2023 Toyota Prius Limited First Test: Dollars and Sense

Sometimes, cost can't be expressed entirely in monetary terms. There are certain things you gain or lose in a transaction that aren't necessarily covered in price tag. That could mean you get more than you feel like you paid for, or that there was a trade-off. In the case of the 2023 Toyota Prius Limited—the most expensive Prius trim—it's a bit of both.

What's So Limited About It?

If you like convenience features, the Limited trim is a surprisingly good deal, starting just $3,500 or so more than a midgrade XLE. Sure, you could add the Limited's standard 12.3-inch infotainment screen, panoramic sunroof, and phone-as-key to an XLE for $2,010. But what you can't get are the top trim level's also standard heated and cooled front seats (XLE fronts are heated only), driver seat memory (the only trim to offer it), power tailgate (all other models are manual), and an eight-speaker JBL sound system with subwoofer (up from six speakers and no sub). Add it up, and that's a lot more than $1,500 worth of equipment.

Going big also gives you the opportunity to get even more useful stuff if you're so inclined. The Limited trim is the only Prius to offer 360-degree exterior cameras, heated rear outboard seats, a digital rearview mirror, and hands-free parking as extra cost options—but the lower trims don't offer this stuff at all so there's no money-saving hack here. Sounds pricey, but it isn't. You can bundle all these options together for just $1,635, making a fully loaded Prius Limited with a lot more features and a $495 optional paint job only about $4,400 more than a fully loaded XLE. Not free, but a pretty good deal. Best of all, it's still less than $38,000.

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The Non-Monetary Part

All those features do increase the curb weight. The Limited you see here weighed in 82 pounds heavier than an XLE we tested earlier this year. It's hardly worth mentioning, and it doesn't show up at all in the fuel economy; both trims are EPA-estimated at 52/52/52 mpg city/highway/combined.

It's also not the reason the Limited performs noticeably worse in our instrumented testing. That's down to the tires. Both trims come with 19-inch wheels, but the XLE gets a grippier Michelin Primacy tire while the Limited makes do with a Toyo Extensa AS II. They're the same size and have the same ratings, so the difference no doubt comes down to the rubber compound and tread pattern.

To wit, the Limited is 0.3 second slower to 60 mph from a stop, needing 7.5 seconds to do the deed. You're not likely to be drag racing anyone in your Prius, and you're even less likely to notice three-tenths of a second.  It's also 0.3 second slower in passing, taking 4.0 seconds to accelerate from 45 mph to 65 mph to the XLE's 3.7 seconds. That's something you might notice on the freeway when you're trying to quickly get around a slowpoke.

The real performance difference you'll notice is in braking. The Limited needed 132 feet to stop from 60 mph, a full 9 feet longer than the XLE. That's more than half a car length, which could mean the difference between a close call and fender bender. Best to leave a little extra following distance to protect your investment.

The difference also shows up in the handling. The XLE hangs onto the pavement tighter and pulls 0.88 average lateral g on the skidpad to the Limited's 0.82. The XLE is also quicker around our figure-eight test, needing 26.8 seconds at 0.65 average compared to the Limited's 27.5-second lap at 0.61 g average.

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The Car Itself

As we've written previously, the new Prius is a genuinely enjoyable car to drive now and is even up for a bit of fun in the corners. No longer a soul-sucking appliance, it delivers both driver engagement and fuel efficiency. In fact, while the tires on the Limited may be less grippy at the limit, aside from emergency braking, you won't notice the difference—even in aggressive driving.

You also won't notice a difference in interior noise. Whatever Toyota's reason for putting different tires on the two trim levels, it couldn't have been noise. Even the most expensive Prius is still kinda loud inside at times. The tires transmit every bit of bad pavement noise to the cabin, but the engine is the biggest offender, racing hard and loud when you put your foot down. There's also wind noise around the windshield when you get up to highway speeds. We'd be willing to put up with a bit more weight and maybe even take a slight mileage hit in the top-shelf Prius for more sound deadening. Consider springing for the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime if you have the budget; its 44 miles of all-electric driving range will spare you from having to listen to the engine for most if not all of your commute.

You will, however, notice a difference in passenger and cargo space. Its dramatic improvement in exterior styling has come at the cost of rear-seat headroom and cargo space. Where the old Prius was quite roomy in the back, the new one will be claustrophobic for taller passengers. The new Limited and XLE also feature 7.1 fewer cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats (the base LE loses 3.6 cubic feet to the old model). The big back seat and cargo area were major selling points on older Priuses, and the loss is certain to disappoint repeat customers, no matter how much better the car looks for it.

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If you're anything other than average height, you might also have some thoughts about the star-fighter-looking steering wheel and instrument cluster. It looks cool, but above- and below-average-height editors had trouble finding a seat and steering wheel position that allowed them to see the high-mounted digital instrument cluster clearly. The tiny font on that screen doesn't make it any easier. Otherwise, we all appreciated Toyota's continued use of physical buttons and switches on the steering wheel and dashboard, as well as the greatly improved infotainment system software.

Since the Prius Limited isn't all that expensive compared to the average new car (the current average new car selling price is $49,000 as of this writing), we'll recommend paying for the 360-degree camera system and even the digital rearview mirror. The sweeping roofline that has cut down on rear-seat headroom and cargo capacity has also made it harder to see out the back of the new Prius. The screens help a lot.

The Bottom Line

If you ask us, the power move is to replace the Limited's tires with the XLE's when they wear out. That'll give you the best of both worlds, and for only a few thousand dollars more than a loaded XLE. With all the stuff that comes standard and optional on a Limited, it's the easiest upcharge to justify in the market today. But even if you don't spring for the Limited, you're still getting the best-looking, best-driving, and most efficient Prius ever, so you really can't lose.

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