2012 Toyota Prius V, 2012 Prius Plug-in Priced at $26,400 and $32,000

Toyota has priced its 2012 Prius V and 2012 Prius Plug-in at $26,400 and $32,000, respectively, excluding a $760 destination charge.

The Prius V, which will go on sale in October, will come in three trims: Prius V Two, Prius V Three and Prius V Five.

The base Prius V Two costs $26,400 and comes with a 6.1-inch display screen and integrated backup camera, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, 16-inch alloy wheels and a passive entry system. The Prius V Three adds navigation and Toyota’s new Entune multimedia system for $27,165. The Prius V Five adds SofTex upholstery (a leather-like upholstery as durable as cloth, Toyota says), heated front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps and fog lamps. The Prius V Five starts at $29,990.

Toyota Prius Gets New Performance Package

If you’re looking for some extra power in a Toyota Prius, you’ll have to keep searching because the just-announced Plus Performance Package doesn’t offer much in that regard. However, if you’re looking for a little pizazz, you might be interested, but it'll cost you.

The Plus Performance Package comes with a seven-piece ground effects kit, giving the hybrid a “sportier” look. It also reduces the drag coefficient. The ride height is lowered through new lowered springs in the suspension, which Toyota says are track-tuned. There are new 17-inch wheels with a custom offset that increases the track width; the tires are still low-rolling-resistant, though. Combined with a new rear sway bar, Toyota promises this Prius will complete quicker turns with less lean.

If you want this option, it’s pricey, costing $3,699 on most Prius trim levels. On the highest Prius Five trim, it will only cost $2,999, but that means spending $32,549 on a fuel miser.

Cars.com Podcast: 2011 Toyota Prius, 2011 Subaru Tribeca, 2011 Smart ForTwo

Join editors Joe Wiesenfelder, Bill Jackson and Joe Bruzek as they discuss three very different vehicles. The most popular hybrid ever, the Toyota Prius, remains alluring, while the editors discuss the merits of the largest Subaru, the Tribeca, and the smallest car on the market, the Smart ForTwo.

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Movers and Losers: May 2011

May sales marked the first decline in total car sales in the past eight months. This is mainly a result of inventory shortages due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, high gas prices and low retail incentive offerings. Cars took slightly longer to move off lots, too. The average number of days it took to sell a new vehicle went from 48 days in April to 54 days in May. That number was at 50 days in May 2010.

Despite the lull, there were winners in May, most notably the Hyundai Elantra. The redesigned model has been a hot seller for some time — a member of the Movers’ list since December 2010 — and it’s now the fastest-moving model, taking just three days to sell. That rate is actually for the 2012 model that went on sale recently. The 2011 was the first year of the redesign, and it also made the Movers’ list this month. We can’t recall two model years of the same vehicle ever making the Movers’ list in the three years we’ve been publishing it.

Toyota Launches New Incentives to Fight Slow Sales

Toyota said today that it will initiate new incentives for key products for June. The news comes after a poor sales showing in May.

Incentives will be offered on many of Toyota’s best-selling vehicles, such as the Toyota Camry, and others, like the Tundra pickup.

The Camry is being offered with 0% financing for 60 months nationwide and lease rates below $200, said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division.  That nationwide incentive is significant because Toyota typically offers only region-specific deals.

Cars.com Reviews the 2011 Toyota Prius

Eleven years have passed since the first Toyota Prius hybrid went on sale. Since then, the model has become ubiquitous with high-efficiency design and still accounts for the lion’s share of hybrid sales to date — Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in this country last month. With new fuel-efficient entries like the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt — not to mention countless other hybrid models — gunning for the Prius’ green laurels, is the model still the best choice?

2011 Toyota Prius Review

Recall Alert: 2001-03 Toyota Prius

Toyota is voluntarily recalling about 52,000 Prius vehicles from the 2001-03 model years because some drivers may experience steering problems.

In the affected Prius vehicles, the nuts securing the pinion shaft in the steering gearbox assembly may become loose if the steering wheel is repeatedly and strongly turned to the full-lock position. Over time, drivers may gradually notice increased steering effort when making a left turn.

Toyota dealers will install improved nuts for free. The repair could take about four hours, Toyota says. Notification letters will be sent to owners next month.

For more info, call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or visit www.toyota.com/recall.

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Toyota Prius V

We still can’t wrap our heads around naming the second Prius model the V. Prius V — for versatility — on its own is fine, but the trim levels of the original car are II, III, IV and V. Toyota actually had to rework the Roman numerals into spelled-out numbers, so now when you buy a Prius or Prius V the trims will be Two, Three, Four or Five. Does any of that make a difference to Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays in his review of the larger Prius V? Not really, but considering how similar the new model is to the regular Prius, why try and confuse buyers even more?

2012 Toyota Prius V Review

Cheapest Commute: Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, Ford Focus or a Train?

Have you ever wondered how much it costs to commute in a plug-in car versus a hybrid or a gas-only model? After we published our exclusive comparison test among three different plug-in electric vehicles, many people asked us to test additional fuel-conscious options.

Among them was Roz Varon, the transportation reporter from Chicago ABC News affiliate ABC7. So Cars.com partnered with ABC7 and pitted the Cars.com Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf against a Toyota Prius, a high-mileage Ford Focus hatchback and a commuter train to see how much each costs in a typical round-trip commute from the suburbs to the Loop, Chicago's central business district.

Toyota Sells its 1 Millionth Prius

Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius hybrid in the U.S. this week. The announcement comes as the Prius faces increased consumer demand as well as potential supply constraints.  

It’s been more than 11 years since the first Prius went on sale in the U.S. We’ve been through three iterations of the nameplate now. The latest is the largest, most powerful and most fuel efficient yet, rated at 51/48 mpg city/highway. It’s currently the most fuel-efficient (non-electric) vehicle in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency.