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[AutoGuide.com]

There was an unexpectedly long delay as Koji Toyoshima, chief engineer of the Toyota Prius and Prius Prime, conferred with his colleagues.

After half a minute or so of fuss, the result of this chatter was a succinct 'no' from the company’s translator; their latest plug-in electric model will notoffer a 'ludicrous' acceleration mode similar to what’s available in the Tesla Model S. Damn, and I thought that question was sure to make him chuckle.

Efficiency enthusiasts everywhere are sure to bedevastated by this news, but the Prius family is about saving as much gasoline as possible, not causing speed-induced vertigo. To showcase its latest plug-in model, a select group of media were invited to Japan for a quick test drive of the new 2017 Prius Prime.

This car is replacement for the Prius Plug-In. The name change is designed to reflect its newness and innovation, but at a macro level, you can think of the Prime as a hybrid with enhanced electric-only range.

Emphasizing this, there are several parallels to standard Prius. Under its hood, you find the same 1.8-liter gasoline engine, the car’s interior is largely the same, plus it delivers eye-opening fuel economy numbers. But aside from all of this, there are plenty of technical differences.

Read more about the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime Review and First Drive at AutoGuide.com.