Meet the US Spec, All-new, 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Hybrid

Hi All:

I was afforded the opportunity to take out a brand new 2024 Toyota Prius XLE with the fuel robbing 19s for a week. It was "essentially brand new" with less than 400-miles on the clock which could have impacted the Speed vs FE curve below.

2024 Toyota Prius XLE


Just minutes before heading out on its Speed vs FE testing.

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Temps ranged from 54 to 57 degrees F and winds were calm for the northbound and southbound drives while the aFCD offset came in at 0.985 vs actual and was considered from the display vs actual efficiency achieved during each of the 10 back and forth runs.

The EPA highway crossover speed occurred at a rather low 61.9 mph. This indicates the 24 Prius XLE with the 19s 52 mpg highway rating is "possibly" a bit overstated. My standard "minimum" 67.5 mph crossover speed indicates this 2024 Prius XLE should be rated closer to 49 mpg. I have not driven a modern Toyota of any type with an EPA highway overstated to this degree. The three possible distinct reasons include of course those fuel robbing 19" alloys and 195/50R19 tires. The higher rotating mass is a fuel efficiency killer. Second is that the 19s increase ground clearance by .4 inches over the LEs 17s that not only increases frontal area slightly, "possibly" increases drag from the larger tire area exposed under the front fascia. And finally, the fact I could only add an additional 400-miles before the actual test, the 24 Prius XLE had less than 1,000-miles on its clock when I went out for its Speed vs FE testing.

My 23 Prius LE proved to be significantly more efficient but because it was mine and setup essentially perfectly, its Speed vs FE graph will remain hidden until such time I can procure an "off the shelf" LE to run my gambit of tests for a std. Prius vs one that has been broken in properly and tuned.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

Now onto the rest of the vehicle...

2024 Toyota Prius XLE


$35,847 incl. D&H as shown and driven. The all-new 5th gen is hot no matter the color. In Supersonic Red, it is scorching! ​

The 23/24 Prius' silhouette still grabs attention like nothing else I have driven. I was driving down Carlsbad Blvd. - the Coast highway in Carlsbad, CA, with my windows opened and slowed for a construction worker adjusting the crosswalk lights. As I passed at ~ 15 mph, he said is that the new Prius? I said sure is. He said awesome looking!

While I was at the Discount Tire for the cargo capacity comparisons described below, one of the workers came out to ask me questions about it and how much he "loved" the looks.

I was doing charity work at a nursing home and while I was walking in, two employees completing their shift were walking out. The doors were open so I could hear them talking about the Prius when I was inside at the front desk. They both said, “What is this” and "So cool!".

I was walking into a Home Depot and a customer in the parking lot asked several questions. He thought it was a new Tesla model at first but after I told him what it was, he said he cannot wait to own one for himself because it looked great.

These are just four of the seven encounters with members of the public that had nothing but superlatives to say.

Infotainment includes all the latest bells and whistles, but the 12.3-in. central touchscreen is "DA BOMB". Considering the std. 7" display in my 21 Prime and std. 8" in the 23/24 LE/XLE, its usability is in a whole new ballpark. I cannot for example have Android Auto's Google Maps and the Pandora station, album, and song display on the 7 or 8" touchscreen together as everything is too small. With the larger 12.3" display, I can. It is an option on the XLE so make sure you take this into account in your pricing calculus.

The optional $735, 12.3" display may be the best option of any available on the all-new 23/24 Prius.​

Any vehicle with Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto would normally get two thumbs up from me. While driving the many prototypes within the Toyota lineup last year, I experienced no glitches after maybe 500-miles in 6 different model Toyota's. Once I received my own 23 Prius LE with wireless, the glitches began to mount and the new 24 with the optional 12.3 in this XLE showed the same issues. Wireless timeouts, sometimes it would drop and a full reboot would be necessary to get it back, and especially GPS/NAVI voice guidance dropping out while the map display and either XM or Pandora's audio carried on without issue. I have tried tens of iterations of shutting things down and starting them up in different orders to get voice guidance back. All to no avail. Swapping from the best in the business Qi wireless charger slot or USB-C power cord port to the USB-Power and Data port to engage wired AA and ACP sometimes worked. And sometimes even that did not fix the problem either. All with my Android based Galaxy S22+.

