2012 Toyota Prius Buying Advice Hybrid

Styling: The 2012 Toyota Prius styling won’t change. It’ll retain the look Toyota introduced with the model-year 2010 Prius, which 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. 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.

Mechanical: The 2012 Toyota Prius 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, Prius can move 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 nickel-metal hydride battery; there’s no plug-in capability and range is determined principally by how much gas is in the tank. The 2012 Prius will compete with two high-profile rivals, the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle (EV), and the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid. Both are four-door hatchbacks similar in size to the Toyota. 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 never actually is propelled by its gas engine. These competitors, along with planned EVs from Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Mini, and others, are designed to use less gas and emit even fewer emissions than the Hybrid Synergy Drive Prius. But they’re likely to cost more and their new technology comes with questions about recharging, range, and performance. Significantly, Toyota also plans to supplement the Prius lineup during calendar 2012 with a plug-in model designed to drive longer on electricity alone than currently possible with Hybrid Synergy Drive. Based on extensive test drives of the current version of the 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 – five are in this generation’s catalog so far – 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.

Prices for the 2012 Toyota Prius won’t be announced until shortly before the car goes on sale. However, the third generation’s pricing history thus far suggests a base price range of roughly $22,000-$29,000. (Base prices in this review include the manufacturer’s mandated destination fee; Toyota’s destination fee for its 2011 cars was $750. Toyotas sold in some Southeastern states may carry different destination fees.)

If Toyota continues with five trim levels for the 2012 Prius expect them to be labeled Prius I through Prius V.

At an estimated $22,000, the entry-level 2012 Toyota Prius I would return as essentially a stripper counterpunch to the smaller, less powerful and less fuel-efficient Honda Insight hybrid. The 2012 Toyota Prius II would be priced from around $23,000 and likely continue to add such features as cruise control, steering-wheel buttons to cycle various dashboard displays, and selectable hybrid modes that allow the driver to favor acceleration or economy. Estimate the 2012 Prius III at around $25,000 to start; it should continue with audio and Bluetooth upgrades and has been the level at which the navigation and Solar Roof options become available.

Leather upholstery, heated front seats, and automatic climate control have been the province of the Prius IV, which would start at an estimated $27,500 for 2012. Figure $29,000 or so as the base price for the 2012 Prius V model. This top-line Prius has sported such features as 17-inch wheels (versus 15s on other models) and has been the only model that could be ordered with the Advanced Technology Package.

Availability and precise content of various packages could change, but Toyota has been charging around $1,800 for the navigation system, around $3,600 for the Solar Roof Package, and around $4,500 for the Advanced Technology Package. A fully optioned 2012 Prius V could list for around $34,000.

EPA estimates for 2012 models were not released in time for this review, but 2012 Toyota Prius fuel-mileage ratings should not change from those established at the start of this design generation. That suggests ratings of 51/48 mpg (city/highway), which have been the highest of any car sold in the U.S.

That the city mileage rating is higher than the highway rating shows that Prius’s hybrid system is most efficient in low-speed, city driving. There, it can run exclusively on electric power and can best utilize its engine stop-start feature. The Prius uses 87-octane gas.

The 2012 Toyota Prius should be in showrooms by fall 2011.

Minor styling revisions around model-year 2013 would be the next visual alteration for this third-generation Prius. Toyota would be remiss if before then it has not added to the car’s features such modern necessities as USB connectivity for iPods and other digital audio devices.

The plug-in Prius model won’t be offered for full-scale public sale until after Toyota concludes a research stage that has put about 150 test examples in the hands of selected fleets and private individuals. Plug-in capability conserves gasoline by enabling a hybrid to run longer on battery power, delaying operation of the gas engine. Like pure-electric vehicles, plug-ins would be charged from residential outlets or from stronger commercial-grade connections.

Though manufacturers of EVs and plug-ins differ on how long it would take to fully charge a battery pack, some experts say it could take five hours or more. The larger issue is development of a recharging infrastructure that would make outlets widely available in public locations. Another hurdle is development of advanced lithium ion batteries, which have not been fully proven for automotive use. Finally, EVs and plug-in hybrids are likely to cost more than “conventional” gas-electric hybrids. Early estimates place the base price of the plug-in Chevy Volt at around $40,000 and the Nissan Leaf EV at $25,000-$30,000, though federal tax credits could reduce their purchase price by some $7,500.