2012 Toyota Prius Review and Prices

Styling: The styling of the regular 2012 Toyota Prius models isn’t likely to change, though aerodynamic tricks proven by the fleet of demonstration plug-in versions could subtly alter the looks of all 2012 models. What won’t change is the basic profile Toyota introduced with the model-year 2010 Prius.

That car launched the third generation of the world’s bestselling and most recognizable hybrid. Today’s Prius is larger and more powerful than the 2004-2009 second-generation model. This five-passenger four-door hatchback is sized like a compact car but nearly as roomy as a midsize car. And with almost 40 cubic feet of cargo volume, it’s as versatile as a small station wagon.

Aerodynamics set the styling theme. For the driver, however, the radically laid-back windshield creates a sense of disassociation from the road ahead. And the horizontal bar that separates the steeply sloped rear window from the vertical glass panel below is an annoying obstruction to visibility. But a tall ceiling creates large doorways and chair-like seating with plenty of head room front and rear. Despite being federally classified as a midsize car based on overall interior dimensions, Prius isn’t quite wide enough for three adults to fit comfortably in the rear seat. With two aboard, there’s plenty of knee and toe space.

Prius’s cabin design is as futuristic as its exterior styling and is nicely assembled from high-quality materials. Most controls are logically arrayed, but the all-digital instrumentation’s location atop the central portion of the dashboard -- rather than in front of the driver -- takes getting used to. There’s a generous 21.4 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and 39.6 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded to form a flat, carpeted surface. The hatchback opening is large, but the load floor itself is rather high, so hoisting heavy objects aboard isn’t as convenient as it might be. There’s a small bin beneath the cargo floor, but small-items storage space is stingy; only the front doors have map pockets, for example, and they’re essentially cup holders.

The core of the 2012 Prius lineup will again be four models labeled, with little pretense, Prius Two through Prius Five. When Toyota launched this third-generation Prius as a 2010 model it promised a lower-cost, entry-level Prius One, though the car hadn’t materialized as of mid-model-year 2011. Toyota has informally described the plug-in as the Prius PHV, for plug-in vehicle, though whether it would be offered as a single model or available in various trim levels was unknown at the time of this review.

Mechanical: The 2012 Toyota Prius – as a carryover or as the PHV -- will continue to employ a combination of gasoline and electric power. Toyota calls the system Hybrid Synergy Drive. It draws on either power source individually or both in combination, automatically mixing and matching to balance the demand for acceleration with the goal of conserving fuel. The gas engine will again be a 1.8-liter four-cylinder. It’ll team with two small electric motors that draw power from onboard nickel-metal hydride batteries. Expect combined output to remain at 134 horsepower.

Battery charge permitting, the carryover Prius will be capable of moving at around-town speeds on electric power alone and can further save gas by automatically shutting off the engine while the car is stopped; it restarts when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal. Hybrid Synergy Drive uses the engine and regenerative braking to recharge the onboard battery pack. In the carryover 2012 Prius, that energy-storage system will continue to employ nickel-metal hydride batteries. There will be no plug-in capability and range is determined principally by how much gas is in the tank.

By contrast, the 2012 Toyota Prius PHV will expand Hybrid Synergy Drive technology via a lithium-ion battery that enables all-electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than the conventional Prius hybrid. Lithium-ion batteries are the next advance in gas-electric automobile systems principally because they’re more compact than nickel-metal batteries and can better satisfy the large swings in charging and discharging demanded by plug-in and pure-electric vehicles. Lithium ion batteries are actually less expensive than nickel-metal batteries in terms of materials but more expensive in terms of production costs.  

The 2012 Prius PHV will come with a cord that plugs into a household-type 120-volt connector and takes approximately three hours to fully charge. Fully charged, it’s targeted for a maximum electric-only range of approximately 13 miles and a top speed of around 60 mph in electric-only mode.  For longer distances, the Prius PHV reverts to “hybrid mode” and operates like a regular Prius.

Toyota points out that this ability to utilize all-electric power for short trips or hybrid power for longer drives alleviates the issue of limited cruising range encountered with pure electric vehicles such as the 2011 Nissan Leaf. In essence, the Prius PHV will operate more like the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.

Both the Leaf and Volt are front-wheel-drive four-door hatchbacks with less passenger space and cargo room than the Prius. The Leaf has no gas engine and relies solely on plug-in charging. Nissan says it can travel 100 miles on a full charge and that a dedicated connection can restore battery charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes. The Volt, by contrast, uses plug-in charging to travel up to 40 miles on electricity alone, then starts a small onboard gas engine as a generator to sustain battery power. Unlike the Prius, the Volt is propelled by its gas engine only as an assist over 70 mph when the batteries are depleted.

The Prius Based on extensive test drives of the conventional Prius, we can report performance that’s sufficient for any driving need, though acceleration from a stop can be lazy, steering feel is artificial, and handling is by no means sporty.

Features: The 2012 Prius will return with multiple trim levels and Toyota is more likely to shuffle combinations of existing features than introduce significant new ones. That’s partly because there isn’t a whole lot to add to an equipment list already brimming with creative technology, including solar-charged climate control, self-parking, and lane-wander compensation.

Among these notables, the Solar Roof Package embeds solar panels in a power sliding glass moonroof. They power a circulation fan while the car is parked, thereby reducing gas-chugging cool-down loads on the air conditioner.

The Advance Technology Package is comprised of four features: Dynamic Cruise Control to maintain a set distance from traffic ahead; Intelligent Park Assist to automatically back Prius into a parallel parking space; Lane Keep Assist to steer it back into the intended highway lane; and Pre-Collision to cinch seatbelts and pre-apply the brakes when a crash is imminent.

The optional Navigation Package includes voice recognition, a rearview camera, and Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity.

By the time the 2012 Prius is ready for sale, Toyota could rethink some options combinations – making the Solar Roof Package available in combination with the Advanced Technology Package, for instance. It won’t redesign the dashboard to move the main instrumentation to a more conventional place in front of the driver. But it ought to find a way to enlarge or brighten some of the digital graphics, and it certainly should install a readout for instantaneous fuel economy. No need to fool with the outstanding navigation system: its screen is large and crisp and its perceptive voice-recognition software can search restaurants and stores by brand name.