2017 Toyota Prius Prime – Redline: Review

Looking to sway buyers who may be in the market for a Tesla or Volt, Toyota is offering its best Prius yet with the introduction of the plug-in Prius Prime model. A unique exterior look, fancy 11.6 LCD display, and the promise of 640 miles of range with 25 of those miles on electricity alone, this pinnacle of the Prius line-up may just be the hybrid vehicle you're looking for.

[rgbsam]

people love to hate on Prius and Prius owners. it's a great car. period. the rest is just jealousy.

[A_guan]

The only prius I'd ever buy and not be afraid to drive

[_ShaDynasty]

damn.. 50mpg / 650 mile range. cars are getting very efficient

[lankytoast]

Watching this in 2022. Wife might buy one. Amazing car.

[cop]

I will say, I prefer the feeling of exclusivity with the Prime. Hardly anyone else has one in my area, and I absolutely love it. Makes me feel special and unique hehehe

[flamingguy]

THIS is the only Prius I'd ever be proud of having.

[timjjs]

Hey sofyan, I hope you take the cars into a garage or a shade when showing the interior so that the sun doesn't mess up the camera's white balance.

[markjose]

The face of that looks way better than the regular prius!

[menji]

How to sell any car in 2016: Put LEDs on it.

[Kickflip]

Thank you first gen Prius prime you launched a very awesome 2023 prime you’ll never be forgotten

[dchawk]

I used to rag on Priuses all the time but I actually like this one. Especially in that red color.

[aayangoverski]

It’s actually a really good car. I’m just not a fan of the gauge cluster and the rear end. But that’s pretty much it. I love this car

[jjayallan]

Great review‼️👍🏽 I'm sold...you answered ALL my questions 😀

[RolerMane]

I'm from Ojai California. And the Prius rocks. Don't speak if you haven't driven one. They can get it. Trust me they can compete.

[Slide]

Good comprehensive review. I hope Toyota releases a Prius V Prime.

[krrk]

Some people hate the Prius just because it made them look more of a car guy. My guess is Toyota put a lot more engineering effort on this than some of your cars. If you dig down all its parts, you'll appreciate what they did.

[fleetingdays]

I'm glad that I've always been a subscriber! The lower ground clearance in Minnesota, I can't deal with that. I went with the RAV4 Hybrid, I love it! More money, sure move on to Lexus 300h, I think. Same drivetrain! I am a Prius driver since 2006, I couldn't do it anymore! High gloss plastic on the dashboard? What? Softex leather is the simple name for plastic! Up charging for this is Ok. But, for me, I don't need Softex, I would have an after market shop give me full leather! This high gloss finish on the dashboard would be very annoying! The loss of mileage is real, it does hurt. But, when I'm driving with aggressive drivers and more, I do like a larger vehicle.

[johndonaldson]

I believe Toyota just upset the auto industry with this Prius prime. It's all about the price. It is so low it's really tempting even though there are things I don't like about this car the price is just too too low to ignore.

[jmen]

Sofyan, all the reviews I watch in the sun, I can't believe you don't wear sunglasses. I always have to wear sunglasses, even when it is cloudy sometimes, depending on the glare. Anyway, always a great review even though I will never buy a Prius.

[imaniguana]

I tried both the Volt and Prime. The Volt would be my first pick based on overall impressions. However, after a few minutes of driving in that manual adjust seat, my back was in excruciating pain. There's no power seat option, and the whole ergo/seating geometry was completely off for me.  It's been a week since I drove it and my back is still screwed up.  I was heartbroken
that I had to pass on the Volt.  It really checked most of the boxes for me, except there was no sunroof option.  So having had to write off the Volt, I tried the Prime.

I am not a big fan of the goofy center stack dash layout concept of the Prius line in general.  Frankly, its a big turn off for me, but I still need to objectively evaluation the overall car.  The 11" display was certainly cool.  Unfortunately, the sales-droid they assigned to me didn't know enough about it to demonstrate it in any detail or answer some of my technical questions.  He had
to go back into the dealership several times to get the answers I wanted.

Handling, acceleration, and turning radius were all good. The lane keep assist worked fine.  I am not a fan of the JBL system they put in these Prius models.  It just doesn't have clarity at the highest volumes, where I like to listen to good headbanging music.  To me, the Volt had the better sound system.  One of the big pluses, and a key feature I look for in cars I'm evaluating, is the heating steering wheel, which comes standard with the Advanced package.

When you open the lift gate you are greeted with a higher up than normal storage bed, due to the batteries residing in that area.  My initial impression was that you might not even be able to stand a bag of groceries up in there, but on reflection, I think it was a matter of perspective.  The Volt seemed to have more vertical space there, if I recall, but it had a much higher lip that you might be struggling with if you are lifting in/out heavier items.

The Prime supposedly has the highest MPGe rating in it's class, meaning the energy consumption efficiency.

My overall side by side impressions between the two is really mixed.  Since neither has an available sunroof, I'll leave that out of the equation.

- Forgetting about my personal ergonomic and seating problems for a moment . . . . . For overall tech, performance, and presentation, I would lean toward the Volt. However, I would also shy away from it, given Chevy's overall ongoing quality and reliability issues across the brand.  Robotic assembly may build the cars well, but that doesn't necessarily mean the design engineering will result in a car that will have minimal problems outside of the warranty.   I have a lot experience in dealing with GM on warranty issues.  Few have been pleasant experiences.  They tend to pick and choose what warranty issues they want to address, and you need to find the right dealer to go to bat for you.  One GM truck I had to get rid of because of an engine problem GM didn't care to address and the vehicle was only one year new.  FYI, I currently own another GM truck, which has done pretty well over the years.  So again, GM quality and warranty support is hit or miss.
The Prime certainly had the tech and performance, but I liked the Volt’s road feel and sound system better.  The EV range difference between the two is not an issue for me, as I’m not buying a vehicle to primarily use for EV driving and advantages.  One of my hot buttons is to find a hybrid that also has a heated steering wheel.  The center-centric dash layout leaves
something to be desired, but I think that 11” screen more than makes up for it.  Opinion will certainly vary on this.  One thing that is a major plus for the Prime is the Toyota build-quality and reliability.
So for my needs and criteria, I think the Prime would be the choice.  YMMV depending on what your priorities are.  In general, I would not rate one better than the other.  I would say one may just have a few more pluses than the other, depending on your needs and preferences.