The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime Promises Big Changes
If you are in the market for a new vehicle and gas mileage is important to you, the Toyota Prius Prime might just be for you because of its affordability and staying power. Not only does it average an amazing 54 combined mpg (55 city / 53 highway), but it is also fun to drive. When the 2020 Prius Prime model arrives at dealerships this summer, it will bring with it some important updates and changes.
In fact, this real-world price break down explains why Toyota Prius Prime is top-selling affordable EV In America.
What makes Prius Prime so special?
Prius Prime offers a wealth of benefits for drivers. This PHEV (Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle) offers you the versatility as a traditional hybrid (gasoline engine/electric motor combination) or as a plug-in vehicle. People commuting to work on a daily basis can take advantage of Prius Prime’s 25 mile range using all-electric mode. Also, imagine being able to drive 640 miles on one tank of fuel. Prius Prime drivers can. Can you say road trip up the coast?
Now how do you charge it? Is it easy? Yes! You can use any regular wall outlet in your garage or at work and it will take about 5 ½ hours to fully charge your Prius Prime. If you really want to take things to the next level, you can upgrade to a Level 2 home charger and you can fully charge your car in just over 2 hours.
Five not four
One of the main drawbacks of the 2019 Prius Prime is the rear seating. Due to the placement of the hybrid battery components, along with load capacity limitations, Toyota only allowed for two seats in the back. This makes the 2019 Prius Prime a four-seater. For families with three children, this would be a dealbreaker for sure. Great news – 2020 Prius Prime comes back with a vengeance and will add a 3rd seat in the rear, allowing for five passengers. Families rejoice and let’s all pile in.
The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime Has Improved Trim Level Configurations
Toyota made a brilliant decision to make trim levels more familiar and easy to understand with the 2020 model. The trims will be LE, XLE and Limited. We like these. We know them already.
In the past Prius Prime trim levels had been challenging to remember and tell apart. With configuration names like Plus, Premium and Advanced, loyal Toyota car buyers were unfamiliar with those terms. It made Prime car research more difficult than it should be. The new 2020 configuration lineup matches Prius Prime up perfectly its Prius gasoline counterpart, so shopping should be much easier for buyers.
CarPlay? (Bueller?) Anyone? Anyone?
As drivers in today’s hectic driving world, we are faced with an increasing amount of distractions and temptations. Apple CarPlay is one application that really does limit these distractions. You can now easily access your music (“Play Bon Jovi songs”) or navigate to nearby coffee shops using Google Maps and even Waze with the simple touch of a steering wheel button. I should know – my 2018 Camry XLE was just retrofitted with CarPlay yesterday and I love it (click to read about Camry’s CarPlay software update).
The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime will be gaining Apple CarPlay, along with Amazon Alexa capabilities. Before you ask, Android Auto will not be part of the action this time around. Sorry in advance.
Other Additions
To make life more convenient for passengers, 2020 Prius Prime adds 2 rear seat USB ports. Also, black interior accents will replace the previous white accents. This should appeal to buyers’ more high-end luxury tastes.
Other improvements are the addition of sun visor extenders and easier-to-reach heated seat buttons.
I would love your thoughts. Does the idea of the plug-in Prius Prime appeal to you? If looking for Prius, would you more consider the traditional hybrid Prius or is the Prius Prime on your radar?
Thanks again for reading. For all your Toyota news and reviews, feel free to Bookmark my Torque News page and follow my work to catch the all the latest (click here). See you next story about Prius where I am discussing 5 Facts to Know About 2019 Toyota Prius Prime Before You Buy One.
Jeff Teague is a Toyota news reporter at Torque News. You can reach Jeff on Facebook and Instagram. Twitter at @toyotajeff1 and tweet him tips for new stories. Jeff also shares Toyota news videos on his Youtube Channel at Toyotajeff.