Though few people would look at a Prius and see it as a high-performance vehicle, the truth is that they are every bit as rigorously engineered as a Porsche or BMW. Toyota's designers maintain a ruthless pursuit of fuel economy, improving whenever and wherever they can.

For 2022, several variations of the Prius Prime are available, intended to appeal to the variety of hybrid car buyers who have different requirements. The Prius Prime is a plug-in hybrid 4-door compact hatch that comes in LE, XLE, and Limited trims.

The Prime pairs a fuel-sipping 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission with an 8.8 kWh battery pack. The car can run on battery power alone for up to 25 miles, perfect for the daily commute, while total range in hybrid mode is about 640 miles.

The interior of the Prius is big and airy, offering an open feel and a good view of the road ahead, with improved headroom over previous generations. The Prime benefits from an 11.6-inch touchscreen display that is centrally mounted vertically, similar to that found in the Tesla, and it is controlled through simple tap/swipe gestures, much like a tablet.

Basic features on the Prius Prime include 15-inch alloy wheels, low rolling resistance tires and four-wheel disc brakes. Standard equipment includes automatic climate control, a six-speaker sound system, a 7-inch touchscreen display, wireless device connectivity and 3 USB ports.

A suite of safety features as standard including a pedestrian detection system, a pre-collision warning system, as well as a radar-controlled dynamic cruise control system, an active lane departure system, and a driver attention alert system.