2019 Toyota Prius Interior

Toyota gives the 2019 Prius a minor interior refresh, and upgrades the previous white plastic trim with a more contemporary piano black. This makes the interior styling a little less polarizing, though there are still some distinctive design elements that users will either love or hate. The Prius has a ton of cargo space and a wealth of standard features, and its seats are spacious enough to comfortably accommodate a quartet of grownups.

• "Inside, gone is the sea of white plastic, which simultaneously managed to look both dramatic and cheap. Instead is more palatable piano black plastic on the center console, the shifter surround and the steering wheel." -- Autoblog
• "Inside, the 11.6-inch display on the high-end Limited trim makes the cockpit look Tesla-esque, and semi-gloss black finishes replace the stark black-and-white motif. " -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The Prius feels solidly built, and overall it uses nice materials throughout the cabin." -- Edmunds (2018)

Seating

The Prius is a five-seat compact car. While its seats won’t win any awards, this is still an enjoyable place to spend the day. Visibility is good, and there's enough room for four adults to ride comfortably.

Cloth seats, a six-way adjustable driver's seat, and a four-way adjustable front passenger seat are standard. Synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel wrapped in synthetic leather are available.

The Prius earns a Good+ rating for LATCH ease of use from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is a designation few vehicles earn. It has two complete sets of LATCH connectors on the rear outboard seats, as well as a tether-only connection for the rear middle seat.

• "The car's driving position is comfortable, and the cabin is big enough for taller adults to ride in the front and rear seats at the same time. The rear-seat backrest isn't reclined as far as I'd like, and the sloping roofline makes the rear side windows a little small, but headroom and legroom in the backseat are good." -- Cars.com
• "Tall windows make for great visibility, and the rear hatch continues to sport a lower glass section further improving the views. There's more than enough space in the second row for a 6-foot passenger sitting behind a 6-foot driver. The rear seat bottom is super flat, so somebody stuck in the middle should be sufficiently comfy." -- CNET
• "Importantly, the Prius is also still highly functional and spacious. The specs may indicate back seat space was reduced, but it's still plenty friendly for adults, and happily, the front seat is considerably more comfortable and spacious for taller drivers." -- Autotrader (2018)

Interior Features

The infotainment system in the Prius is decent. It has sharp graphics and a menu layout that most users quickly acclimate to, though a few professional reviewers note that the system isn't as responsive or straightforward as others. Some users may find the odd placement of the driver display screen to be problematic. Apple CarPlay still isn't available in the Prius.

Standard features in the Prius include a 6.1-inch touch-screen display, a six-speaker audio system, voice recognition, Siri Eyes Free, Bluetooth, three USB ports, automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry, and push-button start. Every Prius also comes with a rearview camera, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams, and a pre-collision system that combines forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection.  

Available features include wireless charging for enabled smartphones, a 10-speaker JBL audio system, an 11.6-inch touch screen, navigation, limited smartphone integration via the Entune app suite, satellite radio, HD Radio, and a moonroof. There are also numerous available safety features, including active park assist, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rain-sensing windshield wipers, adaptive headlights, and a head-up display.

See 2019 Toyota Prius specs » 

• "While all-wheel-drive trims must make do with a 6.1-inch Entune touchscreen infotainment system, the top Limited trim gets the 11.6-inch screen that first appeared on the Prius Prime plug-in and made its way to the regular Prius in the 2018 model year. Both systems offer similar aesthetics and functionality, but I can't deny how impressive it is to have that large of a map in front of your face. While Toyota will soon add Apple CarPlay functionality, it didn't make the development cycle for the 2019 Prius. Bummer. As with prior Priuses, the gauge cluster is smack dab in the center of the dashboard. I think it's a little less intuitive than a regular cluster in front of the driver, but it's still mighty capable, offering up a whole bunch of information simultaneously." -- CNET
• "The touchscreen is user-friendly and very responsive, but other functions are controlled by touch-capacitive icons and not real buttons. Most controls are simple and well-placed, but the odd shifter design and center-mounted gauges provide no tangible benefit." -- Edmunds (2018)
• "All displays are crisp and look modern now with full-color graphics." -- Cars.com (2016)

Cargo

The Prius comes standard with 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space and 60/40 split fold-down rear seats. In some trims, including the all-wheel drive models, dimensions decrease slightly to 24.6 cubic feet. Even so, the Prius has one of the largest cargo holds in the compact car class.

• "With a standard 60/40-split, folding backseat and the car's hatchback design, the Prius' versatility impresses. The AWD-e's cargo area measures 24.6 cubic feet, and it swells to 62.7 cubic feet when the backseat is folded down." -- Cars.com
• "A nice touch is that the new electric motor does not impinge on cabin or cargo space." -- Automobile Magazine
• "The Prius provides a large cargo area (24.6 cubic feet), with folding rear seats for extra space. The cabin contains plenty of places to stash small items." -- Edmunds (2018)