There is a lot of discussion about what kind of vehicle we are meant to drive today. But I’m going to take this opportunity to describe why the current generation of the Toyota Prius Prime, the plug-in hybrid edition of Toyota’s long-running hybrid, earns the name of the car you can buy now. You can call the new Toyota Prius Prime “the peak of private transportation in 2024. “
First of all, we’ve all noticed and heard the pressure to move to EVs as quickly as possible, as well as a lot of resistance to EVs. CEOs of various automakers are moving away from the advancement of electric vehicles while claiming they are the most productive cars for customers. This is counterintuitive, as I would like to think that any company that generates products for customers does so for the purpose of providing customers with the highest quality visitor solutions at the most productive price imaginable for money.
It’s that last word that I’m going to focus on for this analysis, because while price is rarely the most sensible priority for car buyers, I’d argue that it deserves to be, especially since it’s often the most expensive. a customer pays. (after accommodation). Of course, we want to narrow down the price because it’s a bit of a flimsy concept, so let’s do that. From my point of view, the characteristics that delimit the price of a car are the following, in this order:
While it would be attractive to delve into those features of the vehicle, for the sake of brevity, I’m going to talk about them on a higher level.
Reliability is pretty self-explanatory. The purpose of a car is to move what you want. If a car can’t meet this fundamental requirement, it’s just a bulky and expensive weight of paper.
Security is another obvious and particular characteristic. In the United States, we lose approximately 50,000 people a year due to car accidents. It’s sad and automotive, and if you’re fighting for space on American roads, you need every advantage to survive. .
Comfort is inferior to reliability and safety, because it would be just as smart if a car didn’t look like a torture chamber. Everyone has other criteria for convenience, but this point is indisputable: more comfort is greater than less comfort.
Flexibility that provides vehicle operators with a wide diversity of use cases. SUVs are popular for a reason: because they do a lot of things well. For example, they allow their owners to enjoy fantasies (rarely realized) of off-road excursions for 7 passengers. .
Performance can be tricky to define. Some other people think that the functionality is lap times from zero to 60 at the Nürburgring. Others, that getting over 50 mpg is an amazing feature. But as with comfort, more is more than less.
The ownership charge goes far beyond the acquisition value, as a vehicle’s charge has less to do with its MSRP and more to do with its value when you purchase it at your expense at the time of sale, or your resale charge.
The Prius Prime has a 220-horsepower hybrid transmission
With those features in mind, I can say, with a bit of luck, that plug-in hybrids are the most productive transmission option currently out there for value-oriented new car buyers, and that the Toyota Prius Prime is the most productive transmission option. hybrid. Let’s start by understanding why plug-in hybrids are great for all other drivetrain options. Remember, flexibility is a key component of value, and plug-in hybrids offer maximum flexibility. The existing Prius Prime can travel 44 miles on natural electricity, making it an electric vehicle that fully meets people’s everyday needs, a feature that neither gasoline cars nor classic hybrids offer.
With up to six hundred miles of total range, Prius Prime is a wonderful road vehicle.
We’ve all heard EV advocates tout the “40 miles of daily use” statistic when it comes to protecting EV battery range. But while most customers rarely want to drive more than 40 miles per day, the Toyota Prius Prime has them covered, too. a lower initial value than the maximum for all electric vehicles. Aaaaaa and, when a customer inevitably has to drive more than 40 miles, or even more than 400 miles, on any given day, a plug-in hybrid can take care of that use case without wasting time.
Despite a tougher engine and faster acceleration, the new Prius Prime still delivers 50 mpg
No time to sing? No problem. Just keep driving with the internal combustion engine and stop at one of the 150,000 petrol stations to refuel in less than five minutes when the low fuel light comes on. It is the epitome of flexibility. And as anyone who understands car buyers will explain, other people don’t buy for their needs, but for their maximum-use needs. In fact, they buy for their perceived peak use needs, which is why three-row SUVs and Porsche 911 GT3s are so popular, even though virtually no one has taken seven other people off-road or chased times at the Nürburgring.
Prius Prime retains its hatchback design and the applications it offers
It may be a silly reality, but it is also an undeniable reality. It also suggests that the Toyota Prius Prime is arguably not the most productive vehicle you can buy, since it’s not an SUV. But the Prius Prime offers a hatchback. Design with 20 cubic feet of shipping area for the second-row seat, about part of a Honda CR-V and more than max sedans. If a customer really wants more space for other people and shipping, I’d point to the Kia Sorento. Plug-in hybrid, which is probably the second maximum productivity vehicle you can buy right now based on those six value-oriented features.
