Toyota Prius PHEV (Prime) - Cameron, Leonardo, Come Back! (ENG) - Test Drive and Review

[@HyBy]

Arguably your best review yet!! Plus the beats you drop lately at beginning are sick!

[@adamburns1077]

They aren’t selling it in the UK at all, I do wonder if it’s down to poor sales, which would be ironic seeing as it’s the first Prius that would actively be on my next new car list. It would be if it wasn’t for the soundproofing issues anyway, that’s a deal breaker for me, I’ll probably be looking at another Volvo next.

[@Nigelrudyardmusic]

I agree about the soundproofing - Toyotas in general can feel a bit tinny (they're not really but don’t spoil the ship for a ha’p’orth of tar, guys). That economy is great, and the Prius has a bit of Tesla-like aerodynamic look now. I wouldn't pay fifty grand for one, though. Great review -- you should market the Marek Headphone Solution as a sideline!

[@rafelminix49]

Thank you for your wonderful review, as always! Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder about our differing opinions. Last week, I had the chance to drive the car on the German Autobahn, and I must say, I found it to be remarkably soundproofed, even surpassing my Model Y. Cheers!

[@John2710]

I like this kind of reviews......

[@andydolan3557]

Good to see the cult of Partridge has reached Poland Marek! A shame they are not bringing this car to the UK, now it has a decent electric range.

[@R3ban3]

It looks nice, but only 280 l boot space and pretty high price for such a car? Not very appealing.

[@JoseSilva-ep2ww]

I've already seen one rolling on a street. I like its looks. Very well designed. As for the interior noise, well it is a Toyota. Those cars are built to a cost... It has 223 hp and good looks. You said it handles well. It is a nice car, worth to buy on cheaper versions.

[@99solutionsit10]

4:24... and its green badge is approved by the locust.👍

[@columcreaven8860]

I just saw one of these today, great looking car but the old person driving it could hardly get out of it😅

[@AndrewKNI]

It is a great pity the normal hybrid will not be available in the UK/Europe. The styling is fantastic and would sure sell well as a hybrid in a sea of SUVs and crossovers (which I drive myself!) Sometimes the ever stringent rules on emissions are a pain in the butt, especially when we are all supposed to be going electric in a few years so why push ahead with Euro 7?

You can ignore the plug if you want.

[@AndrewKNI]

@ lol 🤣 Good point Sean, thank you. I just checked the Toyota website again and the new Prius isn't offered in the UK at all.🤔

[@Victortrotska]

Amazing review as always!

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I appreciate that

[@TEVAssociation]

We should get our hands on one shortly too so we can compare notes

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Looking forward to your video.

[@japkoslav]

5:28 That is not really accurate claim as the boot is actually bigger than previous PHV by around 30 litres. The reason why "it is smaller" than 360l in previous gen. is because they measure it to the boot cover, while the previous 360l included the whole boot, with cover retracted.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

VDA is up to the parcel shelf.

[@stefanp.9222]

In the 50k price range I would get the BMW X1 25e, with some optional extras. 4wd, better interior space and trunk, better insulation and infotainment system. 50k for a Prius? What's wrong with you, Toyota?

[@j.v.f.8736]

Plug-in hybrids are supposed to ease our transition from internal combustion engines to EV. Hence the price. There you are.

[@rocketdreamer]

Should cost nomore than 40 overall. Horrible soundproofing in an electric car in laughable. U r 👍 reviewer .

[@paranoidhumanoid]

Not sure why it is with your model but on my test run it didn't make vibrations or sound and felt well insulated and soundproofed.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Compared to what? Also, I've seen this car with door cards and floor carpets removed. There's nothing there. It's like a tin can.

[@alexdhutanu]

Thanks for the review. I have the 2022 Prime model and it's a keeper. I will skip the new generation and go full electric for my next car, probably a cheap MG or something. I am not sure if Toyota actually want to sell any Primes at these ridiculous prices lol.

[@TimEndzeit]

Interesting, youre the first driver complaining about the soundproofing so far - besides other drivers making the usual cvt jokes/comments.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Soundproofing (or rather lack of it) in this car is outrageous. I've seen this car with floor carpets and inside door panels removed. There's virtually nothing underneath. It's like driving inside a resonator.

[@Commentator541]

Looks amazing, but when one can buy a Corola hybrid for much less, I am not sure the Electric power train means that much. Or you can buy a Mercedes Benz E class for the same money?

[@EONEILL1987]

What’s the title track of that intro? That beat slaps!

[@MarekDrivesENG]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqqypJ6eedNnbJosi=t5EoRnqmEMjThq2g

[@ianstewart2723]

It’s very scirocco looking. I like the style but practicality has gone out the window. But least it’s not ugly like the previous models.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Many years ago I spoke with a German car designer at some launch event. He said "if it's not practical, it's not design".

[@alliejr]

2:40 to be clear... diesels never offered the lowest emissions (they pollute far more than any petrol car), but they always offered the highest range per volume of fuel burned, therefore burning less fuel for a given trip, therefore using less energy.

[@cosettapessa6417]

@@alliejrthey consume less fuel so less co2

[@mrxman581]

What? Ridiculous!