The wheel blocking the lower half of the 7” driver display is still an annoyance. When the 5th gen Prius receives a refresh, I suspect Toyota will either add a yolk as I had initially suspected was slated for it or they will add a larger Camry wheel and pull the driver display back to lineup horizontally with the 12.3 or 8” central displays. This simple change in screen placement would cost nothing and allow the full drivers display to be visible for everyone.

On the safety front, of course TSS 3.0 is a nice upgrade over the TSS 2.5 in my own 21 Prime. Remember the 2017 - 2022 Prime lacked RCTA and BSM except for the highest trim so it was nice to have those systems available.

Not only are the various systems more accurate but more adjustable. The entire standard list includes the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Road Sign Assist (RSA), Automatic High Beams (AHB), Proactive Driving Assist (PDA). The lane keep assist is less intrusive and more accurate. The PDA system is not only adjustable in terms of amount of correction or unassisted control. it is a lot smarter than the LKA on my own. I adjusted every system to their max sensitivity prior to driving even a mile. Although some of the non-assisted outputs seemed aggressive - slowing into a curve, I left them at their max sensitivity for peace of mind.

What about cargo capacity? I have a friend that works at a Discount Tire and asked if I could snap a few pics of some of their tire stock loaded in the back of the 24 XLE. Remember that the 24 XLE/Limited is rated at 20.3 cu. ft. vs my Prime's 19.8 cu. ft. The XLE/Limited have that lifted foam storage underneath the floor which takes up some of the room vs the 23/24 LEs 23.8 cu. ft.

Four 16" truck tires fit with the hatch closed. Four 17" truck tires would not quite fit but I was still shocked at what it could hold!


Six 15" car tires easily fit with no issues.​

I could not close the hatch with the 4 16" truck tires in my 21 Prime.

Regarding the cargo cap, removing the XLE/Limited's foam underlayment would allow for a mini-spare under the removeable floor in case anyone was interested?

What about that all-new drivetrain including the heavily atkinsonized 150 hp 2.0L I4 mated with the 111 hp MG2 for a combined 194 HP? While the XLE with the 19s was lackluster in terms of efficiency, in terms of performance, there was definitely a huge upgrade. The 4th gen while ok in terms of off the line quickness below 30 is sufficient for any road in the world, sometime when merging I sometimes wish there was a little more. Not in terms of WOT but a lower load just below the power band indication is breached. The 23/24 does not have this issue.

Significantly more power and close to the same efficiency in the real world is a huge plus obviously.​

There is a downside regarding the smallish .9 KWh Li-ion pack. If you are driving down the highway at 65 mph and even tap the breaks or simply let off, sometimes the ICE will spin back up due to MG2 pushing to much energy into this small Li-Ion. It is a protection of course and only adds a minute amount of a drivability concern for the few that will even notice but the engine (ICE) spins up to absorb power and immediately afterwards shutting down to back into EV reveals a limitation of this small of a pack. My 21 Prime and the 23/24 Primes have much larger packs and can absorb much more regenerative braking energy before transitioning into an ICE on for energy dissipation.

In conclusion, the all-new 23/24 Prius continues to provide ego boosting curb appeal even a year after its release. The small wheel cutting off the lower half of the driver display, lower headroom out back, and the smaller hatch opening detriments are not enough to dissuade most purchasers from a 5th gen Prius consideration simply because today's drivers want their vehicles looks to stand out while supplying the power of most everything else out on the road. The all-new 23/24 Prius kicks @$$ in this regard and over most anything with efficiency outside a pure EV. And we all know an EVs limitation no matter who makes them. While my wish for the 5th gens ICE and MGsets, the 4th gens 15" tire and wheel combination, and the 3rd gen V''s form factor, it is hard to say no to the all-new 5th gen vs anything else currently available.

