Overview & Reviews

The 2012 Toyota Prius gets slightly different styling cues along with additional standard infotainment features and the availability of power front seats and Toyota's Entune suite of smartphone and Internet integration features. A new Plus Performance accessory package lends the Prius sharper handling and a sportier, more aerodynamic exterior.

• Strong safety scores.
• Comfortable ride
• Abundant backseat room
• Available high-tech luxury goodies
• Superior fuel economy
• Spacious cargo area

• Excessive road noise
• Awkward driving position
• Overly busy gauge cluster.
• Disappointing interior materials

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 46.00

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  Getting to know you..all about you - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By rwinga - April 6 - 2:12 pm

  Ive had the Prius Three for about a month and it is the first hybrid car Ive owned. Theres been a bit of a learning curve as to how the unit operates, what works in driving it and what doesnt. While not a sports car, I think the handling of the Prius is under rated. Its not glued to the rails so to speak but handles far better than many other cars from my past, especially the crossovers and SUVs. The vision outward is a bit of a challenge, especially in the early days but Ive since gotten used to the sharp angles and have come to rely on the side view mirrors more than on most any other car Ive owned. So far, so good. The joystick gear changer is OK but too cute.

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  Be sure this is what you want - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By unixfreak0037 - June 13 - 1:29 pm

  I was pretty excited when we first bought this car. Now that the hybrid novelty has worn off I realize what this is really is -- its a decent family car that gets really good gas mileage. It is essentially the mini-van for small families. So be sure this is what you want. Its pretty boring to drive, and the cheap seats (in the base model) are not all that comfortable for long trips. The engine gets loud on hills, the the noise on poorly maintained roads at high speeds can be unbearable.

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  Great Car for if You Want MPG - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By notch8 - April 17 - 12:27 pm

  I got the 2012 Prius IV after trading in my fully loaded 2005 Prius with 200,000 miles. The 2005 still drove like new and was a solid vehicle. Im a little disappointed with the 2012. It feels and sounds less well built than the 2005 and I miss the little storage areas and layout of the interior on the 2005. But I bought the Prius for good MPG and thats where it satisfies. I drive about 95% highway miles carrying about 100 pounds of cargo and Im getting actual calculated mileage just shy of 49 after 17,000 miles. My 2005 averaged just under 44 but that included several Wisconsin winters that cuts into the MPG. Overall Im satisfied. It does just fine for what I expect.

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  as advertised, and a bit better. - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By Sam - September 11 - 5:30 am

  Bought a 2012 Prius 6 months ago, and Ive put about 8000 miles on it. Observations: Very good in bad weather. Its heavy, with a 4 cyl engine, electric motor, and battery pack over the rear wheels. Stable. Driving on hilly roads with sleet coming down and cars going off left and right, I never lost grip. Felt very secure. Wife drives a Nissan Pathfinder, and the Prius is better on snow (less clearance, of course). Theres a BIG difference in MPG if you drive 65 or 75. I can average over 50 on my 45 mile highway commute (rather hilly) if I drive 65. I average perhaps 40 if I drive much over 70. The Prius is much louder at higher speeds. At 65, its not too loud, and its pretty peaceful. The car has a decent JBL stereo, and it covers up the noise. Speed up another 10 miles an hour, and the road noise and wind noise is significant. Headache loud. So, if you are willing to drive 65 and get passed a lot, the car will treat you better. And I timed it, by the way: I save about 3-5 minutes by going 10 miles an hour faster, on average. Not worth it, to me. Goes up hills much easier than I thought it would. Not at all gutsy, but gets the job done. Engine drones in most unpleasant manner under hard acceleration . . . almost as if Toyota purposefully tuned it to sound ugly so as to encourage me to not floor it. MPG is as advertised, around 50. In town, if I drive carefully, I can get much more--up to 70. Then, though, Im probably irritating people behind me. But its fun to try to keep the gas engine off for as much as possible. 6 months later, all is still good. Boring, now that the novelty has worn off, but still getting over 50 mpg. My gas savings is enough to make 80% of the payment. Couple of years have passed. No reliability issues. 50k miles. Boring car, but still getting about 48 mpg on hilly commute.

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  fuel economy is misleading - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By prius2012owner - August 20 - 10:02 am

  I was buying this model in February-March 2012, when neither diller, no Toyota website had the 2012 model description. I was told that the model is exactly as 2011. It turned out that theres single difference - parking assist was removed from 2012 model. Huge, huge disappointment! Another minus is that Toyota, looks like intentionally!, overstates fuel economy. The car does regularly show 49 to 51 overall mpg, but the number is always (I mean ALWAYS) 2-2.5 mpg higher than reality (miles driven/number of galons filled in). At 60mph the car shows speed 2mph higher than external GPSes. May be related to the previous. Tires are bad, very noisy on hwy. Hwy mpg is only about 40 at 70-75mph.

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  Love it for what it is - No regrets! - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By boeserkritiker - April 3 - 5:47 pm

  The seat fabric is cheap. Not sure how it will hold up. The clove box seems to rattle a little sometimes. But other than that it seems like a fine built car and a great deal for what you get and being a hybrid. Paid 23k OTD. Average 56.5 miles per computer, calculated 2 miles less. I accelerate and slow down smoothly and stick to speed limit. Its not a sports car but I love it for what it is. It should be cheaper in the long run than another compact car if the hybrid system doesnt cause additional expensive repairs and comes with more features. The off-center gauge cluster doesnt bother me. the speed, etc is actually easier to read being much higher up than standard clusters.

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  its always been about the environment, not your wallet - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By whcc90069 - November 16 - 1:35 pm

  bought the package 4 not long ago. it took a while to get accustomed to the "park" button, the "gear" selector, and the complicated instrumentation display. the car is fairly quiet, though, i remember riding in a 2nd generation prius which seemed better at taking care of road noise. i drove it from l.a. to phoenix and had no problems accelerating up hills. with the a/c running, i averaged 50.9 mpg throughout the entire 780 mile round trip. the seats are comfortable and theres plenty of legroom for everyone. toyota made the prius because of their (mis)interpretation of calif. air quality standards way back when. the low emissions are great, and, the high MPGs are an added bonus.

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  4 month unpdate - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By boeserkritiker - October 30 - 9:00 am

  previously mentioned Bluetooth connectivity issues had to do with the phone, not the car. I basically want to give a mpg update. it really does not seem to make a whole lot of a difference trying to specifically drive in a max. saving manner or just go with the flow. I tried both and you get somewhere around +/-54mpg per computer in mixed driving. just dont have a heavy foot. trying to squeeze out one or two more mpgs really makes you the slowest on the road. the two best tips I have is leave as much as possible to the cruise control. the computer seems to do the most efficient choices. and forget the eco mode button. i drive a lot in slightly hilly areas and the small engine really

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  Pleasantly surprised with the 2012 over the 2011 - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By chipl - September 4 - 8:18 pm

  Was bargain shopping for a 2011 at a Tysons VA dealer last week. They dissed me on the trade and said to take it to Carmax for the trade. So headed to Laurel MD and glad I did! The 2012 is so much nicer inside than the 2011. Add to that $3900 better on my trade-in! Things people complain about, road noise, the stereo, and such - just arent there in my opinion. The ride/noise is as nice as my old 2003 Baja, maybe better at times except under very hard acceleration. Loving the CVT transmission, such smooth driving; but find myself needing to watch the speedometer more to be sure I am not speeding.

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  Rock solid reliability - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By ripdaddy - November 27 - 12:46 pm

  I was a bit concerned with the added complication of hybrid technology. But historically the Prius has been one of most reliable cars on the road. Ive never see mention of battery pack failure and they seem to last far beyond their guaranteed life span. I enjoy driving the car. The steering wheel is a bit of a reach even with the telescoping column. I cannot get the seats situated where I can spend an extended time driving. Im 61" but because of the steeply raked windshield I have to position the seatback rearward before I can comfortably see under the top edge of the windshield. The pressure on my tailbone quickly becomes uncomfortable. Id still buy a Prius again, though.