M.I.A. --- Oh 2023 Prius, where art thou???

Attached is the current new car inventory for our nearby dealership. Yup, two vehicles. A far cry from when we bought in 2010; they were awash in new Prius.

 

Some Toronto, Ontario area dealerships have Prius Primes showing up via carguru.

Call them and it's, "Oh that unit just sold, but would you like to come in and talk about placing an order? We expect delivery in.... 5 to 6 months."

 

My local dealer has a ton of new vehicles on their website, all say “call for availability “

 

Ontario has done away with paying for plate renewals.... you still have to renew at a govt office or online, but you don't get a physical sticker, and you don't pay.

So when (if) my prime gets here, no one will know my birth month from my licence plate. Another bit of personal data protected. ;p

 

Well, that’s encouraging, though a bit skeptical about the “just sold” part.

Hopefully a sign that vehicles will start coming soon… still haven’t seen a ‘23 “in the wild” yet…

 

So please… please tell me how you like your 2023 compared to 2022. I’m popping in everywhere trying to get some feedback. How does your wife like it? I’m only 5’3” and just turned 60. Crouching to enter doesn’t appeal to me but I can handle it for a couple of years while I wait for a small SUV that gets comparable mpg. Not crazy about KIA. I certainly don’t need a sexy car but I’m into new safety technology and better trade in value. I passed up a 2022 because I was afraid I’d regret not waiting to see 2023. Now I’m concerned 2022 model has more comfortable seats, steering wheel, less expensive 15” tires, more expansive front and rear view and doesn’t need premium gas to get good mpg.

Any feedback greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

My wife loves it. She's about 5'7" and 58 yo. I'm 6' and 57 yo. It's an XLE AWD and we both agree that it's much more comfortable (especially for the driver - with power seat / lumbar supports) than our '22 Limited that we traded in. I'm not sure there's much difference in interior measurements, but it "feels" like it has a little extra room I think due to the new interior layout. The only cons I've really come up with so far is I think it's a little harder for me to get up and out of. It could be just how I have the seat adjusted, but my perception is that I sit "lower" in the '23. I have plenty of headroom and the rear seating are seems like it might have a little extra legroom. Also, I'm not sure, but just by looking at it, it seems like the trunk storage may be a little smaller than the '22? I'll have to measure some day to confirm that.

The biggest pros I have found is that it's one of, if not the quietest car I've been in at 75-80 mph. Very stable, doesn't seem to be affected by wind / air turbulence as much when passing semi trucks and has noticeably more pep than the '22. The new Safety Sense 3.0 system does seems to operate more "smoothly" with smoother lane tracing and and less abrupt deceleration / acceleration when following or passing traffic.

In short, my Wife and I both agree that where we felt the '22 model was more suited for around town driving and short trips, the '23 model is one that we'll be comfortable taking 500+ mile trips in. I've always been a Jeep and Mustang guy and always thought the Prius was a good utility / economical car, but it always looked goofy to me. I never really was excited about it other than the gas mileage. The new one, Wife and I both get excited about driving it.

 

They're all asking for a refundable $500 deposit. But, if there are enough dealerships near you, I would hit them all. This is the time of online transactions after all. You can put your feelers out to a dozen dealerships while drunk on a Sunday night and have a hit in days. I didn't put any money down until someone promised me first dibs on an incoming car. The dealership that got me a car wasn't even in the top 5 near me.
My old Prius was a 2011, they were selling a lot more back then and now they're dealing with chip supply issues. The new gen 5 is awesome! The power is crazy and it's really sharp looking compared to the older models. I'm more about functionality, but if form follows function, and that form is beautiful, i'll take it as a bonus. I always loved a low drag coefficient. Unfortunately, that means that the hottest Model in years, while production is at its lowest, is going to last less than a week on the dealership lot.

 

I found this thread from InsideEVs (2021) under Rav4 Prime. It was similar to my question and the answer was exactly what I was looking for. I started with 34 EV miles but after a week I am now getting 36 EV miles per charge and expect to get higher EV miles in the coming weeks and months.

