No, we've not gone crazy. Open your eyes and smell the smog because the 2023 Toyota Prius storms onto the scene to tell the world that it's been hitting the gym. Both on paper and in the hands of the media, the new Prius has cemented itself as a serious contender for those looking for a genuinely nice and inviting daily driver. And no, that no longer excludes the car enthusiast just looking for something inoffensive. This Prius is one we'd actually throw money at.

If you're still not convinced, hear us out. The old Prius, as much as it tried to be inoffensive with its simple and unbothered driving dynamics, was ironically so in many other ways. It was dog slow and frankly quite ugly throughout its generations, deterring would-be clientele who bounce to a cheaper Corolla or a nicer Camry Hybrid.

The new Prius rights its wrongs with sharpened styling, inside and out, and a healthy injection of much-needed horsepower that enticed a swarm of otherwise disinterested gearheads. So this is why we declare the 2023 Toyota Prius as one of, if not the best new daily you can buy today.

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The New Toyota Prius Looks Good For A Change

Gray 2023 Toyota Prius Prime Rear Profile
Toyota

Look at it! Don't tell us this is ugly, or at least as ugly as its forbearers. In contrast to the generation that immediately precedes it, the new Prius is significantly smoother, boasting clean lines and a concept car-like smoothness that arguably hasn't been seen since the second-generation car. Unlike that era, made popular by Dirty Mike and The Boys, the new proportions are modeled just right, or as right as a Prius can be.

The new car is still vaguely egg-shaped in the name of aerodynamics, but it's far sportier with a steeper, more swept-back rake and wheels pushed as far to the corners as possible for minimal overhangs. Maintaining the theme of smooth and sleek, the headlights are a skinny yet mostly-soft C-shape, with just a mildly sharp bend in the uppermost corner. The taillights are a simple bar, a subtle wink to the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car.

The cabin gets a similar restructuring, with a softly-sculpted dashboard dominated by a massive touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In the wake of a failed industry trend, the power and volume control is a physical knob in the bottom corner of the screen, and climate controls are managed via hard buttons mounted beneath. Gone is the central and distant digital gauge cluster in favor of one mounted directly in front of the driver as in traditional cars.

The Toyota Prius Gets A Gut Punch Of Extra Power (About Time)

2023 Toyota Prius GR Parts Image
Via: Toyota

You probably bet we'd never live to see the day anyone would call a Prius quick. Well, that day is now. Power derives from a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder mated to an 83-kW motor and a typical-for-the-segment CVT. All-wheel-drive models get a 30-kW motor to assist the rear wheels.

Perhaps someone sprinkled a little GR pixie dust in a Prius engineer's coffee one morning because the new generation now sports a base power output of 194 ponies, while all-wheel-drive models push 196. The headline-stealing Prius Prime plug-in tops the range with a never-before-heard 220 horsepower. To better frame that, this means the quickest Prius produces eight ponies less than a GR 86 and 14 more than a four-cylinder Camry. Awake yet?

Zero-to-60 for the base front-wheel-drive car is an estimated 7.2 seconds, with the Snowbelt-friendly variant leaping ahead at seven flat. The hot hatch (not really) of the lineup can hit the mark in an admirable 6.6 seconds, placing somewhere in the same league as a Scion FR-S, Ford Fiesta ST, and Fiat 500 Abarth from a few years ago.

Expect the new Prius to actually handle far better to match, courtesy of the wider track, longer wheelbase, and available 19-inch wheels. We could even see a few GR accessories making it into the catalogs.

RELATED: The 2023 Toyota Prius With TRD's GR Parts Looks Awesome

The New Toyota Prius Is Still A Champ At Fuel Efficiency

Gray 2023 Toyota Prius Prime Parked To Charge
Toyota

The 2023 Prius hasn't forgotten its place in the world. Just because it hit the gym and found new meaning in life doesn't mean it still can't get the job done the same as it used to. In fact, despite its larger engine and dramatically increased power, its fuel economy is roughly the same as the asthmatic mule it replaces.

The base model Prius, with its more economy-minded tires, achieves 57 miles per gallon in the city and 56 on the highway. Paired with a 10.5-gallon tank, that yields a range of nearly 600 miles. Models rocking the stylish 19-inch rollers see an even 52 miles per gallon across all categories. All-wheel-drive drops figures down to about 53 in the city and 54 on the highway with the eco rubber, while driving all four 19-inch wheels drops figures to a still-commendable 49 city and 50 highway.

Official EPA figures for the Prime are yet to be unveiled but expect things not to stray far from the standard front-wheel drive models. Toyota proudly claims that the EV range should be up by 50% over the outgoing model, meaning the 2023 Prime should be able to travel for roughly 37 miles before summoning the gas four-banger for help.

Source: Toyota