2017 Toyota Prius Prime: 25 Miles EV Range, 54 MPG, $22,600*

I almost share you sentiments. As an avid Prius Driver of the 3rd gen (regular Hybrid and Plugin) I have to say that the Prime is a dream to drive. The regular Gen 4 was good and the Gen 4 Eco impressed me more. But the Prime's positives supersedes the Gen 4s negatives. I was against having 4 seats and I do miss "stuffing people in the back" - but we have a minivan coming. So if there are 5 passengers, guess which vehicle the kids are going to choose?

 

I'm fairly sure that the L310 gearbox (Multi-Stage THS II) is intended for a pickup application in the future, based on patents from 9 years ago showing a similar concept gearbox (not identical, though). Also, a Tundra Hybrid has been talked about for a while, and Ford backed out of a joint venture for that... and we know that they switched to a different concept, and that that concept is apparently a parallel hybrid based on the GM/Ford 10-speed joint venture RWD gearbox. That would imply that Toyota's not doing that, and the L310 would make a lot of sense here...

Also, eventually, all of the gasoline engines will likely move to the new family, although that may take many years - the AR is clearly first up for replacement (at least in the 2.5 liter naturally aspirated variants - the 2.0T variant may continue for a while), but the NR (new 1.2-1.5 I4) launched recently and hasn't even made it to the US yet, and the ZR (1.6-2.0 I4) and GR (2.5-4.0 V6) have both gotten major updates in the past two years (with some of the technology being used on the new engine family). Oh, and new products are still being launched with those engines as well as the UR (4.6-5.7 V8).

 

Chevy? How reVolting! Can't trust that GM...

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that's definitely the downside...

 

EXACTLY right! I've driven 2625 miles on 7.52 gallons of gas and a bunch of $0.16/Kw charges. My range of EV-only is always at least 35 miles. It sounds like you are a conservative driver, and should be able to attain the same performance as me, who tends to gun it once in a while and loves to corner hard.
The FLEXIBILITY of the car's fuel usage and the new ability to stay on electric so long is one of its best features. The viable real-life EV range makes it a homerun for me. I'm comparing my Advanced to my 2012 PIP, and there's just no comparison! The PIP I always regarded as a reliable appliance, while the Prime Advanced is a finely crafted, exotic, technologically advanced, eccentric luxury hybrid automobile. As I've heard used before, it's just Splendiferous!!

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