More on The All-new, 5th Gen 2023 Toyota Prius Prime

The reveal shows improvements in everything including curb appeal, all-electric range, acceleration, cargo volume, safety, and technology.

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Nov. 16, 2022

2023 Toyota Prius Prime


A Prime on the plug waiting for your next commute or family adventure.​

Following on the heels of the all-new 2023 Toyota Prius reveal(s) from Japan and last night in Los Angeles, I am not going to neglect the Prime. There are quite a few details within the following linked 2023 Toyota Prius stories to keep us busy for a while.

• Meet the US Spec, All-new, 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Hybrid -- There are so many technology upgrades and it’s a beauty to boot!
  
  
• All-new 5th Gen 2023 Toyota Prius Japanese Introduction Details -- The Japanese specs will vary slightly from the US equipment which I will reveal tomorrow night after the NDA has lapsed.
  
  
• 2023 Toyota Prius Japan Introduction -- It has been revealed!
  
  
• Tonight! The All-New 5th Gen 2023 Toyota Prius is Almost Here -- Livestream of the World Premier in Japan will occur late on Tuesday evening, November 15, 2022.

Now in its 10th year of production with a short hiatus in 2016, the original Prius Plug-in w/ 11-miles of all-electric range which became the “Prime” w/ 25-miles of all-electric range with more of everything in 2017, continues to offer local commuting from the plug or hybrid mode for fuel efficient longer drives. That was then, this is now.

With an even larger Li-ion battery ESTIMATED to be between 12 to 14 KWh total, 9 to 10 KWh useable, the all-new 5th Gen Prius/2nd Gen Prime increases its EV range by what Toyota stated is more than 50%, that equates to an excellent 35 to 40-miles of all-electric range. With my own 21 Prime’s 25-miles of AER offering 33 to 40 mpg depending on if I am driving city/suburban roadways or Interstate highways, 50 to 60 miles is not out of the question for some of us. That is a significant and noteworthy jump in range off the plug.

Like the all-new 5th gen, 2023 Prius, the Prime brings to the table the same expressive exterior, more normal interior layout, a far more powerful drivetrain, the very latest infotainment tech, and upgrades to its safety suite across the board.

What is different is in its trim nomenclature with an SE, XSE and XSE Premium trims vs the std. Prius’ LE, XLE, and Limited. And just like the 2023 Prius, the Prime is built on the same second-generation TNGA-C structure, offering a lower center of gravity with reduced weight and increased rigidity.

What is different this time around is a solar roof that can slowly recharge the 2023 Prius Prime’s battery when parked or provide supplemental power to major accessory’s including A/C when driving down the road. This has been tried in the past and the results were pathetic at best as the power offered could add do little more than run an interior fan to blow out hot air. This build appears to be different as the Japanese release was speaking of up to 750-miles of additional range per year. “Maybe” - in quotes, 500 miles/year range on our own EPA??? With a surface area of maybe 10 to 12 sq ft, I would not expect it to produce more than 150 to 200Ws. That is not enough to run the Prime’s AC except on extremely low output let alone the losses through the transverter to bring Voltages up to a useable level to be used within the car’s electrical architecture. Parked in peak sunlight, I am not sure. More detail is coming on this soon.

2023 Toyota Prius Prime with the Solar Roof

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The 2023 Prius Prime uses the same steeply raked body shell, platform, and even drivetrain except for three standout upgrades.

1. The 2023 Prime’s traction battery is now located entirely under the rear seat vs the current gen Prime whose packaging took up about 4” of height across the entire floor of the rear hatch. This increases the Prime’s cargo volume to possibly that of the std. 2023 Prius.
   
   
2. The newly developed Li-Ion traction battery’s energy capacity has increased enough allowing the aforementioned > 50% in range.
   
   
3. With the larger energy capacity comes more current capacity which can feed the Prime’s larger motor. Toyota is stating the Prime’s output is 99 HP more - 220 hp, providing a 0 to 60 time of just 6.6 seconds. Damn, that is quick for a Prius!

The 23 Prime’s trim walk looks almost identical to the 23 Prius’.

