By Mark Elias
Friday, Jun 10th, 2011 @ 11:45 am

Not content to rest on their laurels of hybridization, Toyota continues to expand its Prius line. With the introduction of the 2012 Prius V, Toyota has a larger capacity model on offer that could be considered part station wagon or part crossover vehicle. We say yes to both.

And don’t call it the Prius Five. That’s Prius Vee, as in versatility.

Well, what is it?
From the start, the new Prius V is a hybrid in the same sense that the previous model was, as well. Boasting a 20-percent decrease in weight, the car has been on a diet with a curb weight of 3,274 lbs. Although the Prius V is three inches longer, and three inches taller than the standard Prius, the two vehicles share the same drivetrain. From there, the V features a taller greenhouse and more usable space behind the rear seats through a swing-up cargo door.

Aerodynamics, as before, play a big role with the Prius. Headlamps feature fins, which help to channel air over the top while the front airdam channels air cleanly around the side. There’s a standard functional rear spoiler for downforce and curbing of turbulence, which in the end hampers high miles-per-gallon pursuits. Speaking of miles per gallon, EPA says to expect 44 city, 40 highway, with a combined average of 42 mpg.

Some markets will get Vs with room for seven, but the North American model (thankfully) only has seating for five. We’ve seen that third row on trips across the pond and we can report back that it’s tiny.

In the United States, Prius V will be offered in three trim levels: Prius V Two, Prius V Three and the topper of all the toppers, the Prius V Five. Toyota isn’t very good with counting, apparently.

The field of alternative–fueled vehicles continues to grow daily. Current contenders include the Nissan Leaf, the Honda Insight, the Chevrolet Volt, and even its own stablemates, the limited availability Prius Plug-in and the traditional Prius. And these are just models that have some approximation to being a hatchback.

Getting spacey
The V features movable rear seats on tracks, which slide forward and back, as well as recline and fold forward. With a 60/40 split, all sorts of variations are possible. There is 34.3 cubic ft. of cargo space with the rear seats up. Toyota says that’s 80 percent more than found in its competition. Fold them down and that space jumps to 67.3 cubic-ft. That compares with 21.6 cu-ft. with the seats up, and 39.6 cubic ft. with them folded down in the standard Prius. Admittedly, the normal Prius isn’t much of a cargo hauler – something buyers have mentioned since day one.

Also new on the inside is SofTex synthetic leather, in addition to two different colors of fabric seat covers. The SofTex actually managed to keep us cool despite the mid-90s temperatures going on outside the vehicle. The Prius V is available in a choice of six exterior colors and three interior choices.

The interior layout of the Prius V carries many familiar cues. One of the most identifiable is the center mounted control pod, which is a LCD screen positioned at the top center of what would be considered the traditional dashboard. As before, there are no gauges to look at through the steering wheel like in a conventional vehicle.

That steering wheel, by the way, is equipped with all the redundant switches and buttons that you would find on most any other car. Bluetooth, check. Audio, ditto. Even the climate control has redundancy here. The center stack houses the push-button start and “push to park” button as well. A fly-by-wire gear selector is there to select drive, reverse and neutral. Move the spring-loaded lever into the appropriate gate and you are good to go forward, reverse or not at all.

A 6.1-inch monitor is standard with the base six-speaker audio system. Also including an integrated backup camera, it offers a new value-driven navigation system that is also the connection point for Toyota’s brand new Entune multimedia system. Using an Android or iPhone, it interfaces with Microsoft’s Bing search engine, OpenTable and Movietickets.com as well as Pandora and iheartradio. Simple to operate, it might well be the best infotainment system on the market today.

Looking up will bring the available panoramic view moonroof into, uh, view. A non-opening feature, it is made of resin similar to what is known as Lexan, and is 40 percent lighter than comparable moonroofs made of traditional glass material. Although you can’t argue with weight reductions, our main concern is whether it will maintain its crystal-clear look over time or will it transform into the yellowed look that occurs on many headlamp lenses from vehicles of various manufacturers. An improved electric cooling system helps to keep the larger interior cooler without engaging the gas motor.

Motivating matters
The Prius V uses the same Hybrid Synergy Drive 1.8-liter, 98-horsepower Atkinson cycle engine and 80-horsepower Motor Generator 2 AC synchronous motor found in the conventional Prius, for a combined measure of 134 net horsepower. Torque from the gas engine checks in at 105 lb-ft., while the electric motor cranks out 153 lb-ft. of twist. The nickel-metal hydride battery set is carryover as well, but with improved cooling this time around.

The Prius V sports a zero to 60 mph time of 10.4 seconds. You are not going to win many races, but the 103-mph top end is about as fast as most would like to go. And the bottom line is to save fuel and, by extension, money.

Driving in the “V” is a controlled exercise of good sense and restraint. If you were looking for the hot rod in the fleet, you better be checking out the Prius’s corporate cousin, the $375,000 Lexus LF-A. But the reality is if you can afford that set of wheels, then fuel prices were never much of an issue for you in the first place.

Your right foot is greeted by a rather tall-ish tip in, meaning you’ll be pressing the skinny pedal hard when getting up to highway speeds. That was before we discovered the Power button on the console-mounted mode selector switch, which optimized throttle response for hills, mountains and other inclines. City driving, on the other hand, is quick and sure as the electric MG2 offers instant torque delivery on demand. Other choices on the mode selector include the EV (totally electric mode) and ECO mode, which prioritizes fuel economy first through throttle management and climate control monitoring.

The ride from the MacPherson strutted front and torsion beam rear suspension was one that, while not encouraging you to cut the apex of a turn, allowed for a sure-footed tromp through the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina. We found ourselves conscious of the higher-than-before center of gravity, which caused us to exercise prudence during our attempts at spirited driving.

The electric power-assisted steering offered decent road feel and brakes pulled us under control in rapid fashion. Pitch and bounce control is a new technology to take care of the more challenging (read: wavy) roads a Prius owner may encounter by measuring wheel speed to increase or decrease engine torque to smooth out the ride. We actually felt less of a bounce until we managed to hit a “seen at the last second” pothole that was unavoidable.

Sporty it is not, but the Prius V is remarkably capable and comfortable, improving on almost everything that made the original Prius a bit of a compromise for many drivers.

Leftlane’s bottom line
The Prius has always been the sort of car with an asterisk after its name. That’s not to discount it or the Highlander Hybrid or others of its ilk in the lineup, as they are viable vehicles.

With the added space and versatility of the Prius V, Toyota has essentially removed the gimmick factor to make a family hauler with enough room for some real luggage. And that’s something that will undoubtedly strike a chord with plenty of buyers, even if fuel economy and driving dynamics take a back seat to its essential Priusness when it goes on sale this fall as a 2012.

2012 Toyota Prius V price TBD.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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