The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime is certainly one to four steps up from the original plugin Prius. Besides the doubling of EV miles, the carbon fibers to make it lighter or the redux on the interior and front grille.

Results

However, I had heard this is one of the most efficient electric motors on the block hands down. With a combined MPG of 96 on average in ECO mode and plugging in every night; I drove close to 900 miles and put an extra $5.00 in the car for my week.

Other Points of View

Car and Driver, who I love their reviews to think through my thoughts (meanjgnwas it just me) reported: “the Prius Prime has a carbon-fiber hatchback made at Toyota’s Motomachi plant in Japan where the carbon-fiber Lexus LFA supercar came together.

Also, compared with the previous plug-in Prius, the Prime gets double the battery capacity. The new 95-cell, 8.8-kWh battery pack accounts for 265 pounds of the claimed 285-to-365-pound weight gain. I mean over the regular Prius. As well as a reduction in cargo capacity of roughly 5 or 8 cubic feet. Now that’s depending on the liftback in question.

25 Miles Versus 11!

Yet it allows up to 25 miles of electric-only driving. For that’s 10 more than the previous plug-in and 25 more than the liftback that essentially runs only as a gas-electric hybrid.

Because a smaller, yet higher-powered, onboard charger replenishes the battery more quickly. Especially than in the old PHEV, like in 5.5 hours on a household 120-volt power. Also two hours and 10 minutes when fed 240 volts or on a dryer plug!

Now as you can see this is definitely a redesign of the previous Plugin Prius models. As well, the two tone interior looks nice plus the iPad dashboard seems to attempt a Tesla look. Some people do or don’t like the look. I’m on the it’s ok look….

New Hooked Up Design!

However with the redesign, said Prius Prime is no aero jellybean. It’s chiseled profile and edgy character lines seem to dare the wind to stand in its way. Energy-conserving quad LED headlights glow like diamonds cutting the night, and LED rear combination lamps leave an unforgettable nighttime signature. Driver visibility remains excellent, aided by a full-width aero glass panel over the rear spoiler and a standard backup camera. The distinctive aero rear window is eye-catching and adds to its slipstream character.

Toyota Prius Prime Plugin hybrid electric car was declared the 2017 World Green Car at the New York International Auto Show; which is the second consecutive year Toyota earned the World Green Car title.

It’s Safe Too!

As Motor Trend outlines, the 2017 Prius Prime has yet to be tested by the NHTSA or IIHS. That said, the standard forward collision warning system qualifies the Prius Prime to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, the highest mark awarded by the institute. The Toyota Safety Sense P package is standard equipment for the Prius Prime, which boasts high-tech safety features including the aforementioned forward collision warning system, an automatic braking system that detects obstacles and pedestrians, adaptive cruise control, and a blind spot monitoring system. A lane-departure assist system is also part of the package, and provides automatic and light steering inputs to keep the Prius Prime on its intended path.