Prius transmission
>>The Prius is horribly compromised and over complicated.<<
Sounds like someone doesn't have a clue how the Prius transmission actually works.
Do a Google on "Hybrid Synergy" if you want to get the details, but it's actually extremely simple and efficient - far simpler than the simplest manual gearbox in fact. That's probably what accounts for its legendary reliability and durability.
It has no clutch or torque converter. The gears are constantly meshed, so there are no brake bands, synchromesh or any other gear-changing mechanism. In fact there's no actual gearbox as such, unless you regard a differential as being a gearbox (in which case a normal car has two gear boxes).
The hybrid synergy transmission just consists of a simple differential mechanism surrounded by some very clever electronics. It an example of brilliant engineering - simple but very effective, with very little to go wrong. It combines the efficiency of a mechanical gearbox at high speeds with the high torque and continuously variable characteristics of an electric transmission at low speeds.
Also, can we stop the nonsense about battery durability. Toyota have just retrospectively increased the battery warranty to 8 years/160000KM. (I had a letter from them about it last week). How many other major car components have a warranty like that?