Q: I bought the prime xse two weeks ago I Did not get 40 miles EV range even on fully charged battery it is only 34-35 after charging, did any one have the same experience?

A: I got my RAV4 Prime in July and only got 35 EV range after the first overnight charge. The range increased to 42 miles after a few days of driving and more overnight charges. Surprisingly, the EV range has continued to gradually increase and is currently at 51 miles (with AC) or 53 miles (without AC). Being in Honolulu, Hawaii, I always drive with the AC on. I can’t explain why the estimated range is so much higher than the rated range of 42.

 

HOW the car is driven contributes to the indicated range. Software ends up predicting your range based on driving habits- acceleration, braking, hvac, etc. my rav4 prime usually shows a longer range than Toyota promised when I turn it on in the morning...and unless i'm running the hvac full blast it's pretty accurate.

 

don't go by the guess-o-meter, drive it until the engine comes on and see how many miles you get

 

Maybe a couple of times.

By then you should be able to calibrate actual range vs the car's prediction.

 

Yes, I did an all Eco drive with Auto Climate on the other day and the engine came on after 47 miles.

I started with 36 EV miles drove normally on freeways and surface street. I am pretty sure with AC turned off it would’ve been over 50 miles.

I even tested adding EV miles while driving in Hybrid mode and I noticed 1 EV mile was added in less than a minute. Just practicing all my options.

 

Thank you for sharing your feedback. Sorry for delay…for some reason I wasn’t notified that you responded.

My biggest concern is the getting in and out. I guess I’m not in a rush these days so I can be more mindful of not hitting my head. I’m hoping I can make things work having the seat as high as it will go. I’ve been bouncing back and forth about maybe going with the Corolla Cross Hybrid. A bit more my style but I’m having a hard time accepting 38mpg highway. : }

Glad to hear you are enjoying yours. First time seeing one on the road the other day and it was your twin.

 

I think how urgently you need a new car- and what's available- should be critical considerations.

In this upside down world of shortages of new and (good) used cars, anything new you buy will likely be worth what you paid for it a year or two from now.

Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. You won't go wrong with a Corolla (hybrid or not) Corolla Cross (hybrid or not) Prius (Prime or not).

If you decide you don't like it there will be plenty of people who will take it off your hands, and pay a premium to have it immediately, rather than waiting for an order to come in.

 

This is key, IMO, and the reason I am (trying to) finally pull the trigger on changing my car. I usually hold on to my vehicles a long time (until maintenance or reliability become a concern, and/or actual vehicle needs change), and my 2014 PiP is 9 years old with "average to high" mileage (~214K KM), but still in great shape and runs well. However, knowing the ridiculous inventory shortage the last few years, I planned ahead and put a deposit down a year ago, knowing it would be at least 6-12 months (or more) before I saw a vehicle anyway.

Since Toyota dealers in Canada are not allowed to sell above MSRP (according to my dealer), if I can get a new vehicle at MSRP and sell/trade my 2014 for a premium, then that is a win. Also, these days I drive a lot less working from home (which has improved the mileage:age ratio greatly over the last 4 years ), therefore the warranty on the new car will last a long time (as will resale value, whether the market remains insane or not, as mileage will remain low...).

The warranties on my 2014 expired LONG ago and who knows how expensive that PiP battery would be if it ever failed... thankfully I know PiP battery failure is extremely rare...

Lastly, May 21st will be the 1-year anniversary since I put my deposit down on a Prius Prime, happy anniversary to me.

 

True that. This is the '22 model we bought a little over a year ago that we traded for the '23. And I'm sure the dealer will have it sold shortly;

 

Saw my first one yesterday at the local dealer - just came in and not prepped yet. I'd been on the list for another from them (23 Prime) but this was an XLE AWD. Went down and looked anyway, and they said there were five people in line to buy it, did we want it? Wife decided it was a go, so we'll pick it up Tuesday. Midnight black, not my choice, but the boss said yes. We definitely needed one AWD here in the great white north, so I'm happy she did. I fit in it better than I thought (6.5 ft) so will keep my name in for a 23 Prime. Interior is impressive, couldn't test drive yet. Paid MSRP.