So at first I thought upcoming Prius Pime Plug in (coming April/May 2023) would be the exact duplicate of the 2023 Prime Hybrid. Only difference being battery plug in, estimated 38 miles of operation using battery power and faster 0 to 60 time. So I thought all the reviews here on Hybrid (on Priuschat) would carry over for the upcoming plug-in model. Then I read the following - The 2023 Toyota Prius Prime will arrive as a fully redesigned model for the upcoming year. The plug-in hybrid hatchback will feature a sportier design, a more traditional cabin, improved tech features, and a more powerful powertrain. Anyone think the above description was written in comparison to current 2023 Prime Hybrid, pointing out differences. Or above description was written to describe both new vehicles. I'd like to think the plug-in will offer other improvements over the hybrid, but not getting my hopes up. I'm a little confused by wording "a more traditional cabin", since both Phew model and Hybrid seem to have the exact dimensions/body style.
you are using incorrect terms. gen 5 hybrid is coming soon. it is not named prime, nor was gen4. gen 5 prime is coming later, and prime means plug in. no, they are not going to look different in any way (maybe a few small things, but nothing significant) the description is simply noting the changes over gen 4 prime. more traditional cabin simply means the center console with shifter, instead of the old joy stick. both models will get this more traditional look. what other features were you hoping prime would have over the hybrid?
Well, at least...I am guessing, no lose of cargo space since the 2023 model has the battery under the rear seat. Else maybe I am mixing apples and oranges. I know the 2022 model lost some cargo space since the batter raised the cargo floor a bit vs the non plug-in model. Would be nice to drive the 2023 plug-in. Wonder if anyone is on the fence and might get the non-plug-in due to when available else higher cost.
i think most people know which one they want, but some do wonder if they can't charge at home is it worth it. price might be a consideration, especially if toyota doesn't get any plug in tax credits.
Whatever you read was probably written before the reveal of the Gen 5. Might want to check the date on that article. For Gen 5, the hybrid and Prime will be nearly identical (I say nearly because I think the Prime has the LED clearance lights as standard while it's only on the Limited trim on the Hybrid. And I believe the 19" rims are standard on the Prime)
Big question for me is where they put the battery in the prime. I passed on trading my Sonic in for a Gen4 Prime despite the wonderful incentives they had for a while there because Toyota's primitive approach in the Gen4 of putting a battery slab over the spare wheel well robbed a lot of trunk space and precluded use of a spare wheel. They say they've now moved the battery in the Prime to under the rear seat. If that's the case, I'd hope you can remove all that foam insert under the trunk floor because if I'm seeing the initial first-look reviews correctly, underneath that there is a circular space with a nice little screw hole in the middle, suggesting a spare could be carried in the Hybrid -- if that's how they leave it in the Prime. In general I think PHEV is the way to go for me. One EV after another has come out without basic cold-weather backcountry necessities like adequate performance in the cold (though Hyundai and VW seem to be getting there), heat pumps for heaters (unless you can import stock from Canada or buy a Hyundai Ionic 5) and mounting points for a spare; this is one reason I am still looking at PHEV.......that and the ruinous and pointless cost of replacing a full size battery when a PHEV one is large enough for commuting and for use that doesn't put on more than a typical commute during a day, E85 (or E100 if they ever do it) can cover the occasional road trip.
