So the info on the Prius on toyota.com is a bit ligth and I love internet research :-)

The JBL stereo on the higlander automatically turns the volume up or down depending upon road noice. Does the prius one do the same?

/Robert

Nope, not that I'm aware. Anyone else have a better answer? I'm commenting with 2 years posting/reading on this and 2 other Prius sites...haven't run across that feature.

'04 Seaside Pearl #7. Fumoto oil drain, mudflaps, rear bumper scuff protector & rear warn system, compass mirror, EV mode button, 8" subwoofer in right rear cubby & 6" subs under seats, power lumbar in the front seats, Coastaletech hitch w/ Aspen bike/snowboard rack. iPod2car, 2 amps, Alpine component speakers, and DVD video, solid 47 MPG @ 70000 miles.

What you are reffering to is speed sensitive volume controls. Ford and GM have had it for a few years now. Neat feature. Ford's is much better than GMs and has a lot more user adjustment built into it so that the radio compensates for road speed according to the user's tastes

Anyway, nice to see Toyota getting into the mix, but I'm not aware of it being available on the Prius.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)

The car's so quiet, already. Would adjusting the stero volume be necessary?

Well the car is quiet (no engine some of the time) but at speed 65 miles per hour you have wind noise and that 4 cylinder engine will be revving. I can say after riding for an hour that it's quiet for being a cheap car but not that quiet. I can also say that the JBL stereo is adequate at best (which makes me wonder what the standard one sounds like).

The 2006 Prius does have this feature. On the Audio screen, it's at the bottom left. On cars with the CD changer, it's the "ASL" icon (Automatic Sound Levelizer). On cars without the CD changer the "DSP" icon displays the ASL screen.

Cool! This is a nice feature. I must also say that while the stereo in the 05 is not that great on high volume it's decent on low volume and the car is so quiet that it works quiet well.

The ASL feature seems to increase the volume at higher speeds, but not high enough. This is true for the radio and CD player. However, there seems to be no volume increase for AUX IN. Can anyone else confirm or dispute this (on a 2006, of course)?