If  you've never heard of the Prius, you've also never seen standup from hacky  2000s-era comedians, attended a Greenpeace rally or screamed at a coastal elite  from your coal-rolling brodozer. For better or worse, the 2022 Toyota Prius is  the unofficial mascot of the eco-conscious movement, as well as being the go-to  pick for Uber and Lyft drivers. This small hatchback is one of the most  efficient hybrids on the market, though the fuel savings come at the cost of a  jittery ride, lethargic acceleration and a subpar infotainment interface.  Rivals including the Honda Insight and Kia Niro are more luxurious and  comfortable, and only slightly thirstier. ;Given  this generation's advanced age, we have to believe that a new Prius is right  around the corner. Alas, Toyota's ultra-popular hybrid soldiers on virtually  unchanged from last year's model. The primary difference is that the 2020  Edition trim level (which, somewhat confusingly, was only available for the  2021 model year) has been replaced by the Nightshade variant. But since they  share a similar feature set, you can think of this as a mere name change.&nbsp; 
;To learn more about the Toyota Prius of this generation,  read about our experiences from living with a 2016  Toyota Prius.  After its debut, we went out and bought one and racked up more than 30,000 miles.  We cover everything from this hybrid's real-world fuel economy to seat comfort  and cargo space. Please note that the 2022 Toyota Prius differs from our  long-term 2016 model in that the newer model has updated styling and more  standard features. It's the same generation, though, so most of our  observations still apply.;The  2022 Toyota Prius is a four-door hatchback hybrid that seats five passengers.  The front-wheel-drive model is available in five trim levels: L Eco, LE, XLE, Nightshade Edition and Limited. The Prius AWD-e, which has all-wheel drive, is  offered in the LE and XLE and Nightshade Edition trims only. All Prius models  are driven by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a hybrid powertrain  (121 total system horsepower) and a continuously variable automatic  transmission. Significant features include:;L Eco 
Fairly  basic but includes:;All  Prius trims also come with:;LE 
  Adds  a few features, with:;XLE 
  Adds  nice-to-have features such as:;Nightshade Edition
  New  for 2022, the Nightshade Edition model builds off the XLE trim and adds unique  visual touches such as: ;Limited 
  Tops  the range with:;The  Prius doesn't offer much in the way of option packages, but there are a handful  available for certain trims. On the options list are:;