Toyota has done what seemed to be a near impossible by introducing a truly eye-catching Prius this week. It has more than a bit of Crown DNA combined with a streamlined shape and sharp front and rear lights. The automaker’s in-house tuner wasted no time as Modellista is now introducing several body kits for its completely revamped hybrid. You can choose from Neo Advance Style or Elegant Ice Style to add to the 2023 model.
The 2023 Prius in Neo specs are what you’ll get if you prefer the additional headlights tucked into the front bumper, which is also noticeably larger than the standard cutout. The bumper corners have boomerang-shaped LEDs and are complemented by two blue lights in the lower air intake corners. Custom wheels with complex spoke layouts are likely to be difficult to clean and we’re pretty sure some people will find the design too busy.
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The Elegant Ice Style is more refined as it avoids additional LEDs and instead gets chrome accents. Rectangular trim pieces at the bottom of the rear bumper give the impression of fake exhaust tips while the alloy wheels are the same as on the Neo kit. Bigger side skirts are part of the package, as is an extended front bumper that drivers are likely to have damaged shortly after taking delivery of the new Prius.
The fifth-generation model deserves more aggressive styling now that it makes as much as 220 horsepower (164 kilowatts) in its plug-in hybrid version. The PHEV is relatively fast, doing the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 6.7 seconds. Toyota has also upgraded the regular hybrid by increasing the 2.0-liter version’s output to more than 193 hp (144 kW).
That’s not to say the new Prius fully deserves to look muscular but the Modellista’s modus operandi is to give Toyota overly aggressive styling. From the factory, the Mk5 is 22 millimeters (nearly 0.9 in) wider than the model it replaces and has had its wheelbase extended by 50 mm (almost 2 in) although the overall length has been reduced by 46 mm (1.8 in). The size of these custom wheels is not stated, but OEM wheels can be 19 inches.
It’s likely only a matter of time before the new Prius will also receive a range of TRD parts.
