Prime Numbers - 2023 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME

Newfound horsepower and range make the plug-in Prius Prime relevant again.

- ANDREW KROK

Hybrids will remain a key part of Toyota's portfolio for some time. Fortunately, the brand's latest examples have been profoundly good. The new Prius certainly is, so it should come as no surprise that the plug-in Prius Prime is a fabulous little hatch too.

The Prius Prime has been around since 2017, and recently it's been feeling its age. While the PHEV's fuel-economy benefits are substantial, it was hard to ignore the outgoing model's time-it-with-a-sundial acceleration, middling electric-only range, and frustrating interior controls. With the 2023 version, Toyota sends all those annoyances to the Bad Place and gives the Prius Prime a massive mechanical and aesthetic glow-up.

The Prius and Prius Prime are nearly indistinguishable, which is great because the Prius looks better than it ever has. But it's the Prime's upgraded mechanicals that are truly transformative. The Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder grows from 1.8 to 2.0 liters, boosting output from a sad 95 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque to a more respectable 150 horses and 139 pound-feet.