My first drive of a Limited in Del Mar, CA in early 2023.​

Wayne

 

Hi Rossbro:

Nothing but they are not as pretty as those fuel sucking low profile 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23" wheels and tires.

Wayne

 

HI All:

Adding to the Prius' trophy case...

Toyota Prius Wins 2024 World Car Design of the Year

Since its redesign in 2023, the Toyota Prius continues to grab attention and earning a second look from those that would never consider one previously. This most recent award is yet another accolade for the 5th gen hybrid sedan as Prius has been recognized with the 2024 World Car Design of the Year – beating out 70 other competitors for the win.

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Powered by the fifth generation Toyota Hybrid System with 2.0L ICE, the new Prius achieves an incredible EPA rating of up to 57 MPG combined and has an output of 194 horsepower on the FWD drive model. Models equipped with the available Electronic On-Demand AWD system, the output climbs to 196 HP. Available in LE, XLE, or Limited grades, the Toyota Prius is packed with options and technology like the Toyota Audio Multimedia Audio system and comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

At it again? This time in a silver 2023 Toyota Prius LE from Toyota's Press Fleet in Texas. I was provided a 3 to 4-week longer term loan to complete an event I have been planning for quite some time as you can probably tell.

2023 Toyota Prius LE


Some hints were provided in the "What's your current fuel prices?" thread.​

One of my friends asked me to complete an 80 mph high speed efficiency test. While I am not normally inclined to drive like that, the 57 mpgUS rated 2023 Prius LE may just show me a thing or two. Traffic on the 40 between Nashville and Knoxville heading East was too heavy to maintain an 80 mph average speed while on RCC but with a 3 to 5 mph effective tailwind and a net elevation gain of 450', the 2023 LE performed admirably as shown.

2023 Toyota Prius LE


High speed efficiency test - 68.3 mph at 58.1 mpg​

The mid-speed efficiency test - set RCC at 65 mph and let it run for the return after the Monterey, TN refuel was also enticing. Traffic on the 40 between Knoxville and Lebanon, TN heading west was moderate with a 2 to 4 mph effective headwind and a net elevation descent of ~ 850'. That descent skewed the overall efficiency result massively to the upside so until I can complete the series of Speed vs FE testing on my CA - I5 route, I would be very skeptical about the result obtained and shown directly below.

Mid-speed efficiency test - 59.0 mph at 86.2 mpg​

This car has not even had its first oil change, let alone setup the way I will over the next few days. Pressures are in the mid 30s all around in fact which adds to the 5th gen Prius' prowess.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

I spent a little time last night completing the LEs Speed vs FE. Those 17s provide a world of difference vs the XLE we had a few months back. My only caveat is that the LE was setup extremely well - 10k miles, fresh oil change, and tires pressed up vs the XLE we tested above.

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Temps ranged from 63 to 64 degrees F and winds were calm for the northbound and southbound drives while the aFCD offset came in at 1.002 vs actual (fuel fill and odometer offset) for each of the 10 back and forth runs. The Odometer offset is 3,211.7 actual miles vs Trip A at 3,148.9 miles. The aFCD offset was deduced from the 2,648.7 actual miles traveled on 27.883 gal = 95.2 mpg actual vs 95.0 mpg indicated.

The EPA highway crossover speed (56 mpg highway) occurred at an exceptional 74.9 mph. This indicates the 23 Prius LE with the 17s 56 mpg highway rating is more than solid and they could have published a 60 mpg EPA highway rating with the 17s.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

With the 23 Prius in my hands, I am heading across the country. I refueled for the initial tank top off fill and tank seal install at a Chevron in Lakewood, CA, just off the 605 near Long Beach.

2023 Toyota Prius Initial Top off Fill


Prius' Trip A/B and Odometer reset - Garmin Trip A/B reset - aFCD reset.


