Introduction
Twelve years ago Toyota introduced the first Prius hybrid vehicle to America. During those days gas was well below the $2 mark, which meant that buying one was nice, but not really a necessity. Today’s gas prices hover right around the $4 mark, with the prediction that it will reach 5$ a gallon sometime this year, making cars with affordable gas mileage a must for many potential car buyers.
Exterior
The Prius C was designed as a 5-door hatchback subcompact sedan. It receives a fantastic EPA rating of 50 mpg and is offered at a starting price of $18,950.
The exterior design is a mixture of the iconic Prius shape we have come to expect, mixed with the sporty look and size of the Toyota Yaris. The Prius C is sleek looking from the front, and it offers a sloping rear hatch that is equipped with sculpted flares.
For the Prius C, Toyota added side mirrors equipped special fins and wheels a special shape to enhance the vehicles aerodynamics.
Interior
The interior of the Prius C is simply fantastic. It features a very modern look and is stocked with many technological innovations as well as a great information center and a very cool infotainment center.
The Prius C has a wide instrument panel and its displays and controls were made with light colors to contrast with a basic black. It has a digital display screen as well, which adds to the modern look we mentioned.
As we have seen in previous Prius models, the 2012 Prius C is equipped with USB ports, Auxiliary connections and even a special storage area for your I-pod or other electronic devices and smart phones.
Surprisingly enough, for a small sedan, seating in the C is quite comfortable. The seats offer great back support and much more leg room than expected for the driver and front seat passenger. The rear seats are comfortable as well, but as expected by a car this size, lacks room for those with long legs.
One wonderful feature we found came in the AC system. The 2012 Prius C offers a very quiet air conditioning system that also contains an air filter for pollen, dust and any other allergy inducing airborne agents.
Under the Hood
The 2012 Prius C is equipped with a 1.5 liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine that comes linked to two high output electric motors. The battery is a 67 pound, 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery which stores the energy regained while driving.
(Editors Note: For more info under the hood check out http://newtoyotanews.blogspot.com/2012/01/prius-c-will-offer-53-mpg-for-under.html)
Drive Experience
We didn’t know what to expect with this one, but just looking at the vehicle made us giddy to try it out. We put it through the high way, main roads and back roads to test it out, and we have to give credit where credit is due.
The 2012 Prius C is very agile, able to keep pace with other cars on the road. It offers pretty accurate steering was accurate in straight road and simple turns. One cool feature is the ability for the car to tell you how to squeeze the most possible mileage out of a gallon of gas (which means taking your fun cap and putting on your conservative one). The Prius C also has very responsive and efficient brakes which are part of the hybrid’s electrical regeneration system. Lastly Prius drivers are able to switch between three driving modes, Normal, ECO and EV.
Conclusion
With the sleek and sporty exterior design, and an interior fully loaded with technological advances and a very impressive infotainment system, The 2012 Prius C is a car for young families, drivers and those who are young at heart.
The pricing on the 2012 Prius C reflects the income of a younger buyer, with the base model starting at $18,950 and rising to $23,230 for the Prius C Four. While these are slightly higher prices than its direct competitors (think Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta), the Prius C’s fuel economy closes the gap, and makes it a much better buy in our book. For all of you super tall drivers (6’6 and above) we recommend test driving the Prius C before buying it, as some might opt for the larger members of the Prius family, however once you set eyes on this Prius, you won’t be disappointed.
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