Test Drive: 2012 Toyota Prius C

By Kevin Harrison

When an automaker makes a product, there’s usually a general consensus of its worth in the automotive journalism world. Enthusiasts and car buyers alike rely on us to provide a clear, unbiased way of reviewing a vehicle either because they expect us to be the experts and/or because we’re the few lucky dogs that get access to press cars and thus, have an extended honeymoon with the vehicle rather than just the regular 20 minute test drive.

But regardless of the reason, people hold what we say in high regard – if they didn’t there wouldn’t be any business for writing about cars. While a good chunk of our impressions can be chalked up to facts, a lot of it relies on good old fashion common sense and of course, being objective.

Very rarely do we disagree among ourselves over vehicle. A good car is a good car and a bad car is a bad car, after all. But even more rare is when we air out our differences of opinion in public, especially when it’s two well established and trusted entities that are in disagreement.

That very thing happened just recently with Cars.com and Consumer Reports. They completely disagreed about their conclusion of a vehicle and even called each other out on their respective reasoning. The supposed controversial vehicle in question? The Toyota Prius C,  AKA the baby Prius. Without going into too much detail, Consumer Reports concluded that the regular Prius is a better buy than Prius junior, and even refused to give it the coveted ‘recommended’ rating, while Cars.com wholeheartedly disagreed with a gushing review of the Prius C saying buyers are probably better off with Prius C over the regular Prius.

Okay, time to settle this squabble once and for all. Is the Prius C a yay or a nay? I drove one to find.

The Prius C is noticeably smaller than the regular Prius and is obviously a different shape. The Prius C takes on a more traditional sport hatchback look.  From the front, it looks like a mean little bug and from the side profile it looks a bit sporty with my tester’s optional 15 inch wheels, sculpted doors and roof spoiler. Out back, the traditional clear styled Prius tail lights help to keep a sporty look all while being careful not to stray too far from the Prius bloodlines. Overall the look works and is would be fairly agreeable to just about anyone.

Anyone who has ever driven a Prius before will find the interior quite familiar with the display center in, well, the centre of the dash as well as the same oval shaped steering wheel. However, typical to the regular Prius as well, the seats probably aren’t as comfortable as you’d expect them to be. They’re passable for short trips, but I would imagine frequent stops would be required to give your posterior a break during longer trips. There are a few hard plastics on the dash, but I tend to care less about those sorts of things, mostly because the driver or passenger isn’t in frequent contact with the dash. There is quality feeling materials where needed such as the door handles and door grips. There is a shelf in with the auxiliary jack to lay your iPod, however the material used is smooth plastic which means the iPod will easily slide off at the first bend.

The Prius C has a rather cool, if a bit small, information screen next to the digital speedometer. The top portion of the screen will constantly show you your average fuel consumption, trip odometer and time, but the bottom half can show a host of different options. The option I found the most useful was the screen which showed you your ‘eco-score’. It is a score out of 100 which you get based on how efficiently you’re driving. In addition, it has a power graph mode to help train you to get better scores. It will tell you when you’re in EV mode, when you’re using the gas engine but still driving efficiently, and when you’re using full on power, which is obviously the least efficient. These sort of systems are great for those who don’t know fuel efficiency driving tricks and it allows them to work with the vehicle and thus, get to know how it works a lot better. I can proudly say that during my time with the Prius my highest efficiency score was 95. The main problem with this system is that you’re constantly watching the screen and not the road. It’s quite distracting.

Another neat part of the system is the ability to let the driver know how much fuel in dollars you used for your trip (the driver needs to input the current cost of gasoline themselves for this to work) and you can even compare it to another model car to see how much gas that vehicle would have used, undoubtedly to prove that the Prius is the most efficient each time, in case you were somehow questioning your purchase of the Prius C. It’s all very smart and intuitive.

Cargo space with the seats down is quite good and a big reason why is due to the fact that the nickle battery pack is located right underneath the vehicle. This helps to give it a low centre of gravity but also helps to improve the handling. And I must say, as far as hybrids go, it handles pretty decently. It’s nimble and surefooted but I would stop short of calling it fun to drive. It’s more accurate to say that it feels tight when cornering. Another reason for this is due to the fact that it weighs much less than the regular Prius (about 550 pounds less). The weighted steering wheel definitely helps as well. Yes, you read that right. There is actually some steering wheel feedback to the driver in a hybrid. All this basically makes the Prius C a perfect city car (which coincidentally is what the ‘C’ stands for). It has an extra tight turning circle and good outward visibility as well.

But perhaps most importantly, the main reason why the Prius C makes such a good city car is due to those efficiency numbers. It’s rated 3.7 L/100 kms making it among the most efficient vehicle sold on the market today (a title it shares with big bro Prius). The good news is that these figures aren’t hard to achieve in the real world as they typically are in other cars, although admittedly I had to keep it in eco-mode in order to get  those efficiency figures. I was able to meet and even match that figure with certain trips (and admittedly a bit of care) but while driving as I normally would, I still averaged an impressive 4.3 L/100 kms.

As  mentioned, there is an eco-mode which reduces throttle input and reduces the climate controls. There is also the EV mode which let’s the Prius C drive on the electric motor only up to 40 km/h and while coasting. When in EV, the Prius actually emits a strange sound at speeds under 24 km/h to warn pedestrians since it virtually emits no noise otherwise. There’s normal mode and with that you’ll get the most power out of the 1.5 litre’s 73 horsepower and  99 horsepower from the electric motor. While the Prius becomes noticeably faster, make no mistake, it’s still painfully slow.

I think you can surmise, thus far, that my opinion of the Prius C is a complete thumbs up. The starting price is a mere $20K which makes it the cheapest hybrid available for sale today, although Toyota wants to shy away from that title because they’re marketing it as a “premium” hybrid thanks to all the standard features. But no matter how you look at it, it’s a good buy. I would imagine that most families would use it as a second vehicle, but truthfully it does well as a primary vehicle. In fact, I’d have to disagree with my colleagues at Consumer Reports and I might dare to say that the Prius C almost makes the regular Prius to be a bit of a question mark. The Prius C is cheaper, it’s just as efficient, is arguably better looking, handles better and comes with a lot of the same standard equipment. I’m not sure where Consumer Reports feels the value paying 5 grand more for the regular Prius is at, but to each their own. For instance, I’ve reviewed the regular Prius and found it to be more refined and a bit more solid feeling. It all depends what your priorities are.

So perhaps, then, it’s a bit unfair for auto journos to be sparking some sort of sibling rivalry within the Prius family. The regular Prius has a long line of loyal followers and is the quintessential hybrid. It fact, Toyota has marketed it as the definition of a hybrid. The Prius V is for those who haul stuff more often than not, and the Prius C is for those who don’t need a whole lot of room to get from point A to B. It really is that simple. Each Prius has their place and there really is no need for an open public squabble in the automotive journalism world about vehicles that are undoubtedly game changers in some form or another. Besides, if this performance enthusiast can see the sense and the worth behind the Prius C, then Toyota is definitely on to something.

Can’t we all just get along?

Base Price: 20,950

Pros:

  • Decent looks
  • Intuitive interactive technology
  • Respectable handling
  • Smart hybrid system
  • Good cargo room for its size
  • Good price

Cons:

  • Interactive displays can be very distracting
  • Interior could be better thought out
  • Uncomfortable seats
  • Generally quite slow

Overall: 9/10

 

 

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