I'm not a car guy. I don't have car-guy opinions. I've owned and driven a meager number of cars, and these are just the opinions of a guy who's owned and driven a meager number of cars, from 15-hour treks from Kentucky to New York, to the daily 15-minute commute. As such, I might be impressed by things you find entirely mundane. If you must have a control of some kind, allow me to calibrate your expectations: I thought the 2014 model's performance was perfectly adequate.
This also should not be seen as a proper 'full' review. This is mostly just things I've noticed (good or bad) or paid attention to. If I don't mention it, then it means I either haven't paid attention to it yet, or haven't found it either problematic nor exceptional enough to mention. If you just want a spec sheet, or to hear about the 0-60 performance, there are plenty of Youtube reviews that would better serve you.
Normal ICE vehicles aside, as far as Prius ownership is concerned, I owned a 2014 Prius for six years before having the misfortune of meeting a deer on the parkway. As such, I'm no stranger to Toyota's hybrid systems. Given that this review is documenting findings that stand out to me, if something didn't change much from the older models, I probably won't be mentioning it unless requested.
I'm not going to give a "rating", because ratings are useless. Everyone has their own circumstances, and a single feature can make or break someone's personal experience. I'm just going to lay out my thoughts and things I've noticed, and hopefully it will add to your decision-making arsenal.
I'm also not going to talk about the damned easter eggs. You're welcome.
2023 XLE AWD in Guardian Gray, with options:
- Fixed glass roof
- 12.3" multimedia display
- Digital Key
- All-weather liners
- Door edge guards
- Rear bumper applique
- Mudguards
The car's power and driving capabilities are well-documented, so not much to say here. It drives smoothly and feels firmly stuck to the road. Steering never feels loose or sloppy, and I never feel like I'm lacking in control. The only time the vehicle's raw horsepower ever seriously comes into play for me is probably when I need to pass someone, and it does so seemingly without even trying.
Before buying, I had the impression that, because of the larger XLE wheels, it would transmit the feeling of every bump and texture in the road and make driving annoying. In reality, I've found the opposite to be the case -- it has perhaps the smoothest ride of anything I've driven, including my old 2014 model. I guess the suspension is really the star here.
During a handful of drives through thunderstorms with heavy rain, the ride still felt controllable. Standing water remains scary, and still gives that feeling of friction hitting like a sack of bricks, but I'm not about to tempt fate by seeing how fast I can drive through it without losing traction. The trip didn't kill me, so there's that.
One small thing that doesn't make a tremendous amount of difference but you come to appreciate is the super tight turning radius. Much like its predecessors, it navigates crowded parking lots with ease.
I assume it's doing its job. The multi-info display has a mode that shows the level of engagement of the front and rear motors, so you can see when the AWD system engages, which is a nice touch. Though if you're in a position where you need AWD, you probably have other things to be paying attention to than your gauge cluster.
Annoying that you can't change the default mode outside of Normal/Eco (I hear this is because of EPA regulations). Would be nice if Custom mode gave more granular control.
It seems to me that the drive mode also impacts steering in this model, but I'm still working out whether that's actually the case or if my mind is playing tricks on me. It seems like Normal mode has very smooth, featherlight steering, while the steering in Sport mode is notably stiffer. But there also seems to be a difference in how steering feels at low speeds versus highway speeds, so I could always just be conflating the two.
I haven't used Eco mode enough to have any thoughts on it; I already got over my hypermiler phase back with my old Prius.
4500 miles in now. If I drive like an utter cretin, maximizing for efficiency as much as possible, or just generally existing in a place where I can keep speeds around 45-50, I can maintain around 47.5 mpg across an entire tank of gas. Otherwise, if I just drive like I'd drive any other car, without regard for efficiency, I tend to average around 41~43. Similarly, any trips I take that go upwards of 70-80mph will average around 38mpg for the duration of said trip.
The curvy/hilly roads where I live put a damper on the mileage I can achieve, and the more powerful engine is more punishing when it comes to careless driving. That second point is a big one -- older models were more forgiving when it came to careless driving, because they simply didn't have much power to offer in the first place. This one, though... if you ask it for power, it will give it to you -- but at an appropriate cost. If you want good mileage, you really have to drive like you want it.