[@mrxman581]

​@@MarekDrivesENGPorsches are not known for their practicality. The Prius is including this new PHEV which actually has more cargo room than rhe previous Prime version.

[@christianronn5301]

So 27 button presses every time you get in, just to disable the thing that I’m guessing will shout at you too early because the speedo will be off by a couple of km as usual. And what about lane keep assist that everyone knows goes haywire when there’s snow on the ground? 27 more button presses?

[@MarekDrivesENG]

ISA reacts to indicated speed, which is lower [EDIT: HIGHER], than GPS speed. The problem is it sometimes reads signs from other roads or has some out-of-date information stored in the sat nav (I've had both happen to me), so it's really annoying.

[@christianronn5301]

@@MarekDrivesENG The list of things to check when buying a post-2020 car grows longer and longer.

[@mrxman581]

Duh, that's to be expected. What's the point of this law if a driver could easily disable it? It's the same idea behind a car making annoying sounds if you don't use your seat belt. These auto companies are very well versed on human behavior. 😆

[@christianronn5301]

@@mrxman581 Most of these driver aids are annoying and people hate them. It’s like stop-start, nobody wants it but it’s forced upon us so car makers (usually) put the disable button right next to the ignition because they know everyone will make a habit of turning it off every time.

[@mrxman581]

@@christianronn5301 But this new law is more like seatbelts. That's why they don't want driver's to easily disable it. Also, the car companies could be liable if they made it very easy to disable and argue they wanted to purposely ignore the new safety mandate through an ineffective implementation of the feature.

[@dino4074]

If you leave it on the sun to use benefit of solar roof, you'll spend that energy to cool it down after, so i don't see economic purpose of the solar roof.

[@YouRStube2]

So it's only sunny in the summer? Being summer and the car being in the shade or inside a garage you don't turn on the air conditioning anyway? I do not understand your reasoning.

[@kevinn1158]

I sat in this at the Toronto Auto show and a lady got into the passenger side so my friend got in the back. We, as car guys do, immediately start picking the car apart. I exclaimed, omg, I can't see the speedo, my friend bitched that he hit his head getting in..... then after 10 minutes of shredding the lady said she was the product manager for the Prius... LOL. Well at least she got some candid input! I do love the design, and they've transferred that design language to the Crown Sport SUV which looks amazingly sharp. Whether it comes to North America is another thing. Anyways, great review Marek.

[@harisdevedzic3167]

If this is loud you should hear my 14-year old diesel 🤣 Anyways good review, greatings from Balkans , the place where Golf Mk2 is still "zakon" (the law) 😂

[@MarekDrivesENG]

In Poland it's the Mk3 :)

[@markotrieste]

It's more expensive than a Model 3. Why would anyone buy one? This car would have made sense 10 years ago.

[@markmd9]

I think because UK is no longer in EU, Toyota is not interested in selling the car there because it won't contribute at all at lowering emissions quote. So why waste a rare model.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

I wonder how it would fit in Toyota's UK lineup in terms of price. In Poland the Prius PHEV starts for what a mid-spec hybrid RAV4 costs, not far behind the base Lexus NX, so perhaps there just isn't a market for one.

[@kieranlarkin5938]

Not available in UK. Would buy one, no question.

[@tommyjakobsen5504]

hahaha nice with headphones.

[@odyssey37]

In some countries it is illegal to drive with headphones cover both ears

[@MarekDrivesENG]

Then in those countries they should not buy the Prius :⁠-⁠) BTW is protective gear, not music headphones. Consider this like driving a tractor.

[@AHarker100]

Looks great, but it is too impractical.

[@TomLawlor-iq6gm]

Good Lord, 53,000 Euro. That's over $80,000 Canadian. We have a 2024 Prime SE that cost less than half of that. How can this be......................

[@MarekDrivesENG]

23% percent VAT for starters. Probably some excise duty on non-European cars as well. And cars in Europe are generally expensive. Does the Canadian price include provincial tax, etc.?

[@TomLawlor-iq6gm]

@@MarekDrivesENG Because we have two levels of government we always traditionally paid two separate taxes. Over 25 years ago it was deemed more sensible to harmonize those taxes into one to "reduce" costs. So, these days, nationally, we pay a HST of 15% on virtually everything. The price I mentioned to you does not include that 15%. We also get a rebate on EV's and PHEV's. The amount varies from province to province (as does the price of the car). We got $5,000 with our Prime. In some provinces it goes as high as $8,000. The lucky people in Alberta don't pay any provincial tax so they get a big break to go along with the rebate. For my wife and me, the investment in the Prime will pay off. After 4,200Km, we have only used one tank of gas. Gas here is $1.71 L. While it's doubtful anybody would pay $80,000 for a Prius here, many don't blink at even higher costs for those monster pick-up trucks. When we picked-up our car there was a Tundra in the showroom. It was $95,600 ! And, they are a dime a dozen on our roads. That's not expensive for a truck here, an F250 runs around $ 128,000. Cheers

[@TurfSurf]

After seeing all the new Toyotas, I truly believe Toyota has replaced the entire design team. Kind like BMW got rid off Chris Bangle.

