Prius

Make
Toyota
Segment
Hatchback

Toyota hybrids are about to get a lot more powerful, and the Prius is just the start of things to come.

Who would have ever thought a Prius could be quick? It may be scarcely believable, but the 2023 Toyota Prius can hit 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds (seven flat with all-wheel-drive), a massive improvement over the outgoing model's 9.8-second stroll. The plug-in hybrid Prius Prime will drop that time even further to 6.2 seconds, making it about as quick as a fifth-generation Golf GTI. This substantial performance increase is already impressive, but according to Toyota Senior Product Planner Thomas Sondej Jr., it's just the tip of the iceberg.

"The Prius, Corolla Hybrid, and Corolla Cross Hybrid all use our new Toyota generation-five hybrid system," Sondej explained to CarBuzz. "Overall, the new hybrid battery is 14% more powerful in output (the flow of kW). With more energy going out, we need to recover it quicker. It's 13% quicker recovering energy from braking and the engine."

In the standard Prius, the electric motor produces 111 horsepower and 152 lb-ft of torque on its own compared to the outgoing model's 98 hp and 105 lb-ft. This more powerful electric motor, combined with a larger 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, contributes to the Prius' total system power jump from 121 to 194 hp. It also explains how the 2023 Corolla Hybrid increased to 134 hp (up from 121) without an engine displacement increase.

Prius models with AWD are rated at 196 hp thanks to a rear electric motor that contributes 40 hp and 62 lb-ft of torque. To put that in perspective, the last Prius AWD only delivered seven hp and 40 lb-ft. As a further improvement, this new AWD system is more useful. "The old [system] only gave AWD up to 40 mph. This new one has no speed limitation," Sondej said. "There is still more power to be had from a rear motor, though. This could be in a different product or maybe a more powerful Prius."

Perhaps Lexus could use a more powerful rear motor in the rumored CT replacement. Theoretically, gen-four-based models could also get more power when they move onto the new system.

Sondej even joked about a Prius with the 302-hp drivetrain from the RAV4 Prime called the Prius GR Sport but specified that he was only dreaming of such a product. That being said, he did confirm that there is "more to come" with Prius Prime next year. Currently, Toyota only plans to offer the Prius Prime with front-wheel drive, but other countries can get it with AWD. "It's market-driven," he said. "We are watching what the market demands. If customers demand it, we could do it."

The Prius Prime will be the most powerful Prius ever when it arrives in 2023 with a 220-hp PHEV system, but perhaps Toyota could take the performance even further in the future. "We've had a really exciting year, and it's not slowing down. We have an exciting 2023 planned," Sondej promised.