Toyota Prius C 2012 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $23,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 3.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 90
Also consider: Honda CR-Z (from $34,990); Hyundai Accent CRDi (from $19,490); Volkswagen Polo 77TSI (from $18,990)

There's something charming about this car and it's not easy to identify at the outset. Look at the car's various elements in isolation and it isn’t a pretty picture -- noisy engine, cheap interior plastics, average boot space, hybrid price premium…

Yet after driving the car for a week I didn't want to give the keys back. So I kept them; and then got an angry phone call from Toyota. But I digress.

The Prius c is essentially a compact version of the Prius with a more affordable price to match. It expands the Prius brand in the right direction: smaller. The Yaris-sized hybrid car finds motive force via two engines, one petrol, one electric. Together they output a combined 74kW which arrives at the front wheels via an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (e-CVT).

The twin motors can operate independent of each other or at the same time. On test, we achieved a combined average fuel economy figure of around 5.1L/100km.

Toyota claims the car will do 3.9L/100km on ADR 81/02 test cycle, but getting that in the real world is a lot harder than in the laboratory -- where all official economy tests are measured -- especially when you have other motorists who are in a hurry and who won't tolerate protracted acceleration, which is entirely understandable.

Nevertheless, I was happy with 5.1L/100km and though the car doesn't slap you in the face with world-first technology or amazing features from the get go, it does represent good value for money. Priced at $23,990 the Prius c made a strong first impression, the cabin a neat and tidy area with plenty of storage cubbies and a few gadgets too. You get twin colour LCD screens (one them a touchscreen), Bluetooth connectivity, keyless entry and ignition, climate control and a reversing camera all as standard.

Cruise control, electric windows and mirrors and USB/Aux inputs are also part of the standard kit.

Stepping into the car for the first time was also a pleasant surprise, in terms of interior design. Though it won't stir everyone's porridge, the light blue highlights in the doors and around the dash lend the cabin a youthful vibe and the asymmetrical motif of the centre console and dash are likewise novel.

Driving the car is easy thanks the automatic transmission and light steering, and it's tight turning circle takes the stress out of parking in tight areas such as underground car parks and on busy thoroughfares.

The steering is very light and, though it offers no feedback and isn't the most direct rack in its class, it doesn't need to be. In its natural urban habitat the steering works well.

Not only easy to drive, the baby Prius is oddly enjoyable to operate in situations that are usually mind-numbingly dull. Carefully press the accelerator pedal and you can keep the Prius c running on its single 45kW AC electric motor, and you can reach about speeds of up to 50km/h before the 1.5-litre petrol engine joins the party.

The best I managed in all-electric mode was 61km/h from standstill, and despite that being on a very slight downward slope, it was with cruise control engaged when I hit 60 clicks.

With a little planning and shrewd scanning of the traffic, it's possible to ease your way through busy roads and it made the commuter crush a lot more bearable for this driver.

There are also a number of different trip computer options to gauge how efficiently you're driving (even how much the trips are costing) and these are interesting to pore over when the traffic grinds to a halt. This also adds a high-tech appeal to proceedings, but at the same token these high-resolution pictographic readouts can be distracting and on a few occasions I found myself challenging my previous trip's economy and focussing more on the telemetry than the road.

Another neat touch was the brief trip summary that appears after every drive, when you switch off the engine. It details how far you've driven, your economy rating, what percentage of the journey used the electric motor and even how much the journey cost.

My first trip to work used 6.9L/100km on a Friday morning, while the same journey on Tuesday used just 4.2L/100km (and cost just 21 cents according to the computer).

Two push button-operated driving modes are designed to reduce fuel consumption, Eco and EV, but they're about as useful as ice-cream in the Antarctic. Though Eco mode apparently puts limiters on the throttle and air-conditioning, it didn't really seem to make a lick of difference to overall economy, and EV mode just cuts back to the regular hybrid mode whenever you drive up a hill and flex your right foot.

The best way to keep the car running in electric mode was simply smooth, judicious use of the throttle.

When you're less worried about staying in EV mode, the electric motor is good for trundling up to about 10 or 15km/h, at which point turning up the wick automatically activates the petrol engine and you can keep up with or sometimes outpace the general flow of traffic.

The compact Toyota hybrid is no road rocket, with a full throttle application resulting in a noisy combination of CVT-drone and engine raspiness, but it does feel quicker than a regular auto Yaris.

At the end of the week-long test the car was sitting on a 5.1L/100km average. Most of the distance covered was commuting with a couple of trips to the airport on the freeway. Speaking of which, travelling at 100km/h the car was using just under 5.0L/100km with cruise control switched on.

Some of the less desirable aspects of the car include its noisy petrol engine. The electric motor is whisper quiet but when petrol engine power is diverted directly to charge the batteries it makes a right royal racket.

Boot space and rear seat room is average while the ultra-wide C-pillars create significant blind spots are not ideal when the driver wants to quickly head check and change lanes. It has a handful of weaknesses but ultimately the Toyota Prius c goes about its business in a pragmatic fashion and it's a car whose unorthodox execution makes the daily drive refreshing.

Though it may be a slow, unexciting car to drive in many respects, it's an ideal vehicle for simple A to B commuting and there are a few handy by-products of the Toyota badge, such as low maintenance and running costs and solid reliability. The way the car presents driver input and vehicle output is not really pushing the envelope, but it is a little different, and it makes driving the car in an economical manner enjoyable and, dare I say, interesting. In my mind this is the best Prius yet.

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