Braking feels very responsive and smooth. I can't say I've noticed the transition between regenerative and disc braking at any point. The car's various safety systems have a number of ways in which they can apply different levels of braking for you as needed, and while Toyota would really rather you handle the braking yourself, the car really is capable of doing most of the work for you -- particularly if you're behind other vehicles, where the adaptive cruise control really shines.
In Youtube reviews of the new Prius, it's basically 50/50 on whether the reviewer likes or dislikes the gauge cluster position. Personally, I really like it. I always regretted not going one tier up on my 2014 model and getting one with a HUD. This isn't quite HUD territory, but it's the next best thing, I suppose.
I am 6'2" (188cm) and fairly thin. The model I own has the fixed glass roof, and I have about 1~2 inches of headroom. Regardless of gauge cluster arrangement, my preferred position for the steering wheel is as low and close to me as the car will allow. With my Prius at that setting, I can easily see the entirety of the information display, as well as a bit of the dash below.
Of course, YMMV, but I will note that the seat has enough adjustment range that it's likely possible for most people to find a combination of seat and wheel settings that will work for them.
Pretty happy with it overall, but it definitely has room to improve.
It will occasionally briefly turned the high beams on (and then immediately back off) when traffic turns into my view, before it recognizes that there's a vehicle there, and I worry about a future where everyone thinks everyone else is flashing them with high beams all the time for no reason. It seemingly has issues recognizing vehicles that are missing a headlight (and presumably motorcycles and the like would be a problem too). At least it's simple to temporarily disengage it (via pulling the stalk) if needed.
On the hilly rural roads around where I live, where it's constant up-and-down driving, I wonder if the hills can sometimes cause the high beams to shine on other drivers more than they ought to.
On the highway, it can detect traffic in either lane at pretty decent distances, and keep the high beams off as necessary.
This car sits loooow. I've been in plenty of passenger cars, and the only car I've been in that felt like it seated this low was the 50th anniversary Corvette my dad bought (and then quickly sold) back when i was a teen. I guess this is why people compare it to being in sports cars. You really do have to 'get down' to get in, and then you practically fall into the seat from above.
That said... I kinda like it. The low position feels nice, and the seats are comfortable. This definitely wouldn't be for everyone, though. I've seen some taller reviewers issue complaints about how they have to duck into the vehicle or change the way they enter it compared to usual, but for me this didn't really change.
Most of the interior is hard plastic, except for the arm rests on the doors and center console. For me, this is fine, as I don't like soft touch materials on the dashboard anyway.
The armrest padding is merely 'adequate', and I would prefer it to be at least somewhat more substantial.
The center console has super-glossy piano black trim, which I'm not a fan of. I cringe to think of how it will look after a year or so of abuse, dropped phones/keys, and the like. I expect I'll have complaints with it reflecting sunlight, as well. The rest of the interior materials are matte-finish enough that I don't expect reflections to be an issue.
The shifter is a leather-ish material that has a nice texture/feel to it and feels solid. Shifting, along with most of the center console controls, are essentially identical to the 2014 model.
The doors are mostly hard plastic (except the armrests) and seem serviceable enough. Satisfying 'thunk' when they close. They feature bottle holders -- emphasis on 'bottle' here, as the holders are angled forward somewhat, so you won't be storing cans or lidded cups in them. I keep a spare thermos and a compact umbrella in the pocket in mine.
Front vis is fine to me. Rear vis is poor, and is made only slightly better by putting the rear seats down so the head restraints aren't in the way. Digital rearview should've been standard on all models. I will be installing an aftermarket digital rear-view mirror to try to improve this. I miss the secondary lower window from the previous gens.
I've also installed blind-spot mirrors -- the blind spot monitoring system works just fine, but I still just like being able to see.
Another point of contention among reviewers is the road/engine noise. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem any louder or quieter than my old gen3 was, so there's not really much to report. Engine noise is as quiet or quieter than the other cars I've had on hand recently to compare it with. You hear it when you hit the throttle, but otherwise, not much really.
