By Philip Ruth–
I had a sentimental moment while driving a press car on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge, when a 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI buzzed up to the right and then shot off when an outer lane gap opened up.
I recalled my own beloved Rabbit GTI. It was the first truly athletic car I owned, a caffeinated zinger compared to the sleepy Chevettes and Novas I drove prior. The Rabbit GTI loved to be driven hard, and it was easy to find yourself at license-endangering speeds.
Watching that GTI slip away, I realized I was in a car in which I also had to mind myself, lest I find myself blasting along at 90 mph. And, it was a Prius—a $43,088 Prius Prime XSE—stocked with options like heated rear seats, digital rear-view mirror, and a solar-charging roof.
“Prime” means it’s a Prius plug-in hybrid with 44 miles in electric-only range. The Prime weighs about 360 pounds more than a regular Prius and has a proportional rise in total system horsepower (from 194 to 220) to motivate it.
It turns out that the Prius Prime is much more enjoyable to drive than the standard Prius, particularly in Sport mode with its firmed-up responses. It doesn’t have a GTI’s engaging personality, but I did not expect to be so carried along with the Prius Prime’s surprising capabilities, to where I looked forward to saddling up.
The Prius’ exterior design makes it a futuristic eye-grabber, and this hatchback’s compact length and width is ideal for slicing through and parking within San Francisco traffic. After more than two decades of driving Priuses, this is the first one I could see in my own garage.
Two things to suss out for yourself would be the scant headroom, particularly in the rear, along with the oddly tiered instrument panel and Lilliputian steering wheel.
Another sporty number is the $70,830 Lexus RX 500h. This raunchiest of RXs grabs eyeballs with its $595 Copper Crest paint, which beams out among the surrounding vehicles’ whites and grays.
But, there’s one missing feature that would cancel this RX for me; the unfortunately common omission of a height-adjustable lumbar support. I have no words as to why this simple addition is reserved for super-luxury price points, but its absence pokes the RX’s lumbar cushion too low into my back, making the car feel like it’s designed for someone of a different shape.
That’s a shame, because the rest of this RX was very impressive. Lexus has wisely dumped its not-entirely-intuitive remote trackpad for controlling the center screen; instead, the presser’s optional 14-inch touch display was an amiable combo of expansive real estate and uncomplicated interfaces.
Even better was the RX 500h’s ride comfort. It is not a surprise that a Lexus would be a comfy cruiser, but this model’s handling was pleasingly sharp despite the fluffy suspension response when the going got rutty. It’s nice to see Lexus getting the basics right amid the RX 500h’s layers of sportiness, styling, and tech.
Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.
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Published on December 21, 2023
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