How good or bad is the build quality of the Prius 2012?

can't answer for 30k miles, but my new plug in is excellent. i couldn't be happier with fit and finish. no squeaks or rattles and quieter and smoother than my gen II 08 and as good as a camry imo. not as quiet and smooth as a hybrid camry tho. all the best!

 

My Prius is about 2 months old, and I have 7000 miles on it. I drive a lot. And so far no noticable squeaks or rattles.

The car is very quiet. Even when the gas engine is on, unless you are charging up a hill it is much more quiet than a conventional car. This is the reason why other noises such as road noise and squeaks/rattles become more apparent. The car runs so quiet, that you hear other noises that you wouldn't hear before.

 

I have a 2012 and am very happy with the build quality. We drove other smaller cars (Focus, Elantra, Impreza, and Kia something or other) and thought the Prius was superior. One thing that really stood out to my husband was that the Prius was more quiet on the freeways than the other cars we drove. I've read that the 2012 is better soundproofed than prior years (don't remember where I've read that, maybe just opinion).

 

After a couple thousand miles I hear a few very minor rattles, but nothing you wouldn't find in most non-luxury cars. I also agree with the sentiment that you tend to hear more squeaks and rattles because the car is so quiet.

 

I have to say my '12 is way quieter than the dozens of 2010 rental Prii I have rented in the past couple years. Some of those 2010's had zero rattles but they all had road noise that is way louder than my '12.

Mike

 

The Prius interior is not made from plastic, it is mostly made from a type of tree, which is farmed sustainably. But it is harder and somewhat prone to rattles over time, as can many ither cars. However, rattles can be repaired. There are many threads here on PriusChat which document many ways that owners have isolated and corrected various rattles.

Prius is a very reliable car. It has proven itself in high mileage taxi service in many cities. However, its key advantage is its excellent gas mileage. I don't know if gasoline is expensive in Malaysia, or if you drive a lot. But the high mileage design accounts for some of its cost, so mileage should matter to you if buying a Prius. I hope you choose Prius. There is an excellent community of enthusiasts here to answer your questions down the road.

 

Isn't the Prius shipped to Malaysia made at plant in Thailand? If so, then none of us will be able to comment on the build quality as they are not sold to America or Europe.

 

I just sold my Audi for the 2012 Prius Five.
There is most certainly a big difference, but like you say, you can't really compare the two. You have to be realistic about it. That said, I think Toyota did a pretty darn good job with what they had to work with. My 2012 is pretty much as quiet as the Audi was as far as road noise. Doors do not close as heavy and solid feeling as the Audi, especially if another door is open at the same time you close one. Body panels are thinner too. I noticed that while waxing it. Interior noises so far are a non-issue, but I've only had the car for 1500 miles. There is some nice technology in the Prius that my Audi didn't have which makes up for some of it. Not to mention the gas mileage of course, which doubled and was the whole reason I bought the Prius. So go in with realistic expectations and I think you will be pleased. I think Toyota fixed a lot of the earlier issues you are worried about with the 2012.

 

My first post, I have been reading everything on the web to get info on the Prius and have not found rattles or build quality an issue.
If yours is a non US car, what is the MPG or L/100KM. In Canada I just saw a 2012 prius base (prius ii) rated at 3.7 City/4.0 highway. thats 71 mpg imp. for City. I wander if it varies around the world?
Hope to be a Prius owner this year.
Colin

 

We were very happy with both of our Prii. On average, I would say the Toyota build quality was better than any other vehicle we had driven.

Honestly, it was my biggest concern in switching to a Volt as GM build quality doesn't have a good history.

However, your driving conditions in Malaysia are likely radically different. While I had zero issues with the batteries in MN, USA, my experiences probably aren't all that comparable to your environment. You may want to try to draw some comparisons with other Toyota vehicles in your area for general build quality.

 

As GumpyCabby stated, it is hard for us to know the build quality of it was built outside of the Japanese plants since that is what we are familiar with. With that said, the build quality is excellent for a cheap car. The rattles you hear about are not due to poor build quality but the type of sustainable materials used to reduce environmental/social impacts. They fit together quite well and are fairly durable in most cases. The cloth surfaces on the arms rests and especially center console may be suspect, however. Hopefully the GenIII cloth is more durable than My 2005 GenII. Other than that area of cloth, my car still looked new after 160,000 miles and it had Ivory (almost white) interior.

 

We went from a fullsized MB SUV to a Prius four. My wife loved her Benz, but now appreciates the Prius in a different way. The MB was very well appointed, and fit/finish and materials were very fine.
The day she got the prius she compared it to a "tin can", she now says the prius is "a lot more fun to drive". She was spending over $125 a week keeping $4.10 super in the 25 gallon tank (18mpg). Now she's averaging 50mpg without even trying...and they don't have to re-swipe her card because the pump shuts off at $75.

 

Colin, do be aware in Canada we still use the old EPA test method, which is, lets say, rather generous with mileage claims. You WILL get very good mileage, just not the ridiculous number Canada measures. For example, Pearl has only -reached- the claimed mileage once (in B.C. coincidentally) in five years of operation. And I don't have a "heavy foot".

As far as I know the Prius gets about the same mileage as sold in most of the world. There can be some differences if larger tyres or wheels are fitted.

It is likely the OP will notice interior noises more due to the quietness of the Prius. The electric A/C compressor will not mask other noises, or create noise of its own.

I doubt the temperature in Malaysia is high enough to impact the life of the battery. Humidity will have no effect, other than to make the A/C system work a little harder. But then it was my experience most Malaysians will be comfortable at a higher temperature than I was when I visited, so the A/C system may not have to work that much harder.

 

"Tin Can" is a good description of the car. Toyota has always used thin sheet metal. I had two Celica's from the early 1980's that had very soft metal as well. One time I dented the car when applying wax to buff out some touch up paint...pressed too hard with a finger. At work, a marble sized hail storm didn't damage my 2011 German tank BMW, but several new Toyota's in the lot were dented. I really enjoy my 2012 Prius, but dread everytime hail is in the weather forecast.