The road noise is pretty typical, as well, for a car with little in the way of sound dampening.
All that said, I really dislike the sound it makes when operating at low speeds in EV mode. It could be worse -- it's better than fake engine noises, at least -- but it still just sounds so artificial. It's also quite audible even within the cabin. I understand that it exists for safety purposes, but it doesn't make it less annoying. I'm going to try my hand at adding a cabin control to reduce the volume of the speaker.
It's nice. Bright spaces feel more open/spacious and less claustrophobic, so I went with the light interior color and the fixed glass roof, and I'd say it was a good move. Drove with a party of three one time, and my buddy who sat in the back seat remarked about how open the glass roof made the car feel. Said it felt like simply being outside.
Front headroom is just fine for me. With my preferred settings, I have at least a couple inches of room above my head. I do sit pretty low simply as personal preference, though, so YMMV.
The rear headroom on this model is a well-documented fault of the car. It's objectively bad. If you are around 6' (~180cm) or taller, in the proper seated position in the rear, you will have your head firmly against the ceiling, probably forced to tilt forward and unable to bring it back against the head restraint. There is a fair amount of leg room for me though, so I'm able to slide forward in the seat a little bit, which lets me rest my head against the head restraint properly (though I'm still touching the ceiling a bit).
I rarely ride as a passenger in vehicles, and currently only have two other cars I've sat in the rear seats of recently that I can compare this to: my 2008 Ford Fusion, and a prev-gen Mitsubishi Mirage (hatchback version). Not the greatest comparison in the world, but in both vehicles, my head was against the ceiling, though perhaps not quite as bad as this case. I don't believe there's a huge amount of difference in headroom between those vehicles and the Prius, but it's definitely there, and it's enough to be a comfort issue for taller people.
Another well-documented downgrade over previous models. I haven't really had the opportunity to test this myself, but I imagine there's not much to say. The impression I have is that the depth and width of the cargo area is still plenty spacious enough, but it may not have as much height as it used to? It's hard to say.
Back when I owned my gen3 Prius, I would do karaoke gigs, and usually brought two mains and an 18" powered subwoofer. I'm guessing that I wouldn't be able to fit my sub in this car due to the height, as it only just barely fit in the previous model, but this was already a pretty extreme use case. I don't expect the reduced cargo capacity to actually have that much of an impact on me in most cases.
The console is pretty good but also kind of a mixed bag. Everything is nice but has some kind of minor issue I could nitpick.
The piano black trim and finnicky wireless charger aside, the cupholders are nice, and I really like the grippy fingers that help keep drinks of most sizes aligned and held in place. That said, the driver-side cupholder is directly on the other side of the shifter, and this makes it quite awkward to access a drink stored there.
The console as a whole doesn't really seem to be held down particularly strongly -- it can be moved slightly side-to-side with not too much force, and while it certainly doesn't feel wobbly or loose and you'd never notice this yourself normally, it is one of those things that you can't un-notice once someone has pointed it out.
I rather miss the swept console from the 2014 model -- not only did it give a really unique spaceship-like feel to the interior, but it seemed ergonomically superior. The forward cubby was large enough that I was able to store a power inverter there, while the storage bin on this new console is basically only used for a mask and my phone. I don't know that there's room for an inverter anywhere on this one; maybe inside the console box? It would be a tight fit though, and would render it unusable for anything else.
I'm an audio person, so I tend to be especially critical here. Bass is present but lacks punch. Highs are harsh. Better than the garbage speakers on my '08 fusion, at least, but still not great.
I use Poweramp over Android Auto for music, and I've taken a frequency response profile of the speakers and made an EQ preset to flatten it out as much as I can. Sounds pretty good now, but it shouldn't really be necessary. Likewise, the car only having basic Bass-Mid-Treble EQ controls is super lame, though I understand that this is industry-standard lameness.
