visible past the steering wheel? What's up with that?
@@RennieAsh My understanding from watching this and other videos about the new Prius is that Toyota designed this so that you have to look over the top of the steering wheel not through the steering wheel as is normally done to see the gauge display. That means you have to have the steering wheel set at a low position, not high. A very short person might be able to view the gauge display through the steering wheel, but for people of average height or taller the design requires adjusting the steering wheel lower than people are used to so the gauges can be seen over the top of the steering wheel.
This Prius is more for solo driving , a drivers car and not for passengers comfort. Its looks more cool which is a bonus. Also more powerful then the outgoing Prius and quite fast acceleration 0-60 for a non-turbo car Uber/Lyft passengers have no choice unless they select UberX and premium cars. It is for people who value fuel efficiency over turbo sports cars. So I think there is nothing NEGATIVE about the 2023 Prius. Families looking for back seat passenger comfort should obviously buy a Camry Hybrid. You cannot have a jack of all car which pleases EVERYONE.
The golf clubs barely fitting is disappointing. I always gawk at golf club storage because golf bags are just long but not large in any other dimension, so its a cop-out for a car like a 570GT that doesn't have a super-usable but still large cargo area. Things like storage boxes and bikes are way more challenging to fit and far more applicable to the general population. I'm thinking our family could replace our heavily used base model civic hatch with this, but storage would be important.
I'm torn, now in between 2023 Prius hybrid and 2023 Camry, the are both almost exactly same price $28k and and almost same mpg, Camry 52-53 mpg, and prius 55-57 plus awd which drops mpg to same as Camry, what recommendations or suggestiom would you give me please, thanks in advance
I would lean towards the LE because it's all about fuel efficiency for me. However if there is no keyless entry and push button start that really complicates my decision making.
Controversial take: although the powertrain and exterior styling is unquestionably better than my 4th gen Prime, the loss of rear-seat room, cargo room, and the ergonomic nonsense of that gauge cluster make my 2021 Prius Prime a better overall family vehicle.
For a “new” design, there are a ton of negative compromises. Power and “styling” doesn’t change the fact you’ve lost quite a bit of utility and space from previous models.
@@NOXStellans Plenty of slow economy cars out there. Perhaps if you cannot adjust to traffic, you are the road hazard ;-) 👍 😉 😂 ⚠ I'd hate to see you around a truck
Prius was always about funcionality over everything else. Super reliable, very spacious, unbelievable mpg. Second gen and third gen actually had like van spacious interiour. But all of that wasnt good enough for north americans. So now Toyota made beautiful prius with mazda 3 or elantra interiour space , yes, its smaller, but reliability, great mpg still is there! Honestly- what do you want?? If its not good enough- get some shitty mazda 3 or elantra.
THe NEw Prius has been Ioniqued !!! It looks somewhat like the now discontinued Hyundia Ioniq. I'll stick with my 2018 Prius 4 for now. It only has 75K miles and all my Toyota cars I put at least half a million miles on them before repairs made it easier to sell for a new one. I drive em till they drop....a good idea to save cash.
