Canada Prius Prime trim level details

And it’s most mighty strength of all is combatting legendary Toronto traffic with the almighty Green Plate!

 

By specs, it seems to be a hair more capacity than the outgoing Prime. In person last night, it looked small, however that is with that false floor and styrofoam, and there are a number of storage cubbies in the foam for various things along with “holes” on the sides behind the wheels for extra storage, etc. I still have to imagine there should be a relatively easy DIY/aftermarket opportunity to make something to lower it further in place of the styrofoam (or even build in a compact spare…)… I never thought to check if there was a mounting point (i.e. threaded hole) in the metal trunk floor for a spare. Probably not, since it likely wasn’t built for it.

 

The gen3 Prius had a solar roof. It ran the HVAC blower to vent the cabin on hot days. Heard that was once a summer package on luxury models. You and I would only see the winter package with heated seats on a new car lot.

The old Prime did add range while parked. I always felt it gimmicky for the US. Most of the country had relatively cheap energy that meant the cost was long payback. The story was different in Japan and Europe. Safety regulations over the glass shattering is the stated reason for why the US didn't get it then.

The safety issue has been addressed with the new. Costs should have dropped since the old one came out, but it is also a more powerful panel set.

IIRC, the new Prius cargo volume is a little smaller than the gen4, which would mean more over the old Prime. That doesn't answer the question of the hatch opening, or if a person has the specific dimensions of stuff they haul regularly.

From the owner's manual, there three possible configurations to the cargo area. There is the raised platform with the styrofoam storage cubbies underneath. That's in the Prime and higher Prius trims. Doesn't sound like the one with a spare tire instead of the cubbies is coming to North America. The Prius LE, maybe the Prime SE, doesn't have the raised platform. It's all open space with an installed floor high enough to store the tire repair kit.

It is really easy to pull out the platform and cubbies from the photos. Getting more volume when needed is possible. The cables I saw in photos wasn't the bright orange high voltage type; likely for the rear lights. You still want to be careful with them. The AWD Prius might have such high voltage cables. It might also have the inverter for the rear motor in that space.

 

It'd be really nice if the Solar Roof could charge the 12 volt, say an either/or option: it could run a vent fan or charge 12 volt. Or a bit of both. Especially handy for someone street parked (extension cord to car for 12 volt charging impractical) and sporadic usage.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I did make a video of the hatch area and grabbed a still from when I lifted the styroam, and I saw a thick orange cable as below, which I presume is a voltage cable to the rear electric AWD motor? Just a guess… Certainly seems like something to be careful of regardless.

That said, the car did have a sticker saying it was a “prototype vehicle, some finishes may vary” or something to that effect, on the dash on the passenger side (didn’t get a clear photo of it, again snipped from a video). Using a prototype at this stage is a bit odd for a vehicle which is already on sale, but I guess they are getting usage out of an unsellable asset rather than allocating valuable inventory they desperately need for order fulfillment, lol.

 

Yep, that's a high voltage cable for the hybrid system. Wasn't in another photo I saw posted. Can't think of any reason for it to be there besides AWD.

Prototypes come in generations. That one, and what all the early reviews were on, are final production prototypes. The manufacturer makes a bunch of these to make sure all the production parts fit right, for testing and certification, and marketing. These are how they get EPA ratings before even starting production.

If a part changes in the production version, it is do to it failing in the final testing, or issues with supply. Though it's possible what is displayed for the public is a car for a different market, which has slight differences.

 

This is also likely why the prototype Prime they had on the platform had the solar roof option, even though by all reports I have seen so far, will not be an option available in North America…

 

We may not have Canadian pricing yet on the Prius Prime, but that won't stop me from predicting.

By comparing MSRP of equivalent builds of the top-trim 2023 Prius (AWD, base paint, advanced tech, delivery) I came up with a Canadian MSRP multiplier of 1.197, which (as expected) is less than it should be given straight exchange rates.

Based on the American Prius Prime XSE Premium (base paint, advanced tech) MSRP of $41,900, I'm guessing the Canadian equivalent will be $50,150 – delivery included (which recently became the norm for advertised MSRP in Canada).

Sadly I don't expect the solar roof option, which on the American version seems reasonably priced.

This is before the federal rebate of $5000, and provincial rebates in BC & Quebec where they basically pay you to drive the car.

 

Your logic sounds about right. Steep price, but the new models do pack a lot more luxury features.

I agree that is is strange that they suddenly started including delivery in the price recently… the first time I saw that, I thought it was a big price jump, lol.

Anyway, I am sure we will get the pricing from Toyota Canada shortly, and hopefully the XSE Premium comes in < $50k.

 

Good catch. Thanks for posting!

 

Good find. Here is the most important info:

The SE, XSE and XSE Premium grades come in a choice of Cutting Edge, Guardian Gray, Midnight Black Metallic, Reservoir Blue and Maximum Yellow. Premium paint colours include Wind Chill Pearl or Supersonic Red (extra cost colours). The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, excluding Dealer Processing and Handling, will start at $37,990 for the SE grade, $42,990 for XSE grade, and $46,990 for XSE Premium. Models are expected to arrive at Toyota Dealerships this May.

I do like that they will be offering it in reservoir blue, and the pricing is actually a bit lower than I expected.

First colour choices for me would be blue, yellow or red, but I would consider any colour if the package was right… and they actually had a car to deliver to me!

 

I’d put a deposit down on an XSE… but also said I’d be happy with an SE instead. The more I look at the specs, the more I think “SE”.

 

I have always preferred to get my vehicle loaded then own it as long as possible, however, the SE package on the Prime does look pretty decent, even if the geek in me would miss all the fancy features.

That said, I don’t care much for the excessive 19” rims and would take something similar in 17” if available (though I don’t particularly care for 17” design on the SE), especially if it saved some cost and improved fuel economy. Comes with the territory I suppose.

It does seem rather ironic that in Canada, we can get the SE and 17” rims on the Prime, but the only wheel choice with the “standard” Prius is the 19”…

 

I’m a bit p###ed off at the notion of needing a subscription to activate certain (safety) features, if I’m reading the press releases correctly.

 

Shoppers/tire-kickers should know that when you do a build price on toyota.ca, the price now includes a $1221 "dealer fee," which not all dealerships charge. The dealer who has had my $500 for 13 months does not.

Before you put a deposit down, ask your dealer whether they charge this, and shop around!