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 2024, 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 SE, XSE, and XSE Premium trims.

The Prime pairs a fuel-sipping 2-liter 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission with an 13.6 kWh battery pack. The car can run on battery power alone for up to 39 miles, perfect for the daily commute, while total range in hybrid mode is about 550 miles.

The interior of the Prius Prime 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 8-inch touchscreen display and it is controlled through simple tap/swipe gestures, much like a tablet.

Basic features on the Prius Prime include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, low rolling resistance tires and four-wheel disc brakes. Standard equipment includes automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, a six-speaker sound system, and 6 USB ports.

The XSE adds19-inch wheels, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated front seats, 10-way power driver seat, and front and rear parking sensors.

The XSE Premium is the top trim and gets a power liftgate, wireless device connectivity, a fixed glass sunroof over the first row of seats, ventilated front seats, driver seat memory, an 8-speaker sound system, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and voice activated navigation.

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.