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The Prius interior is satisfying, at least with the optional leather we tested. There's a nice cozy cockpit feeling in the driver's seat, nestled by a stylish center console that runs from dashboard to between the seats at a gentle slope. The CVT shift lever is located there, just ahead of the world's easiest-to-reach cubby. Oddly, the heated seats button is located on the floor under the console, as if they ran out of wire and it couldn't reach.The upper and lower gloveboxes hold a magnificent 12 liters. The all-new front seats are comfortable with increased bolstering and adjustability, addressing complaints about the previous Prius. The trim looks nice, and Toyota claims it's made of plant-derived resin ecologically friendly plastic with excellent recycling characteristics. There's 20 mm (0.8 inches) more rear legroom, partly due to thinner front seatbacks. The 60/40 split rear seats (with folding armrest having two cupholders) drop flat, yielding nearly 39.6 cubic feet of cargo volume, easily accessible through the big liftgate. And there's another 2 cubic feet in the tray for tools and laptops, hiding under the floor of the cargo area. The compact spare tire is another level down. A tonneau cover for the cargo area is standard. There's good forward visibility even over the long dashboard, stretched by the steeply sloped windshield, although, as with other aero cars (the Honda Fit comes to mind), you can't see the front corners. And visibility out the rear glass is somewhat compromised by the aerodynamically sloped roofline. The space-shippy four-spoke steering wheel with many controls is interesting and not ugly, and speaking of space ships it's cool to watch the multi-function display of the instrument panel, although the novelty might wear off. Or not. On a 5-inch-wide screen, there are graphs and images, including an Energy Monitor, displaying the battery charge in real time; a Hybrid System Indicator that reveals the efficiency of your driving technique; fuel mileage in 1- or 5-mile increments; past fuel mileage; and a Touch Tracer Display that projects steering-wheel-control information upward so you can keep your eyes on the road. Curiously, in a vehicle made for techies, the USB port isn't standard equipment.
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