2011 Toyota Prius Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Toyota Prius Review and Pricing
2010 Toyota Prius Review and Pricing
2009 Toyota Prius Quote

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Toyota Prius is the best car for you if you want the most fuel-efficient hybrid on the road -- and aren’t self-conscious about it.

• The 2011 Prius will be a virtual rerun of the 2010 Toyota Prius. It’ll retain its 50-plus-mpg rating and innovative options such as a solar-powered ventilation system. The 2011 Prius represents the third-generation version of the world’s most recognizable hybrid. Following a full redesign for model-year 2010, Prius is larger, more powerful, and more fuel-efficient than the second-generation 2004-2009 model. And it remains the world’s best-selling hybrid by far.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Toyota Prius or buy a 2010 Toyota Prius? Little reason to wait. The car’s core values of fuel economy and high-tech wrapped in a futuristic four-door-hatchback body won’t change. And 2011 Toyota Prius retail prices, certain to escalate because of normal annual increases, could become skyrocketing transaction prices if the cost of gasoline spikes.

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Toyota Prius styling won’t change. It’ll remain a highly aerodynamic five-passenger car with a low hood, radically swept-back windshield, arching roofline, and tall tail. Prius has compact-car exterior dimensions but enough interior room to qualify as a midsize car under federal standards. Its high ceiling creates large doorways and chair-like seating with plenty of head room. Wide front buckets accommodate those who shop the big-and-tall store, though only the optional leather seats, with their adjustable lumbar bolstering, provide good lower-back support. Rear seaters have generous knee and toe space, but the bench isn’t quite wide enough to hold three adults in comfort. All dashboard gauges are digital and are mounted centrally atop the instrument panel rather than in front of the driver; it takes some getting used to. The hatchback opening is large and folding the rear seatbacks creates a flat, carpeted surface. But the load floor is rather high, so cargo volume is less than in most similarly sized hatchbacks. A small bin beneath the cargo floor compensates some. Small-items interior storage isn’t generous; only the front doors have map pockets, for example, and they’re really just cup holders.

• Mechanical: The 2011 Toyota Prius uses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive System, which allows it to move at around-town speeds on electric power alone. Sensors decide when to employ engine power or a combination of gas and electric propulsion: the goal is to efficiently balance acceleration and economy. The gas engine is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder. Two small electric motors are powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries. Combined output is 134 horsepower. Prius uses a continuously variable transmission, which acts like an automatic transmission but employs infinite ratios rather than preset gearing. Hybrid Synergy Drive uses the engine and regenerative braking to recharge itself; there’s no plug-in capability. With the batteries sufficiently charged, the system can further save gas by automatically shutting off the engine and restarting it while the car is stopped. Dashboard buttons allow the driver to activate three power modes: EV-Drive to tap battery power alone at low speeds for about a mile; Power for sportier throttle response; and Eco for best mileage. Despite slightly languid acceleration off the line, Prius easily keeps up with fast-moving traffic. Highway-speed passing maneuvers are stress-free, though EV-Drive and Eco modes put a real damper on performance. Prius has a nose-heavy handling balance and a numb, disassociated feel to its electric steering. Both are drawbacks to competent cornering; even straight-line tracking seems compromised by the steering’s artificiality. Engine start-stop is unobtrusive, ride quality is good, and noise well-muffled. Burnishing the point that this is no ordinary car is the unorthodox view through the radically raked windshield and over the long dashboard top. To the rear, the hatchback’s combination of angled and vertical glass panels proves obstructing.   

• Features: The Solar Roof Package combines a power sliding glass moonroof with solar panels. It can collect enough energy to run an air-circulation fan while the car is parked, thereby reducing air-conditioning loads. The Advance Technology Package includes Dynamic Cruise Control to maintain a set distance from traffic ahead; Intelligent Park Assist that automatically backs the Prius into a parallel parking space; Lane Keep Assist that steers the car back into the intended highway lane; and Pre-Collision that cinches seatbelts and pre-applies the brakes in an impending crash. The Navigation Package option includes voice recognition, a rearview camera, and Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity. Prius’s cabin design is efficient and modern. It’s nicely assembled from high-quality materials. Most controls are logically arrayed. The digital instrumentation is comprehensively displays real-time gas-electric power flow and various fuel-consumption data. But its central dashtop placement isn’t ideal, some of its graphics are too small or poorly lit, and, oddly, there’s no readout for instantaneous fuel economy. The navigation system is excellent, with a big, clear screen and sensitive voice-recognition software that can search for restaurants and stores by brand name.

