Does Prius Prime drive like an EV?

We have a 2017 Prime.

Most of our driving is silent without the ICE running. When you drive further than the charge the ICE turns on, and we usually select for it to begin re-charging right away. So in another 30 miles [or so] the drive battery will be re-charged and we can go back to EV driving.

 

If the outside temp isn’t too low then yes to all. I’ve driven a Tesla S and while it has more acceleration the Prime is more than adequate for my needs. If you can test drive a Prime then do it. It most likely won’t be charged so to drive it in EV mode run it in Charge Mode to charge up the traction battery. Press and hold the HV/EV button until the little Charge Mode indicator comes on. After 15 minutes you should have enough EV capacity for a decent test drive. Be sure to turn off Charge Mode by pressing and holding the HV/EV button again so you can get the full EV mode experience.

 

I forgot, outdoor temps do have an effect. When it is cold, the vehicle wants to keep its ICE warm, so it may run the ICE for a few minutes just to get it all warmed up, and then the ICE will shut down.

 

We have a 2017 Prius Prime and an EV Ioniq5. The EV accelerates much faster and is quieter. Torque is instantaneous. There is only some road noise from the tires and a little wind noise. The drone from the Prius engine can get annoying when driving at highway speeds.
The EV is far superior in almost every way. It's nice to be able to recharge at home and never have to visit a gas station.
On the other hand, recharging the EV on road trips can be nuisance if the chargers are off-line or occupied by other vehicles.
It's so much easier to road trip the Prius and costs about the same because charging an EV on the road is not cheap.

 

When it is cold means when the temperature is below the heat-pump threshold of 12°F. Living in Minnesota, I have been able to exploit that ability. For example, here is a commute home starting with a cold battery, parked at work without being plugged in. You can clearly see the EV drive in action, despite it being well below freezing.

 

Since both vehicles deliver EV driving, it's best to differentiate the PHEV and BEV attributes.

I just switched from driving a 2017 Prius Prime for 6 years to a bZ4X. With the exception of the BEV having more EV power available, the drive experience itself is basically a wash... exactly what Toyota was trying to deliver.

The only thing I really notice is the switch from FWD to AWD in low traction circumstances and the glue-to-the-road benefit from the much heavier vehicle weight and low center-of-gravity on sharp corners.

 

A test drive would be your best bet. Some dealers may have a dedicated Prime used only for test drives. As such, even though you can't buy one, you may be able to test drive one.

As for the objective aspects, such as silent running, others have given you good advice.
I believe there is a subjective element as well though. And that, you will only get from a test drive.

You may find local owners that would be happy to let you test drive theirs?

 

The Prime is an EV; as in PHEV (plug-in hybrid vehicle), so yes it drives like an "EV".

Does it have limited range, weigh tons, limited features/options compared to similarly priced vehicles, expensive, "need" L2 charging, or eat tires like some BEV's? No.

 

Just hit up CarMax or any other volume used car dealer for a test drive of a Gen4 prime. AFAIK, no one in the general public has test driven a 2023 Prime yet.

 

you're spending a lot of money for 3 miles. have you looked at a used bolt?

 

Hate to promote a vehicle that isn't a Prius on this site but I'm with Bisco unless you've got other regular use planned.

 

Might not be too difficult to find a Spark EV. IIRC, Texas was one of four states to officially get it. Even a smart ED is plenty for that specific use. Milder summers, and I'd suggest looking into an EV bike or motorcycle.

 

This is an interesting thread. I drive a mile to the first job, a mile to the next, then a mile to the next, and so on. And I'm there long enough the engine never warms up.

I did try a Nissan Leaf for a while, but I don't make enough to own two newer cars, and that 24 kWh Leaf didn't cut it for driving outside of town. I'm doing 20,000 miles per year, more or less, but a lot of that is short trips. Sadly my overall fuel mileage is in the lower 30's in the 2013 Avalon Hybrid. I guess it could be a lot worse.

I also live where it's really cold in the winter. So most of the winter I'd imagine a PHEV will want to run the engine a lot in the winter, which is what I'd like to avoid.

Oh well, I'll just keep driving the Avalon until it no longer makes sense to do so. By then maybe there'll be a PHEV that would work just fine, or maybe an EV would make sense by then. And hopefully in a semi-used condition for a lot cheaper than new.

 

Could you please explain about ICE. How do you turn it on when it is in gas mode so it can recharge. I'm not that literate on this any so would appreciate a simple explanation. Thanks.

 

If you hold down the EV / HV button for a few seconds, it puts the Prius into "charge mode". This causes the ICE to run and charge the traction battery up to 80%. This is an option. You don't have to do this unless you enjoy driving in EV mode more than total efficiency.

If you don't put it into charge mode, it will drive as a normal hybrid after the traction battery is used up. That is, it will cycle back and forth between EV and ICE depending on whatever it decides is most efficient.

Also, when driving slowly, my 2021 Prius is not silent. It makes a "space ship" noise to warn pedestrians. Other Toyota hybrids also make this strange noise. Pretty sure this is a US regulation, but maybe older ones do not.

 

I've never found a reason to use the engine to recharge the battery. Efficiency losses make that option a loser. Just keep the car in EV mode and let it turn the engine on and off as it needs. Plug in to recharge. The car will put some charge into the battery during engine operation when you're descending a hill or braking, and use that when the car needs only light load, but let the smart system do it's job.

 

I agree totally.

 

Like I said in a previous post. Charge Mode comes in handy if you want to test drive a Prime and the Traction Battery is depleated. Sadly even today many sales droids don't know how to charge a Prime.