[@DaveDVideoMaker]

It’s a shame the new Prius will not be coming to the UK. Some other RHD markets such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will also miss out.

[@markthacker9387]

If only the young could afford them, it will not be sold in Britain either.......

[@thatdixion]

This car costs as much as the Model 3 Highland but is less economical, has a smaller trunk (and no frunk), worse soundproofing, fewer features, and significantly lower interior material quality (highland practically no exposed plastic inside the car; almost everything is covered with vegan/synthetic leather). The CEO of BMW's expression when he saw the Model 3 at the IAA Munich speaks for itself. It also highlights the decline of Japanese automotive industry. Personally, after much consideration, I no longer understand the fear of the decline of German automotive industry when Romania (dacia), Italy (fiat, alfa, maserati, luxurious ones), Spain (seat being no more after 2030, cupra), UK (jaguar, land rover) and (literally all brands in) Japan do not have any competitive EVs that are also reasonably priced. This will create a huge void in the market that someone will have to fill. I'm also curious about what will happen in Norway next year when the following brands start closing dealerships because they don't have enough models or are not competitive in terms of price/quality/performance to sustain dealerships: Jeep, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Dacia, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, all dealerships selling supercars/luxury cars, Ford, Cupra, Land Rover and Jaguar

[@extreme8808]

I don't know why, but this is giving me some Honda CR-X vibes. But more importantly - it's a Prius and yet it looks desirable. That's a huge achievement! But that highway noise I heard in the video . . that would be a deal-breaker for me.

[@MB_Lumalee]

I have one of the prius prime. The road noise is high. Good catch.

[@ilkererol1986]

Modern cars are poor in providing passenger space

[@hammylauw9574]

Flying Prius..

[@laupakhin]

Toyota finally make a Prius I want to buy... but decide to not sell it where I live because the superseded model didn't sell well. Which would be understandable except the previous model was an absolutely horrid car. I wish more automakers would make cars like this that are focused on efficiency. The EV infrastructure here is non-existent, and with weekend trips often reaching a four digit kilometre mark, mean that hybrid and PHEV are really my only choices as a single car family. The new Prius would fulfil my needs perfectly, and not the first Toyota I've installed extra sound deadening in.

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

Love the design. Too small of a boot. Way to expensive. Unacceptably load. Won't get one

[@stomms]

Price is same to EVs (Tesla?), if one wants clean wehicle, what's the point to have and maintaine ICE in a car...?

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

Since when is a BEV "a clean vehicle?"

[@TimEndzeit]

Would world be a better place if everyone just buys a white tesla model 3?😂

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

@@TimEndzeit no it wouldn't. It would just be a very boring world! 🤣

[@cafl9844]

Diesel's do not achieve 4 Liters/100 km in urban areas !

[@MarekDrivesENG]

But 5-6 from a 1.9 TDI was achievable, while 2/3 gen Prius achieved similar results, was less practical, and more expensive.

[@cafl9844]

@@MarekDrivesENG Well I have a 2012 Prius and easily achieve 4-4,5 Liters /100 km on long trips . Sometimes even under 4 depending on the elevation.

[@lagna1506]

The rear seat is so disappointing

[@LanceJDanks]

Quite a disappointment. Increased hp but lost mpg. Lost cargo and sitting space. Way too much plastic and visibility has shrunk. Quite loud due to poor insulation resulting in road noise.

[@co7013]

It looks like an elephant squashed it, front and back.

[@richardsmith579]

Stylish, cramped and inconvenient. Great if you are young, short and don’t need to carry anything though.

[@mrxman581]

He exaggerated the supposedly negatives. Ut was obvious he wanted to be a contrarian. But that's fine. There are many other more objective reviews.

[@Daniel-Condurachi]

I still prefer my BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid from all perspectives compared with the new Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. I had higher expectations

[@mrxman581]

Hahaha...it can't even come close to this new Prius in almost every way.

[@takuan650]

Thanks for the warning Marek. Would'n't go near that flying turd. These days hybrids are temporary, half arsed and expensive 'bridging solutions'.

[@sinanspearhead]

If you want to show yourself off as a - so-called- "environmentalist", if you have strong ears and a hard skull...than you've found your new toy. Enjoy...

[@rimmerblues1586]

Apart from the front-end, personally i think the 1st gen Prius looks better than the 2nd gen, as it looks like a normal saloon car, the jelly-mold hatchback later versions always looked naff & cheap & impractical - perfect for taxis! This new version looks more like another car designed by the marketing department - coupé roofline & gimmicks (wtf with those hash-tag writings?!) - seems a bit pointless and must be better options out there.

[@MarekDrivesENG]

When the design committee started working on this, hashtags were still a thing :)

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Who needs another stink car?????

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

Good review of an interesting car. The very small boot and poor sound proofing are disappointing on a car as expensive as this. But the looks, economy and performance are all plus points. But from my viewpoint , there is one extra downside to this car. The latest Toyota Prius is NOT for sale here in the UK at all. So, although I like the car, I will not be buying one. Which is sad, but beyond my control.