For 2014, the Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid is unchanged apart from a price drop. The base trim level's price gets chopped by about $2,000 without losing any standard features, while the Advanced trim's discount is more than twice that. However, the latter's effective adjustment is actually the same two grand, given that some formerly standard features have moved over to an option package.

Have you ever driven a Toyota Prius slowly in a parking lot, marveled at the quiet, all-electric operation and thought to yourself: "Gosh, wouldn't it be great if the Prius was like this all the time?" Well, if that's you, your wish has been granted with the 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in -- sort of.

The Prius Plug-in hybrid bridges the gap between a traditional hybrid and a fully electric vehicle. Unlike the regular Prius, the Plug-in allows you to travel a fair distance solely on electric power. Yet unlike an all-electric car, this Toyota still has a gas engine, so you needn't worry about running out of battery power before you've made it to a recharging station.

Essentially, the Prius Plug-in is a standard Prius with a more powerful battery pack and the ability to recharge from an outside source. With it, the Plug-in can make it about 10-15 miles on electric power alone. After that, the standard hybrid powertrain takes over. Although that's not much electric-only range, the Prius Plug-in's battery pack only takes about three hours to recharge on a standard 120-volt home outlet, or half that time on a larger 240-volt outlet.