Initial top off complete.​

First stop, LA City Hall.

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I took a number of detours off the 40 along Rt. 66 incl. Helendale, CA, Rt. 66 into the Barstow, CA Marine Logistics Base that I had to turn around at, and a famous Rt. 66 drive to Roy's Motel and Cafe in Amboy, CA.

2023 Toyota Prius at Roy's Motel and Cafe


Abandoned but still a famous Rt. 66 stop as evidence by all the vehicles there in the middle of the desert. The gas station is still open however.​

Amboy, CA, home to the famous Roy’s Cafe, hаѕ been іn еxіѕtеnсе ѕіnсе thе lаtе 1800ѕ аnd ѕеrvеd аѕ a rаіlrоаd dероt and rest fоr ѕtор fоr trаvеlеrѕ. In thе late 1940ѕ аnd еаrlу 1950ѕ thе tоwn hаd аѕ mаnу as thrее ѕеrvісе ѕtаtіоnѕ, at lеаѕt twо саfеѕ аnd a mоtоr court аnd supported a реrmаnеnt рорulаtіоn of аbоut 150 people.

A Brief History of Roy’s

While Amboy bесаmе a “city” іn 1883, a bооm occurred wіth thе раѕѕаgе оf Rоutе 66. Oреnеd іn 1938, Rоу’ѕ wаѕ thе оnlу ѕtор tо fіnd gаѕ, a hоt dіѕh аnd a bеd in thе аrеа. Rоу’ѕ wаѕ оrіgіnаllу a ѕеrvісе ѕtаtіоn, ореnеd bу Rоу Crowl whіlе Rоutе 66 hаd undеrgоnе a rеаlіgnmеnt (bеtwееn Gоff’ѕ аnd Nееdlеѕ). In thе 1940ѕ, Rоу, wіth his wіfе Vеlmа, jоіnеd fоrсеѕ wіth hіѕ ѕоn-іn-lаw, Hеrmаn “Buѕtеr” Burrіѕ. Thеу аddеd a саfе, a gаrаgе аnd a ѕmаll motel mаdе оf ѕmаll bungаlоwѕ. Thе соmрlеx was runnіng ѕеvеn dауѕ a wееk, 24 hоurѕ a dау, аnd labor wаѕ rесruіtеd thrоughоut thе соuntrу.

From Roy's, back up to the 40 on Kelbaker Rd. since the bridge is still out near Essex, another Rt. 66 detour up to Goff, CA and back down the 95 to Needles, CA with a a few missteps into a fenced road before turning back to get on the 40 and crossing into AZ. In Kingman, another Rt. 66 detour to Peach Springs, AZ and essentially following as much of Rt. 66 to the Chevron in Flagstaff, AZ as possible.

2023 Toyota Prius for First measured top off fill


Whooa, a 6,619' climb - 98' to 6,717' ASL, and the aFCD is showing 95.8 mpg indicated. Garmin Trip B = 555.3 miles.


Let's top it off and get an actual mpg result for the climb out.


An hour plus later and it’s topped off again...


555.3 actual miles on 5.695 gallons = 97.507 mpg actual.​

Lakewood, CA: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B) - 0.0 mpg/98 ft ASL/0.0 mi/0.0 mi
Flagstaff, AZ: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B) - 95.8 mpg/6,717 ft ASL/555.3 mi/555.3 mi --> 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg

With the Guinness World Records paperwork complete for the Chevron in Lakewood, CA launch, LA City Hall visit, and Flagstaff, AZ Chevron refuel over 2 hours and 45-minutes, it is time to head to the next refuel at a Circle K in Amarillo, TX.

Because the Guinness World Records adjudicator will not be ready for me in NY City until the 28th, I stopped in the small town of Fort Sumner, NM, home to Billy the Kid's final resting place. I am staying here for two days so I can catch up with all the GoPro video, my phones photo and video evidence, and verifying the witness forms, the Witness Logs, and Master Logbooks are in order.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

And for the trip down from Flagstaff to Fort Sumner, NM... With a tail wind developing, instead of heading down the 40 directly, I let Google Maps take me with no highways. The trip was wild with hundreds of turns down crazy unmarked county roads. Even one section of 5 or so miles that was hard packed gravel!

