2023 LE Videos?

That doesn’t mean they won’t have push button start. The photos above show a power button.

The LE interior looks really nice in those photos.

 

So, would there be a hole in the dash for the key to go into?

 

Maybe, maybe not.

Under specs for the Camry LE on the Toyota website, an integrated remote and key is listed. The feature listing released for the new Prius is silent on the subject of what the LE has. The 2022 LE had one door SKS.

Only that the higher trims getting 3 door SKS can be said for sure.

The gen2 had such. Low fob battery requires it to be held somewhere the button for the start to work in current models. My guess is that a short range system for just inside the car isn't high cost for the manufacturer anymore.

For the differentiating Toyota is doing for the Prius, I do not see them giving the LE a key ignition.

 

It sounds like it may be inconvenient.

 

i suppose if they decontent it enough, they get the mpg publicity without actually having to sell any.

 

But it has the expensive stuff, like TSS 3.0.

 

is that stuff really expensive?

 

It's electronic and needs calibration. Costs more than, say the photo sensor for auto on headlights.

 

When considering costs, I try and make sure to consider the entire package: Sensor, mechanism(if any), control unit, wiring harness. When I was doing mild upgrades for my 2010 Prius 2, I dug into the wiring diagrams and began to understand just how many components are involved with some of those "simple" options. Just trying to add keyless liftgate would have been a major undertaking both in cost and difficulty. In comparison, adding an auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink was super easy.

I will be shocked if the LE doesn't have regular keyless start, and mildly surprised if it doesn't have driver's keyless entry.

 

I agree, it is a huge mistake that they did not brighten up the dashboard, steering wheel, and most important, any part of the doors at all, for the grey. I will always choose the lighter interior, even if only parts of it are lighter… But yeah, you pinned it, that is the issue. THe seats are different but the rest is not

OTOH check this picture out:
https://www.toyota.com/prius/photo-gallery/section/interior/slide/1

The first image on the interior page seems to have grey doors. Maybe it is only in higher trims? Or maybe some of the pics are errors? I do not know, this is weird

 

I expect the keyless driver door and push button start. The push button has been standard since the gen2. Going with a key would be backwards, and be counter to positioning the Prius as an upgrade to the Corolla.

Could be the trim. Markets can also see differences; IIRC, Japan had three interior choices vs two with the gen4. These photos, and the reviews, are all with pre-production cars. They are 99% what the factory made models are, but a slight change can be done.

Maybe the grey doors in the photo was from testing out different color schemes.

 

If you go to Toyota.com and select the build for an LE you get 4 photos of the interior you can select between. For the LE, the blue illuminated line along the dash disappears.

On the third step where you can select the interior and exterior colors, you can choose black vs grey interior and see it change in any of the 4 above images. I do not see anything change except for the seats and even then the lower rigid plastic parts stay black. The larger view allows you to examine this in more detail especially or a 4 or 6K monitor. It sure looks like they are only going to change the seating surfaces.

 

I like the grey upholstery with the black interior. Add to that the silver accents and the blue LED on the dash + those new and improved displays.. and I think it should look quite sharp.

Of course there’s only so much you can tell from these photos, but the upholstery looks durable. Hopefully it is. The cloth interior a few generations ago was the worst for durability IMO. I have grey and black fabric in my 2014 c and I’ve been impressed with how well it holds up and spot treats.

 

my 10 year old grey cloth looks new, as does mrs b's 9 year old softex in her hycam, except where it started coming apart at a seam near the drivers seat electric seat switch on the side of the seat cushion

 

Any chance the doors innthe pic i linked to are correct, and the ones in the configurator wrong?

i know it is a longshot but im grasping for hope that the doors will not be that hideous.

 

besides the possibility of hideous door panels, Is it possible the smart-key info circulating here might be misinterpreted too?

 

All the doors are the same(LE/XLE/Limited/all color options). Just look at some of the video reviews to see what they look like rather than focus on computer generated images from the configurator.

The reason why parts of the front doors sometimes seem to be gray is just because of differences in materials. The upper half of the front doors is covered in a softer plastic which is a very dark charcoal, while the bottom half of the door is a harder, cheaper plastic that is blacker. The rear doors are completely the harder, darker material. Several of the video reviews cover this when they are presenting the interior. Altogether, it's not really a gray so much as different shades of black. The top of the front doors seems to be the same material as the top of the dash.

 

Mostly speculation based on the released spec sheet from Toyota which omitted any option for smart key in the LE trim (where previously it listed 3 door SKS for higher trims but had an extra box that said 1 door SKS for lower trims). If it is true I wonder if it's a concession due to supply chain problems and it'll be back by 2024 model year.

 

Is that new thing about opening the doors with the phone or that phone app thingy what toyota is now referring to as the smart key? And if so, coining a slang term from days of old where I grew up, wouldn't it be a pissa if our current smart keys were demoted to regular dumb keys?