2012 Toyota Prius C 4 Review

The 2012 Toyota Prius c just launched this spring is a brand new model, and the "c" represents the city. In the case of 53 mpg, Prius c should be an ideal city car because it offers the highest city mpg rating of any vehicle without a plug-in. Toyota stated that the Prius c is designed to "be a city-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience." The new subcompact car not only gets good fuel mileage, but also has an attractive price. c Equipped with hybrid technology, the manufacturer's suggested retail price of the basic model is less than $19,000.

The 2012 Prius c comes in a smaller package than its Prius sibling and is more than 19 inches shorter, 500 pounds lighter, and at least $5,000 less, making the five-door hatchback a “gateway product” into the Prius family. Young buyers will find the Prius c a favorable choice as a city commuter that offers a wide array of convenience features and electronics.

The Prius c has no direct competitors in the subcompact hybrid segment, and at similar pricing, a Honda Fit, Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, or Volkswagen Golf diesel would be the alternatives. But the Prius c beats all of them in city fuel mileage.

The Prius c comes with the latest technology and features

Prius C utilizes Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive

The Prius c comes with the latest technology and features

This week we are testing the top of the lineup Prius c Four model ($23,230). Younger buyers will be most interested in the long list of advanced in-car electronics that the Prius c has to offer, including a standard 3.5-in. full-color TFT multi-information display, hands-free phone capability, and USB port with iPod connectivity.

Other notable standard features on the Four include a tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio, climate, display and Bluetooth controls, variable intermittent front wipers, navigation, and Entune (telematics with Bing, Pandora, voice recognition, real-time traffic, weather, fuel prices, and three-year complimentary subscription) with 6.1-inch touch-screen, voice command controls on steering wheel, XM radio, smart key entry, and pushbutton start, and touch-tracer display.

Prius c Four also comes with color-keyed heated power mirrors, alloy wheels, SofTex upholstery, heated front seats, and fog lamps. Options include 16-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tires and a moonroof ($1,150).

Inside the Prius c, materials are mostly plastic with a few padded soft-touch panels, and the SofTex upholstery is not up to the quality you find in similarly priced subcompacts. The cabin is well designed and everything is where you would expect it to be. The cabin is small but is functional with the five-door hatchback design. The rear seat folds flat to increase cargo area, and has a 60/40 split for flexibility.

Prius C utilizes Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive

The basics of the hybrid system parallel those of the Prius, just on a smaller scale. Power is generated from a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine coupled with a pair of electric motors and a 144-volt, 0.87-kilowatt-hour battery pack for a maximum of 99 total horsepower. While fuel efficiency is the priority for the Prius c, performance is surprisingly good due to the light-weight design. In traffic, the subcompact never lacked the power to keep up comfortably.

The 2012 Prius c will run up to 1.5 miles on battery alone while staying under 25 mph as long as the driver has a light foot. The hybrid system is mated to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) for optimum fuel-mileage. It doesn’t work exactly like most CVTs, but the results are similar. At full-throttle, the CVT still sounds like a speedboat winding up. But CVT’s are all about efficiency and the Prius c gets an EPA estimated mileage of 53/46 mpg city/highway, or 50 mpg combined.

In general, the Prius c has obtained the best city fuel mileage of all small cars without plug-ins, while providing the latest electronic products to attract young buyers. It provides very good urban commuting mobility and low prices. The environmentally friendly 2012 Prius c hybrid is a good choice for those who want to commute efficiently and do not need a lot of cargo or passenger space.