In any case, after the climb to 6,719' in Flagstaff, it was time to head down. Fort Sumner, NM is at 4, 033' which should help the cumulative immensely. It did as indicated by the non-calibrated ScanGauge III display shown below. The Prius is pegged at 99.9 mpg and was before 50-miles had been traveled from the Flagstaff, AZ Chevron.

I snapped a pic of the GoPro footage on my laptops screen showing the 4 to 5-miles of gravel road in the middle of the night. The GoPro is set for Hyperlapse so it takes a pic about every 30 seconds and stitches it together is far higher resolution video than this. Because of the GoPro's 30-seconds between pics in Hyperlapse, it missed an Elk in the middle of the road that I had to stop for a few seconds before Peach Springs, AZ earlier the night before.

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I am going to pick up the speed by driving I-40 exclusively from the Circle K in Amarillo, TX to the Shell in Russellville, AR, and then onto the Shell in Knoxville, TN so the overall is going to come down quickly as I make my way to NY City.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

A last shot of the 5th gen Prius' profile awaiting its next iteration of the open road early tomorrow morning...

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While I am waiting, I was speaking with a Canadian visitor at the breakfast this morning. He was in Mongolia last year and mentioned how there are thousands of right-hand drive Prius' in Mongolia because they are shipped out of Japan as used vehicles for cheap, are extremely reliable, and as we all know, efficient. He was describing how 2 and 4 lane highways/roadways just end with a trail heading in multiple directions and Prius' can be seen driving off on these trails all day, every day.

Fort Sumner, NM is home to the burial site of famed outlaw of the American West, Billy the Kid, who was shot and killed there in 1881.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

After the two days stop in Fort Sumner, NM, it was off to the next refuel in Amarillo, TX.

2023 Toyota Prius Second Refuel at Circle K


This time, a Circle K in Amarillo. One of the best-looking stations I have visited in recent years.


At this point I am still holding onto 100+ mpg but my highway speeds will be picking up fast as I approach the TX/OK border so it will be falling precipitously.


Standard top off.


6.178 gallons from tank seal removal to topped off.​

Cumulative results:

Lakewood, CA: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B) - 0.0 mpg/98 ft ASL/0.0 mi/0.0 mi
Flagstaff, AZ: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B) - 95.8 mpg/6,717 ft ASL/555.3 mi/555.3 mi --> 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg
Amarillo, TX: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B) - 99.9 mpg/3,646 ft ASL/1,262.5 mi/707.2 mi --> 707.2 mi/6.178 gal = 114.471 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 1,262.5 mi/11.873 gal = 106.334 mpg

Wayne

 

Hi All:

Passing the historic Conoco Tower Station in Shamrock, TX means a quick photo op.

I'll take a full tank of "Ethyl" for just $0.389/gallon please. ​

The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café along historic Route 66 in Shamrock was built in 1936 by J. M. Tindall and R. C. Lewis at the cost of $23,000. According to the US National Park Service, the building got its start when John Nunn drew his idea for the station on the ground with an old nail. Plans were later given to architect Joseph Berry who set the design and build into motion.

With its two Art Deco towers and facade, the building was designed and constructed to be three separate structures. The first was the Tower Conoco Station, named for the dominating four-sided obelisk rising from the flat roof and topped by a metal tulip. The second was the U-Drop Inn Café, which got its name from a local schoolboy's winning entry in a naming contest. The third structure was supposed to be a retail store that instead became an overflow seating area for the cafe. The Tower Station was the first commercial business located on the newly designated Route 66 in Shamrock, TX and is one of the most imposing and architecturally creative buildings along the length of the road.

