2021 XLE- New owner impressions, 1st hybrid, Pro's and Con's

Have new 2021 XLE (my name identifier says 2020 because it doesn't go to 2021 yet) and am impressed with many things for such a reasonably priced car.
Pro's
-can someone explain how it transitions between battery and gas motor so smoothly? Can't have a normal starter?
-seats are comfortable and it rides well
-tech works well, speakers sound good
-plenty of storage especially with seats down
-great visibility
-of course awesome gas mileage, I find myself driving carefully to see how much I can squeek out, last 25 mile trip averaged 61.1 mpg
-despite some critics, I like how it looks, we have the Sea Glass Pearl color with black interior
Con's
-not as quiet as I'd hoped, especially at highway speeds, which I'll be doing a lot. Has anybody experimented with more sound deadening, or used a product like Dynamat?
-too much shiny black plastic, makes it look cheap, hard to keep clean
-don't like all the noises it makes, but will be buying a Carista, can it eliminate the noise it makes when only running on electric? I guess there's a new law regulating that?

 

thought of one more con; Qi charging doesn't work on our phones because we have cases (though works in house with different Qi charger), bummer, was looking forward to that feature, but it would be a hassle to take the case off each time, cord will work.