Whenever a new Toyota debuts at home in Japan, it's instantly bombarded with a plethora of upgrades developed by both Modellista and TRD. The fifth-generation Prius is no exception as the iconic hybrid car – now looking arguably better than ever – has already been pampered by the automaker's two in-house tuners. Toyota Racing Development is previewing the revamped model with an assortment of Gazoo Racing-branded parts.
Unlike the flashy Modellista package introduced earlier this week, these GR Parts are more subtle. A prominent spoiler lip is noticeable at the front while the rear hosts a pair of winglets on the tailgate. The 2023 Prius has been fitted with different, possibly slightly larger wheels and appears to have black wind deflectors as those are apparently still a thing in the Land of the Rising Sun.
2023 Toyota Prius
It should be mentioned this isn't the first time Toyota gives the Prius the GR treatment as the once hugely popular hybrid has had sporty bits in Japan since the second half of 2017. The JDM-spec Prius Alpha (aka Prius v in the United States and Prius+ in Europe) and the Prius PHV (Prime in the US) have been available in a GR Sport trim domestically for about five years. GR Sport sits at the bottom of the GR food chain, positioned below the midlevel GR and top-tier GRMN.
It seems highly unlikely Toyota will come out with a true performance version of the all-new Prius since the model is still all about efficiency. That said, the latest generation is much more powerful than the model it replaces for both the standard and Prime flavors. The former has just under 200 hp while the latter provides a respectable 220 hp, good for a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in only 6.6 seconds.
That makes the Prius Prime only half a second slower than the 2023 GR 86. Even the regular model is much quicker than before, needing 7.2 seconds to complete the task or 2.6 seconds less than its predecessor. An all-wheel-drive version of the non-Prime Prius cuts the sprint time to 7.0 seconds.
