The U.S.-spec 2012 Toyota Prius C has landed at the Detroit auto showfollowing the Japanese-market version’s debut in Tokyo last year. Our C will be essentially the same car excepting left-hand drive and different badges.
A Pretty Prius?
“Attractive” isn’t really a word we would use to describe the normal-size Prius, let alone the even-funkier Prius V people mover. While nowhere near as cool as the Prius C concept from last year’s Detroit show, the production C isn’t half bad-looking. The hatchback has clean styling punctuated by interesting details like the tall vertical taillights, and its aggressive grille treatment manages to avoid the fish face that characterizes the mugs of other Priuses. With a 100.4-inch wheelbase and overall length of 157.3 inches, a width of 66.7, and a height of 56.9, the Prius C is just a few inches longer than Toyota’s own Yaris.
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The interior combines signature Prius cues—centralized digital gauge cluster, blue start button—with a distinctive dashboard design similar to that of the 2012 Yaris. The steering wheel is shared with other Prius models, but the C gets a conventional floor-mounted shifter instead of the bizarre nub used in its bigger siblings. Several premium features will come as standard, including a 3.5-inch information screen, Bluetooth, automatic climate control, and USB and iPod connectivity. Navigation and Toyota’s new Entune infotainment system will be available, and the C will offer buyers four trim levels to choose from.
All Prius, All the Time
Powering the Prius C is a downsized version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor paired with a CVT. The gas engine produces 73 hp and the electric motor 60; total system output is 99 hp. For reference, the bigger Prius and Prius V both use a 98-hp, 1.8-liter four and an 80-hp electric motor, with total output of 134 hp. Energy storage is handled by nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Electric-only range is less than a mile at speeds up to 25 mph. There’s also an Eco mode that controls throttle response and climate-control functionality to maximize efficiency. Finally, there’s a Normal mode that’s, well, normal.
Toyota claims the C will get a city rating of 53 mpg—beating any non-plug-in hybrid currently available—and a 46-mpg figure on the highway. The city number is 2 mpg higher than that of the standard Prius, though the highway efficiency is 2 mpg lower; both cars share a 50-mpg combined rating. Toyota claims the C tips the scales at a feathery (for a hybrid) 2500 pounds, roughly 500 pounds less than a normal-size 2012 Prius. View Photo Gallery
by carmax.blogspot.com
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