2023 Toyota Prius Prime SE includes the following:

• 17” Alloys w/ covers
• 8” infotainment display
• 6 USB-C ports
• Softex and leather trimmed heated steering wheel
• Rain sensing wipers <-- Std. Prius XLE feature
• Electronic Parking Brake (EPB)
• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) w/ Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Traffic Jam Assist

SE Options

• Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking (PA w/AB)

2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE adds:

• 19” Alloys
• Clear taillight
• Auto Dimming rearview w/ Home Link
• Two additional cup holders in back
• Driver and front passenger heated seats
• 8-way power driver’s seat
• Perforated SofTex sport seats with red accents
• SofTex seats
• Smart key <-- Not on the SE???
• Qi wireless charger
• Direct light illumination
• Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking (PA w/AB)

XSE Options

• 12.3” infotainment display
• Fixed glass roof
• Digital Key

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2023 Toyota Prius Prime XSE Premium adds:

• 19” Alloys
• 12.3” infotainment display
• JBL Premium Audio with 8 speakers
• Driver and passenger heated and ventilated seats with drivers memory
• Fixed glass roof
• Digital Key
• Power hatch
• Direct light illumination

XSE Premium Options

• Advanced Park
• Digital rearview mirror <-- Be careful with these. They give me instant nausea.
• Heated rear seats
• Panoramic View Monitor
• Solar glass roof

2023 Toyota Prius Prime Infotainment

A duplicate of the std. 2023 Prius, it includes the std. 8” and optional 12.3” central display Toyota Audio Multimedia system designed and engineered by Toyota’s Texas-based Connected Technologies team in Plano. Did I mention that it really works? Like 1,000 times already? An Over-the-Air (OTA) updateable system is also std. Like the std. Prius, what can be updated needs to be found out.

Dual Bluetooth phone connectivity, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Wi-Fi Connect, HD Radio, USB data, and a SiriusXM Platinum Plan 3-month trial…

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The Limited’s JBL Premium Audio system includes eight speakers, and Clari-Fi.

The Connected Services also carry over from the std 2023 Prius with an Emergency Assistance Button (SOS), 24/7 Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Locator and Collision Assistance with up to a 10-year trial. Service Connect gives drivers the capability to receive Vehicle Health Reports, Maintenance Alerts and reminders, also with up to a 10-year trial.

The six Type-C USB ports include two ports at the bottom of the center stack plus two more in the center console, and two at the bottom rear of the center console.

On the safety front, the Prime duplicates the std. Prius w/ Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) standard on all trims. Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking (PA w/AB) is available on SE and standard on XSE and XSE Premium. A Panoramic View Monitor is available on XSE Premium. Advanced Park is available on XSE Premium, a hands-free system designed to assist you with parallel parking or backing into a parking space.

Additional safety attributes also carry over form the std. Prius including Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) 3.0 enhancements. The Active Safety suite includes the following:

• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Road Sign Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Proactive Driving Assist

The 2023 Prius Prime also includes front corner radar sensors, driver monitor camera, Lane Change Assist, Front Cross Traffic Alert, Advanced Park and Traffic Jam Assist.

Fingers crossed that there is a 6.6 KW onboard charger inside.​

2023 Toyota Prius Prime Early Conclusions

Just like the std. 2023 Prius, the all-new Prime brings to the table an exciting shell that will surely be talked about for years to come. That lower roofline will create consternation for rear seat passengers’ ingress and egress. The question being how often do you load your rear seats anyway? Rideshare drivers? Too bad, to sad.

The new and more normal driver display in front of the driver moves the Prius in the right direction.

Its 220 combined HP providing a 6.6 second dash to 60 takes away the Prius’ stigma of being slow even though those that think performance at that level is necessary despite rarely if ever using it. The 37 to 40-mile all-electric range is a huge welcome addition as it not only supplies more non-gasoline use driving, but it also again qualifies for HOV lane access in California. If they move construction to the US, it may once again qualify for the full tax credit. Without that credit, I would not have purchased the 20 and 21 Prius Prime for my own fleet.

The safety and infotainment upgrades are more than noteworthy as you are now driving a modern looking vehicle with the latest safety and infotainment tech available anywhere. Instead of me bitching about the Prius’ infotainment every few hours when it reboots, I can just drive and never give it a second thought. Ever. Well, maybe not ever but you know what I mean.

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While the 2023 Toyota Prius’ price and availability is expected within weeks, the all-new second gen Prime’s pricing and availability will be held off until the first half of 2023. And if I were you, wait for the 24 when availability may increase and there is an off-chance that Toyota puts a $4,500 to $5,000 rebate on it to make it less than the std. Prius that you will also be considering. That is why I bought the 2013 Prius PHEV and you may be afford the same within 18-months.

 

All-new, 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Prime











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Hi Billy:

17s are indeed big, more costly to replace, and not as efficient as they could be.

Pricing is going to be high for awhile. A lot of interest from a lot of people.

I asked about the fuel tank. Nobody wanted to say anything despite the fact they knew. We will get that spec under an NDA on or around Dec. 5th.

Wayne