We’ve always had a soft spot for the Toyota Prius at Consumer Reports. This hybrid model has never been flashy or sporty, but for the past two decades each generation came with two promises: Practical transportation and impressive fuel efficiency. And the car solidly delivered on both.
That laser focus on pragmatism has shifted with the 2023 redesign. In addition to sleek, low-slung styling and surprisingly large 19-inch wheels across most trims in an attempt to make it cooler and less nerdy, Toyota also gave the Prius an upgraded electric motor and a larger gasoline engine, the result of which brings an additional 75 horsepower—all of these updates chip away at criticisms that the Prius is a slow, dowdy punchline.
But although the new car is quicker and more engaging to drive—yet somehow still manages to get about the same fuel economy as before, which is no mean feat—the design-led loss of cabin space and focus on performance have taken away from some of the attributes that have made the Prius such a special vehicle. Between the firmer ride, noisier cabin, heavily compromised outward visibility, lower-slung cabin that makes for more difficult entry and exit, less comfortable rear seat, and reduced cargo room, the Prius has lost several points in its road-test score.
In the words of one of our testers, “This car is trying to be too many things to too many of the wrong people.” Those who have poked fun at the Prius in the past are still unlikely to buy this new one, and previous Prius owners may find the reworked version too impractical.
Fuel economy is still the Prius’ main event, and we measured 51 mpg overall—an impressive number considering our tested second-tier XLE trim’s optional all-wheel drive. Yes, we got 52 mpg overall with the last front-wheel-drive Prius, but consider that the new Prius is quicker, about 230 pounds heavier, and has the added friction of all-wheel drive in the version we tested. Note that front-drive models, particularly in base LE guise, are even more sparing with fuel, according to the EPA.
Even with that incredible fuel economy, the new Prius is much quicker than the last one, thanks to its larger and more powerful 2.0-liter gasoline engine. It hustled from 0 to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, a dramatic two-and-a-half-second improvement over the previous generation. As before, the electric drive can propel the Prius at lower speeds in urban situations, especially if you use a light throttle foot; this makes for frugal, gratifying, and pretty quiet motoring. However, when more power is called for out on the open road, the gas engine kicks on with a loud and raspy groan, which sours the driving experience. Toyota’s electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT) only serves to amplify the din, as it allows the engine revs to rise very high in a rubber band-like fashion, without any simulated upshifts as with some CVTs. In those instances, the Prius feels loud and unrefined.
We enjoy the car’s newfound nimbleness thanks to tighter suspension tuning, which endows the car with more capable handling. We found it agile through corners out on the road and very secure when pushed to its limits around our track. But the ride has a noticeably firmer edge than before, due in part to our tested XLE’s standard 19-inch tires with short sidewalls. Still, it’s mostly civilized, and we don’t think this compromise should be a deal breaker. But buyers beware: Only the base LE comes with smaller 17-inch tires; the mid-trim XLE and top Limited are stuck with the 19s.
The new lower-slung aerodynamic body looks super sleek, and very different from any other Prius before. But it exacts a price when it comes to entering and exiting the car, requiring a lot of ducking and “falling down” into the seats, then hoisting yourself back up on the way out. The high, vertically-oriented rear door handles are also awkward to grab.
The driving position is rather odd: You sit very low, reminiscent of a sports car, the windshield has a dramatic rake, and visibility is hampered by extremely thick windshield pillars. Plus, the driver’s instrument screen is far away. On the bright side, its faraway location—like a compromise between a traditional instrument cluster and a head-up display on the windshield—allows you to keep your eyes focused forward toward the road ahead, rather than looking down at a screen. But the text on the display isn’t any larger even though it's farther away from you. Plus, it’s crowded with information, and many drivers felt like they had to look up and over the top of the panel, as well as over the large windshield wipers.
The front seats are comfortable with reasonably soft cushions and supportive side bolsters to help hold you in place—helpful considering the Prius’ newfound cornering capability. The rear seat is tighter than before, though. It’s situated low to the floor, resulting in very little underleg support. Even with the seat’s low position, headroom will be tight for average-sized adults and up. Cargo room has also been downgraded: We could fit only two large suitcases behind the rear seat—with the last Prius we fit those, plus two large duffel bags.
The Prius shares much of its interior layout and controls with other Toyota models. The climate system is controlled via manual buttons, which we appreciate vs. the increasingly-common touch-capacitive “buttons” on a panel. But we were a bit irked by the small climate labels, which are difficult to decipher while driving. The 8-inch infotainment touchscreen is responsive to inputs and easy to read at a glance. But unlike some competitors it doesn’t have a “home” screen, or split-screen functionality that allows for simultaneous viewing of things like navigation and media. One handy feature we really liked is the phone holder that also acts as the wireless charger. On the other hand, the stubby electronic “monostable” gear selector is likely to be confusing at first, due to the odd way you move the lever between Reverse and Drive.
The Prius comes with the “Toyota Safety Sense 3.0” suite of active safety and driver assistance systems. Standard features on the Prius include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.