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.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2023 من Car and Driver.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2023 من Car and Driver.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The Best Odds
SOMETIMES-NOT OFTEN, BUT sometimes-car manufacturers create something semi-wondrous that is also borderline irrational and three-quarters inexplicable to their own marketing types.
Mileage Booster
Kia Carnival Hybrid HIGHS: Big mpg bump, no CVT weirdness, solid ride and handling. LOWS: Shared HVAC and audio controls, second-row loungers can't be removed, changing brake-pedal feel.
Medium Spicy
Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo HIGHS: Lengthy list of features, spacious interior, generous trunk. LOWS: Uncomfortably flat seats, rivals are quicker, only modest grip.
Drivelines
HORACIO PAGANI IS A visionary designer and self-taught engineer.
Suspensions of Disbelief
It's easy to say a vehicle rides well but much more difficult to explain the nuanced implications of that highly subjective statement.
PUMPED-UP KICKS
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One of us, gassing up the 2025 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, says, \"No, we drove from Michigan.
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"A ROMANCE THAT BUILDS WITH SPECTACULAR PASSION. THE LONGER YOU DRIVE IT, THE BETTER IT GETS."
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