Gen5 is out - what will you do?

Perennial issue. Can be tough on 3rd gen. They need more independent testing of dash displays methinks; it can be dangerous. Ditto for H/V controls ease-of-use (don't get me started).

And if it doesn't pass, send them back to the drawing board, not just "naughty naughty"...

 

Is pricing being announced tomorrow morning?

 

Yes, that's my understanding.

 

How could we have a price this early - when deluvery/production is still a ways out?
.

 

Interesting review/test.

1. In fact, Toyota estimates it's even better at this core mission. How does 57 mpg combined (57 city/56 highway) grab you? That's for the LE with front-wheel drive and 17-inch wheels—the L Eco model is history. The XLE and Limited front-wheel-drive models are good for 52 combined (52 city/52 highway) on their standard 19-inch rolling stock.
   
2. Cargo space is down a bit, though, with the LE offering 24 cubic feet, and the XLE and Limited good for 20 cubic feet. Rearward visibility takes a small hit too, owing to the loss of the hatch's vertical glass panel.
   
3. Every trim from LE to Limited can now be had with all-wheel drive, and the AWD LE enjoys the biggest year-over-year fuel-economy gain: 54 mpg combined, up from 49 mpg.
   
4. In our front-drive Limited test car, this newfound power leads to transformative performance—or simply "performance," in the case of a Prius. The dash to 60 mph on a short freeway merge now takes a breezy 7.1 seconds instead of a wheezy 10.5 ticks. The 50-to-70-mph romp when passing consumes 5.0 seconds instead of 7.1 seconds. And for those who judge against the quarter-mile, the new car's 15.5-second, 92-mph effort is a full 2.3 seconds quicker and 13 mph faster than before.
   
5. The largely similar front strut and rear multilink suspension has been massaged with handling in mind, featuring KYB dampers with an internal check valve that closes when subjected to lateral forces to firm up damping in corners. Indeed, there's far less body lean than before, and the new Prius flows gracefully through corners. Filtered through the contact patch of 195/50R-19 Michelin Primacy All Season tires, our tests reveal a healthy 0.87 g of cornering grip. The ride is nicely buttoned down over most pavement irregularities, even with the XLE and Limited's low-profile 19-inch rubber.

I much prefer the new Prius interior, makes far more sense. Not sure why the cargo area gets small in higher trims, tires?


Tested: 2023 Toyota Prius Drives Even Better Than It Now Looks

 

A different review, again positive. I'm glad they changed it to a car that you can drive instead of what they had before. Nicer materials and layout, appreciate the dash redo.

https://www.thedrive.com/car-reviews/2023-toyota-prius-first-drive-review-specs-price-options-driving-new-cars-hybrid?utm_campaign=trueanthem_manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0dW_D5CFSQO1pgGLkcPEPapcTg0rVfwhSljEeSgWOIJt032DC8Uwc07N0

 

What does that even mean? Are you saying the combined 205,000 miles I've put on my G2 and G4 Prime Priuses were without driving? How did I do that?

 

LOL. Well ok, technically speaking.

Generally speaking, from reading actual driver feedback in the reviews, the suspension is damped, rides better while eliminating a lot of body roll. So in short, it just feels better and handles better. I hate the fact that the 19" wheels drop the gas mileage so much, but that's just being greedy. Same with the mpg difference in the Camry LE hybrid versus higher trims. Also I found myself wanting the Limited trim because of what you can get with it. I look forward to at least seeing one if not driving it.

 

Greedy?

I got 52MPG in my 2004. In my 2017 Prime I'm averaging 172MPGe in electric mode and I'm annoyed if I have to use the engine and get "only" 65MPG. Neither one is good enough so I use my e-bike for most trips and get 2,000MPGe. I'm going on one in a few minutes. It's hilly and it's below freezing outside so I'm hoping to average around 1,600MPGe - only.

 

I was hoping that wouldn't be the case with the early release numbers being best case, but expected it.

The LE is a little better than the old Eco. The higher trims are no improvement over the gen4. The LE AWD numbers look good because the comparison is off; a hypothetical Eco AWD is the real starting point. The AWD penalty is slightly better at 5.3% to 5.8% for the gen4.

Still possible the certified mpg will be better.

 

Personally I’m only interested in changing from the prius to prime, digital key, and the upgraded self driving (not fully) capabilities. But everything else seems stagnant or like a downgrade. Seems pricier overall, even with inflation, and no more HUD. I'm at 180k miles from 0 on a 2016 (Uber). I paid $25k for a trim three with the advanced tech package.

Target audience is definitely non hybrid owners who don't get excited for innovation.

We need an extra car to stop mixing our schedules. So we wouldn’t trade anything in

 

I went through this recently with a Camry. The LE hybrid (and the regular LS gas only) do really well. But at our ages, this is likely one of the last cars. We needed a power passenger seat and other goodies. Hated the Prius due to the lack of power, seating position. No Camry hybrids to be found here other than an LE model. We likely would have bought a Rav4 Hybrid or Prime, but the last Prime had been delivered that day, to someone that ordered it in the summer.

So we ended up with a Camry XLE AWD with the goodies, and the Pano moonroof. While we are driving to Florida for the winter, that 4000 - 5000 miles (including driving when we're down there, is likely 90% of the total mileage for the entire year. So the cost difference is pretty negligible. The Chevy we traded had 24,000 miles on it, five years. Traded for dead even purchase price. I'd have bought the Camry Hybrid AWD is they had one.

 

Ridiculously expensive!

Toyota's attractive new 2023 Prius costs $2375 more than before

 

depends on your budget, not gonna save gas money, that's for sure

 

Cargo volume:
23.8 cu feet with the back seats up, according to Toyota's video.
20.3 cu. ft. on XLE & Limited.
Gen 3 is 21.6 cu. ft.
See it at 2:29 in the video:

 

Thanks. At least it will be a flat deck floor.

My question was about Gen5 PP, and @Tideland Prius's answer was it is likely to be the same as regular Gen5 Prius, which is smaller than Gen3 cargo space according to your comment. Is it similar to the current Gen4 Prius cargo space?

 

i wonder if the hatch glass is lower compared to pip due to streamlining

 

Cargo volume is, for me, a dumb and nearly useless measure of cargo area usefulness. I don't fill my cargo area with water, I put things on the cargo floor, and often can't stack things.

A useful measure for me is floor area combined with vertical and horizontal opening dimensions for larger items, plus distance from the rear hatch to either the back of the front seats or the dash.

I use this example to make my point. I had to pick up over 1,000 pounds of flooring material for a project. I went in my wife's Pathfinder. The flooring didn't fit because the distance from the back to the back of the front seats wasn't long enough. So I went back in my 2004 Prius, which held it all fine. The fact that the Pathfinder had more than twice the cargo volume was useless for actually transporting cargo.

 

Only because they dropped the base model.