Until about the late 1970s, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café was light brick with green glazed tiles. Now refurbished with light pink concrete highlighted by green paint, it still looks much the same as it did during the heyday of the Mother Road. The towering spire above the service station still spells out C-O-N-O-C-O, a reminder of the booming business that the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café once saw.

Today, visitors are welcome to the station, which is now operating as a visitor center, chamber of commerce office, and community center.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

And then the fast decline begins.

2023 Toyota Prius Third Refuel


And the higher speeds really hit. At the Shell in Russellville, AR just off the 40 after 1,794.7 cumulative miles and 532.1 miles on this tank.


Topped off.


6.436 gallons from the Amarillo, TX top off to the Russellville, AR refuel top off.​

Lakewood, CA Chevron: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B/Fuel Consumed) 0.0 mpg/98 ft ASL/0.0 mi/0.0 mi/0.0 gal
Flagstaff, AZ Chevron: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B/Fuel Consumed) 95.8 mpg/6,717 ft ASL/555.3 mi/555.3 mi --> 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 555.3 mi/5.695 gal = 97.507 mpg
Amarillo, TX Circle K: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B/Fuel Consumed) 99.9 mpg/3,646 ft ASL/707.2 mi/1,262.5 mi --> 707.2 mi/6.178 gal = 114.471 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 1,262.5 mi/11.873 gal = 106.334 mpg
Russellville, AR Shell: (aFCD/Garmin Elevation/Trip A/B/Fuel Consumed) 98.3 mpg/348 ft ASL/1,794.7 mi/532.1 mi --> 532.1 mi/6.436 gal = 82.676 mpg -- Cumulative Efficiency 1,794.7 mi/18.309 gal = 98.023 mpg

The Prius is currently parked in my garage, aFCD = 93.5 mpg, for the next 3-days as the Adjudicator will not be available in NY City until next Tuesday.

93.5 mpg/683 ft ASL/2,216.7 total miles traveled.​

Next stop(s):

• Shell, 1116 Harvey Rd, Knoxville, TN 37922 (Refuel #4)
• Shell, 5123 Summit Ave, Greensboro, NC 27405 (Refuel #5)
• NY City Hall (Guinness World Records Final Destination Requirement)
• Shell, 3080 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ (Final Refuel #6)
• Firestone Complete Auto Care, 70 NJ-139, Jersey City, NJ (Guinness World Records Final Vehicle Inspection Requirement)

Wayne

 

Hi All:

After the 2-day respite in NM to catch up with all the docs and another 3 days off at my home near Nashville, TN, it is almost time to head out to my destination, NY City.

The route maps from CA and through AZ, NM, TX, OK, AR, and TN to date have been marked up, the MyTracks and Google Time line kml GPS tracking files for the trek to date have been sent to GWRs, the Witness Forms, Witness Logbooks, and Master Log are in order, the vids and photo evidence of the launch and every stop along the route are in their proper folder, and the complete GoPro footage of every inch covered to date is also organized for quick dissemination by the Guinness World Records adjudicator. This is a lot easier with two people as one could be taking care of this from the passenger’s seat while the other is driving. This was not the case as I am a lone ranger trying to find his own path this year. Along with a multitude of power packs to run the GoPro, power and data cables of all types, laptop, ice in the coolers, all the food stuff, luggage, gear, etc...

Guinness World Records State Routing Map


Just the California map markup...​

California was the most technically challenging so far with elevation changes from 100' ASL to over 4,000' and back down to just over 500' ASL, temps from 65 degrees F at the launch to 106 degrees F in both Amboy and Needles, CA while crossing the lower half of the Mojave - AC required , and traffic density which ranged from absolutely gridlocked on the 605, 5, 210 into downtown LA and on up to the Cajon Pass climb, to absolutely desolate along parts of Old Rt. 66 in the California desert.

In any case, I must be in NY City by Monday night and parked, updated the rest of the 1,013 miles of routing maps, vids and photo evidence, and hope for the best.

Wayne