I know this is an age old perplexity for Gen I, II, and III owners. Thought I'd ask it again for the upcoming "versatility" v.
Via SKS key on the V(five) in Gen III's. If you have the key with you, you just lift with the hatch release area and it unlocks itself as you pull up. To lock it, close first and push on a rubber button slightly and it will lock the entire car. I actually don't know how it works on the I-IV.
So it's similar to how SKS works in Gen II, which is an optional feature. Many cars have a trunk release button on the key fob as standard. More modern ones also have a release cable inside the trunk as a safety mechanism. In the case of a hatchback there is no risk of being trapped in a trunk. But due to the location of the 12V battery, not being able to open the hatch when the battery is dead can be a problem. Due to the extreme contortions required, not every Prius owner is physically capable of unlocking the hatch from the inside even if they knew how (I think most probably don't).
I like the power liftgate, as they call it, and the remote button on the wife's Venza keyfob, yes she has push button start. Particularly when its raining and we have quite a few things to put in the car. Hit the remote as you're walking up to car and it opens. Nice. And with kids to corral and shopping carts to return, it is rather nice to just press a button and it'll close. The other good thing about it is the safety features when it encounters any force it reverses itself so no accidentally smashed little hands or fingers.
Optional. Venza's don't have packages like other cars in the Toy lineup. Its more like a buffet, pick and choose. Like you can get the panoramic dual-roof, power liftgate, and rear camera, without Nav. That being said they typically come on the lots with certain sets of options. Maybe we can hope the PHV and the v will be like this since it will be limited in production.