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS PRICES

• The 2011 Toyota Prius prices will be announced shortly before the car goes on sale but are not expected to rise significantly from 2010 levels.(Prices listed in this review include the manufacturer’s mandated destination fee; Toyota’s destination fee for Prius was $750 for 2010.)

• Five trim levels should return, labeled Prius I through Prius V. Based on 2010 prices, expect the 2011 Prius price range to be around $21,995-$28,300, with a fully optioned 2010 Prius V listing for around $32,800.

• The Toyota Prius I is essentially a stripped model aimed at stealing the limelight from the Honda Insight, a smaller, less-powerful hybrid that debuted for 2010 to much fanfare with a base price of $20,510. Expect the 2011 Toyota Prius I to be priced around $21,995.

• To get such features as the EV Mode, cruise control, and steering-wheel buttons for the multi-information display, you’ll need to move up to the 2011 Toyota Prius II at around $23,000. You’ll need about $24,000 to get into the 2011 Toyota Prius III with its standard JBL audio system and Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity. Eligibility for the optional navigation system, at around $1,800, and the Solar Roof Package, around $3,600, begins with the Prius III.

• The 2011 Toyota Prius IV should be priced around $26,800 and again come with leather upholstery, heated front seats, and automatic climate control. Priced around $28,300, the 2011 Toyota Prius V will include 17-inch alloy wheels (versus other model’s 15-inch wheels) and self-leveling headlamps with energy-saving Light Emitting Diode (LED) illumination. For 2010, the Prius V was the only model that could be ordered with the Advanced Technology Package, which cost around $4,500.

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA estimates for 2011 models were not released in time for this review, but 2011 Toyota Prius fuel-mileage ratings should not change from those of the 2010 model. That means ratings of 51/48 mpg (city/highway), the highest of any car sold in the U.S. The higher city number reveals that Toyota’s hybrid system is most efficient in low-speed, city driving, where it can run exclusively on electric power and can utilize its engine stop-start feature. The Prius uses 87-octane gas.

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Toyota Prius should be in showrooms by late spring 2009.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TOYOTA PRIUS

• Don’t expect major changes to the Prius for several years, though adjustments to existing systems and introduction of USB connectivity for iPods and other digital audio devices are likely updates.

• The next frontier in hybrid technology is plug-in capability. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is on schedule to be the first widely available plug-in hybrid. Toyota has not committed to retail sale of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, but does plan to release 150 experimental plug-in Priuses by the end of 2010. They would be available primarily to government and corporate fleets in the U.S.

• Plug-in capability saves gas by extending a hybrid’s range on electricity alone. Charging from residential outlets or from stronger commercial-grade connections enable a plug-in hybrid to run longer on battery power and delay running the engine. A full charge could take five hours or more. Plug-in systems depend on advanced lithium ion batteries, which have not been proven for automotive use.

2011 TOYOTA PRIUS COMPETITION

• Honda Insight: Honda takes a simpler approach to the dedicated hybrid with the Insight, a four-door hatchback that looks something like the Prius, but is smaller inside and out. The Insight hybrid system is less-expensive than Prius’s, but also less-expensive. It delivers fuel-economy ratings of 40/43 mpg. With just 98 horsepower, the Insight is slower than the Prius, and noisier and less luxurious as well. It does feel sportier on the road, but like Prius, suffers an electric steering system with overly artificial response. Insight prices start around $20,500 and top out around $24,000 for the navigation-system model. No changes are planned for several years.

• Ford Fusion Hybrid: Insight’s really a compact car we count among Prius competitors because it’s a dedicated hybrid with obvious green-car styling. But some environmentally conscious shoppers are content with hybrids that don’t look much different from the conventional models on which they’re based. If that’s you, check out the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Like the Prius, it’s a four-door car with midsize dimensions, though in an ordinary if pleasantly styled sedan body. The hybrid system is state of the art, rating an impressive 41/36 mpg and generating 191 horsepower for a truly lively acceleration. And handling is much better than that of the Prius or Insight. Prices start around $28,500, but the Fusion Hybrid and its Mercury Milan Hybrid sibling deliver lots of substance, efficiency, and driving satisfaction. They won’t change for several years.

• Toyota Camry Hybrid: Stroll across the Toyota showroom to the gas-electric version of the automaker’s capable, comfortable, and roomy midsize sedan. It doesn’t shout “hybrid,” but there are no ergonomic quirks or design flourishes to get used to, either. The Camry Hybrid moves along quite nicely on 187 horsepower and rates a laudable 33/34 mpg. Prices start just under $27,000, and you get a highly refined five-passenger four-door that, like all Camrys for 2010, was freshened in preparation for a full model-year 2012 redesign.