jpep11 
2017 Toyota Prius Prime Hatchback Premium 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
A millennial owner perspective 24,000 miles
 I give Toyota credit for the car's styling. I grew up a car guy, into exotic sports cars, and always laughed at the Prius. Previous models looked ugly. When it came time to buy my first new car, all of a sudden, practicality set in and I wanted to make a smart purchase. The tax credit appealed to me, and so didn't the tech. Working in manufacturing, I appreciate and respect Toyota's manufacturing processes and felt I would be better off getting a well-built, reliable car with the Toyota over other brands. I also liked the fact that Toyota seems to always take care of their customers in the event of recalls. I remember my aunt getting a new truck when her frame had rusted on her T100. If there was going to be any problems with the car, I wanted to give my business to a manufacturer that would make things right with me, the buyer. I was also really attracted to the looks of the Prime - I don't believe I'm that crazy to say the front end looks similar to Acura's new NSX supercar. My first impression was great - the handling and power (especially with a charge in power mode) surprised me. I had an Audi A4 with Quattro AWD before, so the handling in winter (New Hampshire) wasn't as good as my Audi, but that's to be expected. I also don't like the glare on the touchscreen or how easily the acrylic front bumper chips and cracks. I literally have a hole in mine from a rock that kicked up. When I went to fix this, I found out that it is only sold as the entire grille sub-assembly for $550, so I drive around with a hole in my bumper now. To see what I'm talking about, I filmed this to show: https://youtu.be/dLOSR0gQ84M . The ground clearance is also really low which I think makes it look good, but I've scrapped my bumper multiple times so if you have a steep driveway or go over speedbumps often, consider the ground clearance. The low ground clearance also makes it get stuck in the snow easily. I don't have a garage so after a snowstorm, the snow will pack underneath the car and make it nearly impossible to get unstuck. If you have a charge, it defaults to EV mode too, which will not allow the wheels to spin, so you press the accelerator to try getting unstuck, and literally nothing happens. It is extremely frustrating. If you live where there is snow, make sure you plow or shovel a path. I no longer charge mine though, because it is less expensive for me to run on gasoline than to charge it (I have flat-rate electric rates, so I can't take advantage of off-peak hours). If you have flat-rates too, do the math to figure out what makes most sense, do not assume that plugging in will save you money. Plugging in or not, its still a great car and I have averaged 52 mpg over 24,000 miles, nearly all of which were in hybrid mode with no charge. I also drive on the interstate to and from work so that's also at highway speeds. When I tried to get good fuel economy on a recent 317 mile road trip, I was able to get 77.3 mpg without a charge: https://youtu.be/8fAm7YuebWU . The fuel mileage, tech, futuristic looks, and the fact that its a Toyota, and my experience so far, would make me buy this car again and recommend to most people that they get one too, but pay attention to the low ground clearance and snow concerns.