CVT doesn't seem to shift?

That's the way it sounds but its not really over reving. Its a planetary gear system and has no gear shifting.
Normal. You really have to floor it to experience what your posting anyway.

 

CVT's don't shift. Yeah, it's weird at first. The Prius is the second vehicle I've owned with a CVT. When you step on the go pedal, the engine sounds are definitely not "normal"

 

I'm confused. Do you have an 01 Prius to compare with? That's what your profile says.

 

Hi Dody. It may just have been your expectations, or it may have been due to a low state of charge (SOC) of the Prius.

Something I've found a little unusual about the Prius compared to a conventional car is that how "peppy" it is to drive tends to change with SOC. At low SOC you definitely notice the performance a little more sluggish and the engine working a bit harder. Usually this is only a temporary situation, but if the traction battery is faulty or badly weakened then it could be like that all the time.

 

technically you can "shift" in the prius if you got a scangauge to see the rpm

say you press the pedal (60% of throttle) rpms would say be like at 2500 rpm

then when you reach your desired speed you lift ever so gentle lets say 40% throttle and rpms would drop to 2100 rpm (Instant FE will display this too... increasing mileage during the shift)

there's your shift

but above poster is correct the RPMs will vary depending on SOC ...below 55% rpms will be 500 rpms higher on average to compensate to charge the battery, once above 58% rpms will reduce to save gas. 60% is the sweet spot for normal operation