smart key locks on prime SE

Drive door only on the SE. Higher trims have on both front doors and trunk. Doesn't seem easy to add back, either.

 

It's been an issue that I thought about at most, like, once or twice in the 9 months I've had the car. And only when I want to put the baby in the carseat and my key is in my pocket. I had an old 2003 before this, so I'm very much still in the habit of hitting the keyfob unlock when walking up to the car.

Is it a bit cheap? I guess? Do I care? Not really.

 

I see what you mean. I guess yeah, in that respect you're right. If you have it before, and get something new without it, it would feel pretty terrible.

I do think its dumb that its one of the XSE features and is excluded on the base model. I just, personally, didn't think it and the other additions for XSE were worth the extra cost for my family. Fell into the nice to have category for us.

But if I had a previous gen prius with the feature, I'd probably feel more like you do. I was moreso pointing out that its not a dealbreaker type step back.

 

I got it Jan 31 this year. But I am in Canada so consider that we have heated front seats and steering wheel on the SE model, as well as the cross traffic alerts (front and back) as well as lane change assist, wiper heater elements, and heated side mirrors standard.

I think the US Prime SE has fewer features in the base model.

The biggest issue probably would be the lower visibility in the car compared to others. It feels more like an older sedan, and less like the hatchback that were previous prius, or similar format cars (Honda Fit, Matrix, etc).

It's a bit wider and longer in stance than I was used to, but I got used to it fairly quickly.

The trunk space is fine, though the floor is high, so below the tonneau cover you will have less room for things, and they will stack and cover the (small) rear window more easily. The base SE doesn't have a digital rear view mirror hooked up to a camera, so that is a small complaint. But I got used to driving my matrix with the hatch window covered long ago, so the rare time I do stack stuff, its not a big deal, I just use side mirrors more carefully instead, and the backup camera helps too. But, the nice thing about the trunk is that it is fold flat vs the older gen prime, and it also is decently sized in terms of depth, and you do have space near the wheels to put things that is a bit deeper - so you can put grocery bags, and small stuff tucked away without it sliding around in the trunk.

For me, coming from the Matrix as the main car, the storage in the hatch is better for groceries - since stacking groceries sucks, and the prius is longer. But its worse for putting the seats down and putting big stuff in there, since the hatch opening isn't as wide. So I would probably have, for practical reasons, preferred this to be more in the form factor of the previous prius Gens with a taller hatch and wider opening. I don't need it to look sporty

As a commuter/family car focused on getting us and the kids around though, its great. Sips gas when we aren't charged up, but does 80% of its driving on EV mode with overnight charging as needed. Reasonably smooth and comfortable ride. Not the *quietest* car ever, but a step above a corolla, even if not as nice as the camry is probably the best way to summarize the current gen prius.

It has more than enough power to feel competent and to not feel like there will be a situation where you won't be able to easily pass someone, or get up to speed with an on ramp for a freeway. And the range with the 17inch wheels is very good. While i noted above that i don't care so much that it looks sporty, even though I do like how it looks, if the tradeoff for practicality in terms of hatch height and roofline being lower was the power the car now has, its worth it. The old prius' I have tested and driven felt underpowered, just like my matrix. Which, for daily driving you don't need a lot of power, but when it comes to getting on highways and passing people, it helps significantly. I've been in more than enough situations over the years with an old underpowered car, surrounded by much larger more powerful SUVs and big cars, that it is nice to have the oomph to make turns, get on highways, and change lanes without worrying about someone running up on your bumper way too aggressively.

It's rated at "up to 74km (45mi)" but even with the A/C on, in summer, I get almost 90km (roughly 55mi) of range reliably with mixed city/highway driving up to 100km/h (65mph). In winter with the heat on, at -25C and winter tires, it was closer to 60km (38mi) range. But still enough for most of our daily driving for the commute. In winter, factoring in chores/daycare/activities/commute, on busy days we have to dip into the gas tank.

Overall, I think if the EV range was closer to 100km in the estimates, so that winter would put us at around 80-90km, the car would be even better. But as of now, I think its the best car I've owned (hard not to be when its our first ever new car). Its not without faults, of course, I'm sure a more well equipped car would feel even better. But for what we needed - commuter focused, family appropriate for 2 small kids, and capable of longer trips to see family - its a great budget minded vehicle.