We drive the all-new 2023 Toyota Prius and it’s probably one of the most impressive upgrades I’ve seen from any manufacturer in a very long time. I'll be honest I really didn’t like the old Prius, in fact, I cursed it for hogging the passing lane at sixty-five miles per hour while the driver attempted to maximize fuel economy, and to top it off you had to concede driving enjoyment, styling, performance, and most of all your dignity.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:41 Exterior Styling
1:43 Engine and Transmission
2:48 Pricing
3:14 Cargo Space
3:51 Interior and Tech
7:39 Driving
14:26 Verdict

Styling

Let's face it the old Prius wasn't very stylish, it looked like a badly ironed pillowcase at best. This new one looks utterly desirable something I never thought I would say. It looks amazing from all angles with a sleek new roofline that tapers down to the windshield and a new chiseled design that makes for a hugely reduced frontal area. At the back, the letters Prius have been stretched out with a new font making it difficult to see exactly what you're following.

Size-wise the 2023 Toyota Prius is 1.1 inches longer, 1.6 inches lower, and almost an inch wider. The front track is wider by 2.3 inches and at the rear by 2 inches while the wheelbase has been stretched by a full 2 inches.  All this has made for a much better handling car than the outgoing model.

More Power

The gas engine is now a 2.0-liter inline-four that generates 150 horsepower instead of the old one which was good for 96 horsepower and the permanent-magnet motor is smaller and puts out 111 horsepower instead 71 hp. Using fuzzy match the combined output is now at 194 horsepower instead of just 121 horsepower, which is a massive 60 percent increase. Imagine if VW had given the Golf GTI a 60% bump in power, it would be making 350 hp and I would be first in the queue.

All trims from LE to Limited can now be optioned with all-wheel drive ($1,400), although I don't think it's worth it, and the AWD LE has improved fuel economy with 54 mpg combined, up from 49 mpg. The premium model gets 52 mpg probably due to its 19-inch wheels with 195/50R-19 Michelin Primacy All Season tires. 

With this new-found power, the new Prius is now decently quick with 0-60 coming up in 7 seconds, a full 3 seconds quicker than any previous model since none of them could no previous Prius could crack 10 seconds to sixty.

2023 Toyota Prius Limited Numbers

BASE PRICE: $34,465
AS TESTED PRICE: $37,494
ENGINE: DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4
POWER: 150 hp, 139 lb-ft
COMBINED POWER: 194 HP
BATTERY: 0.9-kWh lithium-ion
TRANSMISSION: Continuously variable automatic
ZERO TO 60 MPH: 7.0
CURB WEIGHT: 3,200 lb
TIRES: TOYO All Season 195/50R-19
CARGO SPACE: 20 cubic feet
FUEL ECONOMY: Combined/City/Highway - 52/52/52 mpg
OUR OBSERVED: 38.9 mpg
PROS: Great styling, zippy, on-road handling, quiet interior 
CONS: Buzzy 4-cylinder, reduced rear headroom