Hello, Wanted to share my test drive experience on a 2020 Prime LE having owned a 2019 Prius L Eco and considering switching over to Prime. Some observations compare to my Prius L Eco; 1. Prime felt heavier in rear from the larger battery pack. Not sure if I'll get use to the additional heft... My Prius felt nimble and light. 2. Even in the Eco mode, Prime felt noticeably torquier and felt more responsive than my Prius. There was no lack of power w/ Prime. 3. Test drive was short 15 minutes and the best MPG I read was 39. I'm sure it will improve once the ICE warm up. The best I got in my Prius L Eco was 80 MPG mixed driving. 4. Quad LED lights looked brighter with wider dispersion but not as far. 5. Cabin seemed smaller w/ black interior vs. white in my Prius. And, the raised trunk will take time to adjust. 6. With Federal tax credit of 4500, Prime LE will be cheaper than my Prius L Eco. 7. Did not get a chance to drive it Electric mode but looking fwd to it.
Read point no. 2 then no. 7. Then realized you were talking about HV mode. Wait til you drive the Prime in EV mode! It’s much torquier than in hybrid mode.
I don’t drive our Prime often in HV mode in-town (mostly EV), but when I do, I see pretty much the EPA-estimated 54ish MPG, after warm-up. Where I do see the HV mileage drop below that EPA estimate is flat-out on the highway, at 75-80MPH. For that I see about the 45-50MPG range. I’m amazed how well it does at a fairly steady 60MPH; I frequently see 65-70MPG, but it drops pretty quickly above >60MPH, due to wind resistance. It definitely is a bit heavier in the rear, but that extra inertia makes it take bumps better.
