When the Prius went plural in 2011, it added two new vehicles to its lineup: the v and the c, or in other words a wagon and a compact. Both carry the distinct egg-like shape of the original Prius, and both get awesome fuel economy.
While the v is more geared towards a family, the c does better in an urban environment with fewer passengers. It's easy to drive and very efficient, but leaves little room for cargo or people.
During the test week, I ran the 2015 Prius c through its urban paces, and it fared pretty well.
DesignThe Prius c got a minor refresh for 2015 with a restyled front, standard LED headlights and "light pipe" taillights.
The Prius c looks like a smaller version of the original Prius but with a little distinctive flair. The wide-mouthed grille and buggy headlights give the appearance of perpetual surprise - like the face you'd make if someone jumped out and said "boo" to you.
The taillights also help differential the compact c with large d-and-b-shaped vertical lines.
The most distinctive thing about the Prius c however is the color. The test vehicle was a vibrant Tangerine Orange, but other striking color options include Sparkling Sea Metallic, Sun Fusion, Blue Streak Metallic and Electric Lime Metallic. A far cry from the sedate black, red, gray and whites on the regular Prius.
The interior is fairly simple and intuitive with easy-to-reach dials and buttons. I fully appreciate that both volume and radio tuner are still dials.
I was a particular fan of the available Touch Tracer Display on the steering wheel that take a light touch to operate HVAC, trip computer and radio.
Ride & HandlingIt's been a few years since I last drove the Prius c, and my biggest comment about ride and handling is that the 2015 test vehicle was much smoother than the original 2012 model I had previously tested.
Most of that is likely due to the fact that the test vehicle was equipped with the available 16-inch wheels ($300). Standard wheels are 15-inch.
What a difference an inch makes! Highway rides were relatively quiet, and I didn't feel every divot and groove in the road. Even my husband - who did not want to be chauffeured around in bright orange vehicle - had to concede that the ride was decent.
The Prius c is equipped with a 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine, which produces 73 horsepower and 82 pound-feet of torque. With the electric motor, total system output is 99 horsepower. Sure that's a bit on the low side, but this is more than adequate - even in some more aggressive maneuvers. It is a little sluggish when passing on the highway, and I wouldn't pull out into traffic without a nice gap, but the Priuc c does well in most situations.
One of the things I love about the Prius c - and, frankly, all Prii - is the relatively seamless transition between hybrid and engine drive modes. A lot of hybrid vehicles have a bit of a stutter when the engine clicks on or off, but Toyota has this feature nailed. It's quiet and efficient when you're driving sedately, and clicks back into power mode swiftly when you need it.
Fuel economyOne of the biggest selling points for the Prius has always been fuel economy, and the Prius c is no different. EPA estimates 53 mpg in the city and 46 mpg on the highway.
EPA estimates are relatively spot on. At the beginning of the test week, I was averaging around 52 mpg with a significant amount of my driving in the city. But as I started to do more highway driving toward the middle of the week, my average dropped to a steady 48 mpg. I ended the test week at 46.4 when I was doing pretty much 100 percent highway driving.
Tech & gadgetsThe Prius c is a pretty basic vehicle that doesn't come with a lot of high-tech gadgets. It does have Bluetooth phone pairing capability and the Entune Audio system. But that's about it.
I like the standard multi-information display above the center stack that helps you monitor your fuel consumption, though. And one of the cool features here is that it grades you with each launch/stop: How well do you accelerate, cruise and brake? The car will tell you your ECO score out of 100. Mine averaged around 50. Oops.
TrimsThe trim levels for the Prius c are fairly simple and intuitive, starting with One, the base, and moving up to the Four, the top-of-the-line. Each model comes standard with a front-wheel-drive powertrain and a continuously variable transmission.
One: Standard features at this trim include outside mirrors with turn signal indicators, 15-inch steel wheels, LED headlights and taillights, Entune Audio, a 3.5-inch multi-information display atop the dash, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, automatic climate control and fabric-trimmed seats. Base price for the One is $20,365.
Two: This level adds a piano black front grille, piano black upgraded interior accents, two-toned fabric trimmed seats, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, cruise control and cargo tonneau cover. Base price for the Two is $21,165.
Three: This trim is where some of the up-level goodies start to make an appearance. Standard features include smart key entry on front doors and liftgate, push-button start, touch tracer steering wheel display and navigation. Base price for the Three is $22,590.
Four: This is the top-tier trim and includes standard features such as 15-inch 8-spoke alloy wheels, power tilt/slide moonroof, integrated backup camera SofTex-trimmed steering wheel, and heated outside mirrors. Base price for the Four is $25,300.
The test vehicle was a Prius c Four, and it added 16-inch aluminum wheels ($300), the special Tangerine Orange color ($395), carpet floor and trunk mats ($225) and security system ($359) for an as-tested price of $26,579.
SafetyStandard safety features on the Prius c include stability control, traction control, antilock brakes, electric brake-force distribution, brake assist, smart stop technology, front airbags, driver knee airbag, front seat cushion airbags and front and rear side-curtain airbags.
One item to note: The rear back-up camera isn't available until the Four trim, and then it's standard.
Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration give the Prius c better than average marks in crash test ratings.
The IIHS gives the hybrid an "Acceptable" rating for the front small overlap test, but it gives "Good" ratings for every other test. Therefore, IIHS selected the 2015 Prius c as a Top Safety Pick. Because the Prius c does not have any available front crash prevention systems, however, it is not eligible for the Top Safety Pick + award.
The NHTSA gives the Prius c an overall 4-Star crash test rating, as the hybrid received 4 Stars in each crash test.
Not sure what the safety ratings mean? We break it down for you
here.
New for 2015For 2015 the Prius c gets a minor facelift, upgraded interior materials and some new available tech. LED headlights and taillights are now standard. New available features include piano black and chrome interior trim, a new two-tone fabric option and Entune Audio.
A few of my favorite thingsAnyone who reads my reviews regularly knows that I'm a bit of an aggressive driver. I blame it on living in Chicago. But this often detrimentally affects my fuel economy. So, when I encounter a vehicle that gives me more than 45 mpg in combined driving without even trying, I'm impressed. Imagine what would happen if I weren't an aggressive driver?
You can get a glimpse of the other side of the fuel economy spectrum by checking out the folks at CleanMPG.com - who actually try to get the best fuel economy possible. While this isn't normal (trust me, it's not), it does give a good idea of what's possible.
Something else I fully appreciated on the Prius c is its easy parkability. The small size of the vehicle combined with the available backup camera enable the driver to park in a relatively small space with ease.
What I can leaveThis seems to be a new pet peeve of mine: the touch-screen display. They can either be awesome or awful depending on how intuitive and easy-to-use they are. While the touch-screen display on the Prius c was quite easy to read, it was impossible to operate. I found myself jabbing my fingers repeatedly at the screen to try to set my radio presets, and finally gave up finding one station I liked and leaving it alone or streaming my own audio from my phone.
The bottom lineThe Prius c is a great urban car - as it should be, since "c" is for city. It's efficient and comfortable, and I particularly like that you can get all the whistles and bells - such as heated front seats, navigation, backup camera, smart key access and push-button start -for less than $25K.
Is it the quietest, fastest and tech-savviest vehicle out there? No. But the Prius c is easy to drive, and it's really hard to beat fuel economy that pushes 50 mpg - without even trying.
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