2012 Toyota Prius vs. Its Competition
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While the subcompact Honda Insight looks a lot like the Prius and is several thousand dollars cheaper, it's smaller inside and doesn't deliver the same 50 mpg that the larger car does.
Perhaps a more logical rival sits in Toyota's own showroom: The new-for-2012 Camry Hybrid offers a 41-mpg combined rating, mid-size sedan room and comfort, and it doesn't require the owner to put up with Prius jokes.
In the same vein is the laudable Ford Fusion Hybrid, with a 39-mpg combined rating in a refined, comfortable, and very competent U.S.
contender.
The Lexus CT 200h is also a hybrid hatchback, though it's a compact and several thousand dollars pricier.
But it adds back the fun-to-drive factor, not to mention a larger dollop of luxury.
Finally, for drivers who do most of their miles on the highway, the clean-diesel VW Jetta TDI (offered as a four-door sedan and a Sportwagen) gets highway mileage that approaches the Prius figures, and is far more rewarding to drive.
Its city mileage, however, is nowhere near the Prius.
 2012 Toyota PriusGet FREE Price Quote |  2012 Lexus HS 250hGet FREE Price Quote |  2012 Lexus CT 200hGet FREE Price Quote |  2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid |  2011 Honda InsightBrowse Used Listings |  2011 Lexus CT 200hBrowse Used Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Specs | |||||
| Meta Rating | |||||
The 2012 Toyota Prius remains the highest-mileage car offered in the U.S., and it's a practical and capacious mid-size hatchback with room for five | The 2012 Lexus HS 250h offers lots of technology along with its high gas mileage, but it's not engaging to drive, nor is its level of luxury particularly spectacular. | The 2012 Lexus CT 200h is a surprisingly stylish, fun, and unexpected car, blending Lexus levels of refinement with superb hybrid gas mileage. It's the sole compact luxury hybrid hatch, but it offers good value and a new way of driving green. | The 2011 Honda Insight lives in the shadow of the iconic Toyota Prius, but it's more enjoyable to drive. | The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is an iconic, stylish, and actually quite fun-to-drive car, with Lexus levels of refinement;, and it's a strong value—both as a way of entering the Lexus brand and as an exciting new green icon. | |
| MSRP From | |||||
| $23,015 | $37,030 | $29,120 | N/A | $18,200 | $29,120 |
| Gas Mileage | |||||
| 51 MPG City / 48 MPG Hwy | 35 MPG City / 34 MPG Hwy | 43 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy | 40 MPG City / 43 MPG Hwy | 43 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy | |
| Engine | |||||
| Gas/Electric I4 | Gas/Electric I4 | Gas/Electric I4 | N/A | Gas/Electric I4 | Gas/Electric I4 |
| EPA Class | |||||
| Midsize Cars | Mid-Size | Compact | N/A | Sub-compact | Compact |
| Style Name | |||||
| 5dr HB One (Natl) | 4dr Sedan Hybrid | FWD 4dr Hybrid | N/A | 5dr CVT | FWD 4dr Hybrid |
| Drivetrain | |||||
| Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | N/A | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive |
| Passenger Capacity | |||||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | N/A | 5 | 5 |
| Passenger Doors | |||||
| N/A | N/A | 4 | N/A | N/A | 4 |
| Body Style | |||||
| Hatchback | 4 Door Sedan | 4 Door Hatchback | N/A | 5 Door Sedan | 4 Door Hatchback |
| Transmission | |||||
| Continuously Variable Ratio | Continuously variable ratio | Continuously Variable Ratio | N/A | Continuously variable ratio | Continuously Variable Ratio |
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