2011 Toyota Prius Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Toyota Prius overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Prius, and includes Toyota Prius safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Completely redesigned for 2010, the Toyota Prius is unchanged for 2011, continuing in five different trim levels available with one of three option packages and your choice of dealer-installed accessories.

Toyota denotes Prius trim levels using Roman numerals. The base model is the Prius I, and it includes air conditioning, a CD player, an auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and push-button starting. Aerodynamically designed 15-inch alloy wheels are standard, and the Prius I offers three driving modes depending on the driver’s preference: Normal, Power, and Eco.

The Prius II trim is more popular, partly because it includes an EV driving mode that allows the Prius to travel at speeds up to 25 mph on battery power alone. Additionally, the Prius II gets a better stereo, cruise control, Smart Key keyless entry for the driver’s door, a rear window wiper, a cargo cover, and Touch Tracer steering wheel controls that initiate a matching display in the instrument panel when touched.

By choosing the Prius III, you’ll get an upgraded JBL audio system with a six-disc CD changer and satellite radio, but perhaps more important, this model comes standard with Bluetooth hands-free calling. The Prius III is also the required model to get the optional Navigation Package with its voice activated, touch screen navigation screen, XM NavTraffic real-time traffic reporting, Bluetooth streaming audio, USB port, iPod connection, and reversing camera. A Solar Roof Package is also offered on the Prius III, and it includes the Navigation Package plus a solar-powered moonroof that supplies juice to an interior ventilation system that keeps the cabin cooler when parked in the sun.

If you’re looking for a dose of luxury, the Prius IV is the model you want. It includes leather, heated front seats, lumbar support for the driver, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, Homelink, and Smart Key entry for all four doors. As befits an upscale model, the Prius IV is equipped with upgraded interior trim, and it’s even got a Plasmacluster air ionizer and purifier as well as water-repellent window glass for the front doors. Options include the Navigation and Solar Roof Packages, and they include one free year of Safety Connect service on the Prius IV.

The Prius V is the top-of-the-line model, identified by its LED auto-leveling headlights with washers, fog lights, and 17-inch alloy wheels. The Prius V is exclusively available with the Advanced Technology Package, which includes the features from the Navigation and Solar Roof Packages along with Intelligent Parking Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and a Pre-Collision System.

What you need to remember about the Prius is that maximizing fuel economy is its reason for being. Straight-line performance, therefore, is merely adequate. A 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission, and a 650-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack electrifies a 60-kilowatt permanent magnet synchronous assist motor to provide electric-only driving at speeds under 25 mph, and to help get the Prius up to speed. The driver can select between four driving modes in most models: Normal, Power, Eco, and EV.

Net output for the system is 134 horsepower, and Toyota claims the Prius accelerates to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds. That is adequate, and nothing more. But the EPA ratings are extraordinary, at 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of 50 mpg. Wow.

Comprehensively equipped with standard safety features, the 2011 Prius includes seven airbags, including a driver knee airbag, to protect occupants in the event of a collision. Added standard equipment is packaged as the Toyota Star Safety System – ABS with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, traction control, and stability control.

Toyota offers several safety-related options on the Prius, but they require purchase of the Prius III, IV, or V models. On the Prius V, the Advanced Technology Package provides Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), a system that maintains a safe distance between the Prius and traffic ahead; a Pre-Collision System that uses information from the DRCC to determine if a crash is about to occur and then prepares the safety systems for a collision; and Lane Keep Assist, which helps the driver to keep the Prius within marked lanes. Additionally, a reversing camera is included in the Navigation Package on Prius III, IV, and V models, and Safety Connect service with automatic collision notification, an SOS emergency assist button, and one free year of roadside assistance is included on the Prius IV and V.

For 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) modified its crash-test procedures, and the government agency has not re-tested the Prius as this review is written, so we cannot comment on how it fares in the NHTSA program. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, however, gives the Prius its top rating of Good in the offset frontal, side, and rear crash protection measures.

Based on predictions from J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports, the 2011 Prius should provide dependability that is a little bit better than average.

Vehix test-drove a 2011 Toyota Prius III with the Navigation and Solar Roof option packages, a car with a sticker price north of $29,000. That sounds expensive, but we think the Prius is worth every penny, and here’s why.

For a moment, forget that this is a hybrid car designed to get extraordinary fuel economy. What you have is a midsize, five-door hatchback loaded with technology for just a little bit more than what the average American pays for the average car. Now, consider that we got better than 40 mpg, driving in Normal mode in a mountainous region of Los Angeles, without even trying. Amazing.

Starting with the interior, there’s plenty of room for five adults. We toted a toddler, a baby, and a full-size stroller without problem. And because the Prius is a hatchback design with a folding rear seat, there’s plenty of cargo room when you need it. Plus, the seats are comfortable front and rear. If there’s anything we didn’t like about the Prius’s cabin, it was the inexpensive look and feel of the plastics, and displays that didn’t quite match the sophistication of the technology powering the car.

As for the driving experience, the Prius is disappointing if you’re expecting anything more than excellent fuel economy. In particular, the numb and artificial steering; the grabby regenerative brakes; the hard compound, low rolling resistance tires; and a suspension that seems to struggle to manage the Prius’s ride motions contribute to inferior driving dynamics. We’ve driven other hybrid models that don’t exhibit these shortcomings, so we assume Toyota can fix it.

The 2011 Toyota Prius is built for a very specific kind of driver: one who just wants maximum fuel economy combined with maximum utility and minimum emissions. There’s really no other reason to recommend it. Fortunately for Toyota, the volatility in fuel prices, rising consumer awareness of the individual’s impact on the environment, and the fact that many people view a car as an appliance all play in its favor. Besides, getting more than 40 mpg without trying is undeniably compelling.

By Christian Wardlaw