Compare the2023 Toyota Prius PrimeVS 2023 Audi A7

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Prius Prime are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Prius Prime offers an optional Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The A7 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Prius Prime has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the A7’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Prius Prime has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert to warn the driver of approaching traffic and automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A7.

The Prius Prime’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A7 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Prius Prime and the A7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Prius Prime 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius Prime for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A7.

There are over 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius Prime’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Prius Prime’s reliability 20 points higher than the A7.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 67 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Audi is ranked 6th.

On the EPA test cycle the Prius Prime running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the A7:

The Prius Prime can travel with zero emissions for 39 to 44 miles (dependent on model). The A7 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Prius Prime uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A7 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Prius Prime has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The A7 doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better maneuverability, the Prius Prime SE’s turning circle is 5.3 feet tighter than the A7’s (34.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet). The Prius Prime XSE’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the A7’s (35.4 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Toyota Prius Prime may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1200 pounds less than the Audi A7.

The Prius Prime is 1 foot, 2.5 inches shorter than the A7, making the Prius Prime easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Prius Prime uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The A7 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Prius Prime has 1 inch more front headroom and 1.1 inches more front legroom than the A7.

The Prius Prime has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the A7.

The Prius Prime has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The A7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Toyota Prius outsold the Audi A7/S7/RS 7 by almost 17 to one during 2022.