2012 Toyota Prius V front view

Simple, in turn, higher  2012 Toyota Prius V (and the Vee, not five) in accordance with the dimensions of your typical compact crossover SUV. But this is the largest PRII still drives like a car and will be classified as such by the EPA.

2012 Toyota Prius V front view 2

You may wonder why the 2012 Toyota Prius V only five seats. After all, the Japanese-spec Prius almost identical to the alpha-prototype we drove in March was the third row of seats, as well as the Euro-spec Prius +.

2012 Toyota Prius V side view

2012 Toyota Prius V rear view

It feels legroom was also increased, perhaps because the rear seat offers a good selection of front / rear adjustment. You can also choose seats, and combined with the advantages of hip and shoulder room is useful back seat for the 6-footer, and rear-facing child seat of the same kind. Headroom is just up to one inch in V Toyota Prius, because it has improved the driver’s hip point. You sit higher in the car but it felt surprisingly natural.

2012 Toyota Prius V interior

2012 Toyota Prius V interior 2

Then again, there is a car that is really slim, if it feels Toyota Atkinson-cycle 98-hp four-cylinder 1.8-liter motivated. Also to get in power mode, the Prius V we take a long time speeds up to two adults on board – so good that we in Northern California hybrid friendly, where people take only we hypermile.

Finally, there are five V Prius cars, which is likely to destroy the barrier $ 30,000, because the list is equivalent to $ 29,550 hatch. Major upgrades are leather upholstery Softex simulation (if you want a real cow hide, you’re as bad as people who wear fur coats), replacing the cheesy cloth found on the bottom line model. You also get 17-inch wheels with P215/50R17 tires Toyo Proxes, LED lights and functionality without the key in the passenger door and tailgate.

2012 Toyota Prius V seat

2012 Toyota Prius V engine

2011 Toyota Highlander front view

With over 92,000 sales in 2010, it’s clear that CUV shoppers are at least considering the Highlander. In fact, the only three-row crossovers that have been more successful are the Chevrolet Traverse and Honda Pilot, with 107,000 and 102,000 units sold respectively.

2011 Toyota Highlander front view 2

An aggressive new lower air dam has been added, along with attractive new fog lamps, a freshly stamped hood and convex headlamp covers that closely resemble those of the new-for-2010 4Runner. But while the headlamps on the 4Runner look like woefully unkempt eyebrows, the same look is far better resolved on the Highlander.

2011 Toyota Highlander side view

Outside of additional standard features like heated seats and various tech upgrades, the Highlander’s cabin is largely carryover. Thankfully, the front seats are still comfortable and reasonably bolstered. Controls and ergonomics are still well thought-out. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is still a pleasure to grip.

2011 Toyota Highlander rear view

And our favorite touch? The Highlander’s glovebox is Mammoth Cave huge. Toyota has engineered a removable middle seat that stows neatly into a storage bin below the center armrest.

2011 Toyota Highlander interior

We’ve created a short video to show how easy it is to operate (above). While we liked how well thought-out the storage solution is, we weren’t as thrilled with the actual seat.

2011 Toyota Highlander steering wheel

Five forward gears isn’t exactly cutting edge, but Toyota engineers have tweaked this tried-and-true powertrain to the point of near perfection. Shifts are seamless and power-delivery is smooth, effortlessly propelling this nearly 4,300-pound machine.

2011 Toyota Highlander front seats

2011 Toyota Highlander rear seats

2011 Toyota Highlander engine

Equipped with the 4.6, the Tundra—at least in the four-wheel-drive Double Cab guise we sampled—won’t light up its tires like it does with the 5.7-liter, yet it is perfectly adequate, allowing one to scoot around town with reasonable gusto and without fear of losing the rear end around every corner. Besides, as we realized—vividly—during a recent stint with a Tundra short cab powered by a supercharged version of the 5.7-liter (with 504 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque), driving overpowered Tundras can become a frustrating battle of wits between the driver and the stability control system—un-fun except in the most controlled circumstances.

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear- or 4-wheel-drive, 2–5-passenger, 2- or 4-door truck

BASE PRICE: $25,1558

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 281 cu in, 4608cc
Power (SAE net): 310 bhp @ 5600 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 327 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 126.8–145.7 in Length: 209.8–228.7 in Width: 79.9 in Height: 75.8–76.2 in Curb weight (C/D est): 4800–5500 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 7.3–7.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.5–15.9 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 107 mph

The 2010 Toyota Prius model has muscles, too: Acceleration from zero to 60 mph takes 9.8 seconds, says chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka, which would be quicker by 0.3 second than the last Prius we tested.

No more floaty little appliance gliding along the byways, either. The suspension is much tightened, with real anti-roll now and much firmer shock control. Those who see a message in every Prius might be surprised at the lack of enviro rah-rah within. While the Ford Fusion grows a vividly colored rain forest in the instrument cluster leaf by leaf, and the Escape and GM hybrids indulge in green gestures, the Prius mostly avoids that cliché. This is a straightforward car, though it has several dash screens devoted to the details of fuel economy. In fact, the new logo for Toyota hybrids is blue

The new iQ brings both style and innovation. Its size dictated both: a length of 117.5 inches, a mere 11.4 inches longer than the Smart Fortwo, but unlike the Smart, the iQ seats four. The most admirable thing about the iQ is its packaging—the way in which the mechanical parts have been compressed to gain passenger space.

The 2010 Toyota iQ is a conventional transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive car, but the gearbox has been arranged so that the differential housing is located just in front of, rather than behind, the engine. The starter motor is incorporated into the compact flywheel, and the steering rack is mounted up high. A miniaturized air conditioner fits into a pod high up at the center of the dashboard, which allows the fire wall to be moved forward to increase cabin length. The dashboard is asymmetrical, and on the passenger side it is cut almost completely away so that the passenger sits farther forward than the driver, allowing more legroom for the rear-seat passenger. The fuel tank is shallow and housed under the floor, reducing the rear overhang

The models to be sold in Japan and Europe include a 67-hp, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine and a 1.4-liter diesel, both shared with the European and Japanese Yaris. Later, the 2010 Toyota iQ will get a new 1.3-liter gasoline four-cylinder, the engine that will power the U.S.-bound iQ. That 100-hp engine should allow the 1900-pound iQ to deliver fuel economy of about 40 mpg. Eventually, the 1.3-liter will find its way into other Toyota products, as will the iQ’s platform, which is expected to underpin the next Yaris.