Finally, I can play youtube videos on my phone and the audio will go over the car speakers, but the volume seems to be set to a fixed level. Changing the volume on my phone doesn't affect it, and changing the volume in the car just produces a message saying there is nothing playing. I haven't figured this one out yet.
I like that Toyota was forward-thinking enough to incorporate USB-C ports, and plenty of them. That said, I would've liked to have seen at least one USB-A data port, as USB-C flash drives are still somewhat less common, and a low-profile flash drive stuck to the end of a port adaptor is just ick. I'm sure in a few years when USB-C drives are more common, this will be entirely moot.
The USB ports also only provide the basic 2.5 watts of power, which is only barely enough to keep my phone slowly charging up while using wireless Android Auto. I plan on modifying at least the front-most USB port to install a quick-charge circuit, because this is pretty lame.
Remote key is a nice feature, but the app is slow to start and connect, and doesn't seem too great about keeping me logged in. Neat to be able to lock or start the car from my bedroom though. Some notifications make sounds needlessly, the one saying that it's ready to connect. Was confused at first when it kept notifying me to check the rear seats, because I thought it was sensor-based -- nope, it's based on whether you opened the rear doors at any point.
I did not opt into Wi-Fi Connect. It's only 3GB for $25/month, and it's AT&T. That's all anyone needs to know. Just don't.
Works great for the most part. Had a few instances where it didn't start automatically and I had to go into the device list and tell it to connect to my phone. Wish there was a youtube app, so that I could more easily listen to my favorite hour-long military procurement powerpoint videos on the road. The battery drain is pretty serious, though.
Speaking of which, ...
Finnicky. The charging coil is seemingly quite narrow, as your phone needs to be in precisely the correct spot for it to work. We could not get my buddy's Razer Phone 2 to charge using this, as the phone's charging coil is well below the center position of the phone, and it wasn't possible to get the charging coils to align. With my Galaxy Z Fold 3, with the official case that features a pen holder in the hinge, I have to turn the phone around so that the pen holder is facing up in order for the charging coils to align. Even then, sometimes it doesn't work. Also, it definitely seems like the phone battery drains faster than it charges if I'm using wireless Android Auto.
Very cool. Maintains distance extremely well. A bit awkward when the person in front of you switches lanes or turns off, and it maintains that distance through the entire motion, causing you to slow down more than needed or wait more than necessary before moving again. I'm sure it's safer this way though.
As someone who's never experienced any form of self-driving shenanigans, this is downright magical, but has huge caveats. It works almost flawlessly on the highway so far -- just watch out for off-ramps and other points where the lane lines diverge, as you'll find the car drifting into that space in order to stay 'centered'.
The situation is slightly different on more rural roads. Since it's a monocular camera system, don't trust it to always properly read the curvature and contour of the road. This is especially evidenced in the rural roads around where I live, where it sometimes unexpectedly over/understeers (and loses track of the lines in the process), which can easily take you into opposing traffic or off the road. This is why you always keep your hands on the wheel. That said...
The main annoying aspect of LTA is that hands-on-the-wheel requirement. Not the requirement itself, but the implementation. The system seems to monitor the degree of resistance in the steering wheel to determine whether you're holding it, and if it goes about fifteen seconds without detecting your grip, it will issue a warning, before eventually assuming the driver is incapacitated and directing the car to slow to a stop.
The resistance-based detection means that, even if you have your hands on the wheel in a normal position, if you're not gripping it with enough force, it may not detect you. You really can't "just" hold on; you have to hold on like you mean it -- enough to actively resist against the system trying to steer. The system frequently bugs me to grip the wheel when I already am. It's so bad that one of the only truly reliable ways of getting it to stop nagging is to actively tug the wheel one direction or the other with just enough force for it to register as resistance, and I don't think I need to specify why designing a system in a way that encourages dangerous usage habits is a bad thing.
I really really wish the sensitivity of this system was adjustable.
Nice, but iffy about when and if it will actually engage. I often find it doesn't engage when I might expect it to, and sometimes it engages out of nowhere when I don't expect it to, catching me by surprise. Frequently it won't engage at all until you pass over a line and it starts blinking orange and vibrating the wheel to let you know. It could be a neat safety feature, but it seems too unreliable to be worth much.
Does its job well. I still applied some aftermarket wide-angle mirrors, and the indicators are in the exact spot I would've liked to place them, so I had to put them in the opposite corner instead. Good enough, I suppose.
Applies some extra braking if you approach another vehicle, and slows you down through curves, if you're not pressing the accelerator. Just works. Toyota says not to rely on it and that it isn't a replacement for normal brake usage. It also seemingly won't bring you to a complete stop unless you're about to crash, unlike the adaptive cruise mode's braking, which is a weird and potentially dangerous inconsistency.
Why doesn't it stay on between starts?
You can configure all the safety stuff from the gauge cluster, but you'll need the manual on hand to translate all of the damn acronyms for you.
That block for the front license plate is ugly, and completely unnecessary where I live. Wish they didn't just ship those everywhere. It looks dumb without anything on it, so I'll probably buy a vanity plate of some kind to make it look less dumb. It did not come with mounting holes pre-drilled, and I cringe at the idea of drilling holes into my new car. Why must you be like this, Toyota?
Holy crap these projectors are bright af. I internally apologize to the driver in front of me every time I crest a hill.
They're amber, and therefore good. Also the front turn signals are so bright that they visibly light up all reflectors in view at night, which is kinda funny, but I bet other drivers will find it annoying.
Camera quality doesn't appear to have improved since 2014. It's still pretty low resolution, but now there's a smoothing filter on it. And static reversing lines in 2023? Come on.
Can't say I really miss it. But my Fusion didn't have one, the rear window on this model is already too small to be notably useful to begin with, and I drive on mostly empty roads, so YMMV.
An interesting design where the single vertical-adjustment fin sits in front of the horizontal-adjustment slats. This will likely make it difficult to use vent-mounted phone holders, if that's your thing. Not a concern for me since Android Auto makes phone holders mostly redundant.
Would've liked one. Apparently the spare from the most recent Prius V is drop-in compatible, if you remove (or modify) the styrofoam inserts to open up the space for it. Might be worth a shot if you can find one.
Stuff to check out and add notes on (by request, or as I think of them)
- Center console
- Hidden compartment (is it big enough to actually be useful for anything?)
I've spent the $25 to gain access to toyota's TechInfo site, and have saved most of the relevant data for when I start doing modifications. There are several button blanks on the XLE's instrument panel, which I intend on finding creative uses for. I have a 3D printer and know how to use Fusion 360 so I'll be playing around with this a bit soon. Things I plan to do:
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Add a control to toggle the artificial engine noise on/off and/or change its volume level (because it's too loud and annoying)
I've purchased the connectors used by the speaker, as well as their mating connectors. This should allow me to build an in-line module that can intercept the signal sent to the speaker and do whatever I want with it, without modifying any of the stock hardware.
I might build an envelope follower circuit, and connect the speaker input to it to control the level of my own audio source. I need to find out the specs of the amplifier/speaker to be certain in my design, though.
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Replace the lame 2.5W USB ports with 18~25W quick-charge ports
I've purchased quick-charge-compatible modules, and will probably end up purchasing replacement USB power modules and tapping the QC modules into them, replacing the stock charge circuits. I want to avoid changing the outer appearance, and also would like to avoid modifying any of the stock hardware if possible. I've also ordered one of the stock connectors for these so I can analyze it and design/3d-print a mating connector if necessary.
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Install an aftermarket digital rear-view/dashcam system. I have a Nikomaku AS5 Pro that I've been using in my Fusion and have moved it over to the Prius, and I've designed/printed a mount for the rear camera (since the stock hinged mount sucks).
The installation is not yet complete; The hardwire kit is not installed yet so I'm currently just using the 12V adapter, and the rear camera wiring is just running over the door hinge rather than through the cable channel, as I don't yet know how to move the roof panel out of the way without damaging it.
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Replace the dinky-sounding horn with something a bit more substantial. I have purchased the 08522-B1010 kit and will install it when it arrives.
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Install the side mirror turn signals