Cloth seats can be replaced with heated and cooled leather.
But you have to need extra seats and space to justify the Sorento’s massive cumulative value, as the Toyota Prius Prime starts at $34,000 while the Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid starts at $50,000. If a client wants greater flexibility, the 40% of the building’s value increase might be justified. Everyone deserves to stick to the most productive cost game and buy the Prius Prime.
Multiple riding modes come with a “Sport” setting for more engaging handling
Now let’s take a look at the functionality, which many EV enthusiasts will have to paint in favor of EVs. If straight-line acceleration is your singular, short-sighted view of functionality (and for a measly number of self-proclaimed car enthusiasts, it is), then yes. , electric cars are mostly faster than plug-in hybrids. But if you extend your vision of functionality to handling and braking, heavy-duty electric cars don’t fare as well as hybrid or gasoline cars. And if you plan a travel time for longer road trips, electric cars will offer abysmal functionality. That said, electric cars will offer incredible straight-line speed.
Prius Prime’s rear seat is roomy and for taller adults
At this point, it’s tantamount to saying that reliability, comfort, and convenience are strong in at least all modern cars, so plug-in hybrids, hybrids, gasoline cars, and electric cars are pretty connected in those areas. However, it is worth it considering that Toyota has the most productive track record in terms of reliability, and since it is the most important feature for a car, it makes each and every Toyota, including the Prius Prime, very attractive. Plug-in hybrids have clear merit in terms of flexibility, while electric cars have a non-unusual advantage in terms of straight-line functionality (but their weight makes handling and braking difficult. . . ).
The supply of used electric cars has plummeted over the past year, falling short of gasoline cars.
We are now in charge of the property. If you’ve looked at the used car market or read the recent study by iSeeCars, you’ll know that EV values are plummeting. They have fallen more than 30% over the past year, from $40,000 in June 2023 to $28,000 in May 2024 for a used vehicle. Electric vehicle that is on average between 1 and 5 years old. And I don’t think they have been affected yet. Perhaps when the average value of used electric cars falls below $25,000, the $4,000 used EV incentive will help stabilize. its value in the market. Maybe.
Their low fuel consumption and maximum load make electric vehicles the most expensive vehicles to drive.
But when you look at the costs of new electric cars, which are more consistent than the costs of gas or hybrids, and compare them to the values of electric cars on the used market, which are now lower than all other types of cars, you can see how much it costs to buy an electric vehicle. A lot! Not only does this mean you get less flexibility with an electric vehicle, but you also pay more for less flexibility. Our recent iSeeCars study confirms that an electric vehicle travels an average of around 16,000 kilometres per year, compared to more than 12,000 kilometres per year. with year for petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars.
The new Toyota Prius Prime offers more power, a longer all-electric diversity and advanced styling
By contrast, a new plug-in hybrid like this $34,000 Prius Prime SE not only costs much less than the maximum for new EVs (which average close to $60,000), but it also costs less than an average new gas-powered car, which costs about $40,000. In fact, the Prius Prime is the cheapest plug-in hybrid you can buy right now. Something I didn’t even know when I started researching this story. As a bonus, the styling of the new Prius Prime is also charming and has been universally praised. .
The Prius Prime can be supplied with a roof with solar panels so you can charge the battery.
Returning to performance, the Prius Prime’s 220-horsepower transmission allows it to reach 60 mph in about 6 seconds. And because an intelligent component of this acceleration comes from an electric motor, Prius Prime feels fast, so with a wide torque curve with fast tractive force at full speed at all speeds. Like an electric vehicle. And its handling is also strangely agile, offering confidence and commitment on winding roads. Live an empty weight of approximately 3500 pounds! It is lighter than most modern cars and especially lighter than electric vehicles.
The Prius Prime’s classic petrol engine can be refuelled in five minutes
And it’s not that, even when the fuel engine is running, the Prius Prime still delivers a fuel power of around five miles per gallon. And did I mention you can fill it in five minutes?
Prius Prime’s 13. 6 kWh battery can be charged in four hours with a Level 2 home charger.
Go ahead and call it my private love letter to Prius Prime. Thankfully, it joins North American Car of the Year, World Car of the Year, Car and Driver, Green Car Journal, Wards Auto, and a dozen other Toyota Prius loves. letters from across the automotive media landscape. And here’s the most compelling aspect of the new Toyota Prius, and especially the Prius Prime: I’m seriously buying one.
Offered between $34,000 and $40,000, the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime is an unparalleled value
The car is just a jackpot, more than any other car on the market today.
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