2012 Toyota Prius C: Needs Bumper Protection
February 28, 2013
The rear bumper of our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C caught my eye this week and not just because it was dirty from recent rains. The bumper on our car is bare.
Toyota offers a bumper protector as a $79 port-installed accessory on 2012 models like ours as well as 2013 models. Although our Prius C's bumper remains pristine after nearly 12,000 miles in service, I consider a protector a necessity on any vehicle with a hatch and if I had it my way, this feature would be standard.
2012 Toyota Prius C: How Much Should We Rely on Our Smartphones?
February 26, 2013
I've been commuting to work in our 2012 Toyota Prius C for about a week. As I've written here, it drives fine for a budget hatchback. The acceleration is OK, the ride quality is good enough, and the seats are comfy. I'm probably doing well at the mpg game, too, though I wouldn't know, because I'm living the hybrid car dream: I haven't had to refuel yet despite driving 30 miles each way.
With that said I'm realizing that a big part of the Prius C's appeal for me is the high level of connectivity in the cabin. I've never driven a car this cheap (well, with an as-tested MSRP of $23,470, it's not exactly cheap, but you get the idea) that had this much tech in the cabin.
Yet, if it weren't for my smartphone and its data contract, I wouldn't be nearly so entertained, er, infotained.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Surprisingly Good Seats
February 25, 2013
So here's a look at the driver seat in our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C.
As you'd expect, it has full manual adjustments, including a simple seat-height lever that moves the seat-bottom cushion forward as you crank up the height. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, but as in the bigger Prius models, not very much. I'd bring it closer to me if I could, but I can't, so the whole driver seat has to come forward instead.
These are typical compromises in a subcompact car, but the surprise is that comfort is still quite good for a 5-foot-10-inch, 150-pound adult. Seriously, I could commute for hours in this thing without feeling kinked up, which is exactly what you'd hope for in Southern California traffic.
I also like the Prius C's backseat, but not because it's especially roomy.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Prius Brand Is Easy to Explain
February 21, 2013
"What car is that?"
"Oh, that's the small Prius."
That's what I heard myself saying when I pulled up in our 2012 Toyota Prius C at a non-car person's house. It just seemed more natural to explain it that way rather than go into an extended explanation about how it uses a modified version of the B-segment Yaris platform architecture but has a hybrid drivetrain. She instantly knew what I meant: It's a little green car that gets great mpg and comes in a cuter color (with "cuter" open to interpretation).
2012 Toyota Prius C: Cheap to Keep
February 20, 2013
We recently brought in the Prius C for its 10,000-mile service, which essentially consisted of an oil change/filter and a 32-point inspection that included an eyeballing of other vital fluid levels and a check on brake wear.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Are The Gauges Annoying?
February 19, 2013
So our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C has center-mounted gauges. No serious car guy would choose to have the instrumentation mounted in the center. But the actual, on-the-fly legibility of the setup in the Prius C isn't bad. And certainly, it could be a whole lot worse.
Toyota's decision to go all digital with the instrumentation has actually improved the functionality, compared to the center-mounted analog gauge packs offered in earlier Toyotas and Scions. The Prius C's digital speedometer is closer to being in the driver's direct line of sight. The way I sit in this car, the speedo ends up just over the right side of the steering wheel, so I never really need to turn to look to the middle of the car. (That is, unless I'm inclined to check in on my Eco Score or my average mpg. I rarely allow myself to get caught up in that game.)
That's quite an improvement over the arrangement in, say, the discontinued Scion xA, which had an analog speedometer and tachometer squooshed in the center of the dash.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Reminds Me of Other Subcompacts
February 18, 2013
Honestly, I could take or leave the hybrid drivetrain in our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C. But the combination of a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder and a front-drive electric motor powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack provides adequate acceleration most of the time.
And that's how it is in other subcompacts I've liked: The Honda Fit and Mazda 2 come to mind. Performance was never more than OK in those cars. The only difference was I felt like I had more control over it because they both had a five-speed manual gearbox.
Why bother declaring that three inexpensive hatchbacks are adequate? Well, our long-term Prius C is maybe the only hybrid I've ever driven that truly feels like one of the gang. Ours weighed in at 2,562 pounds, which is only 50 pounds heavier than our long-term 2009 Fit.
And so like the Honda, the Toyota goes down the road with a minimum of fuss and unwanted ballast. It feels pretty light and there's a directness to its responses, even if it's not sporty. Driving the Prius C doesn't feel like a game (and indeed I don't watch the efficiency displays much), it just feels like driving.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Easy Does It
February 12, 2013
As a car enthusiast, I appreciate vehicles that hit their intended target, whether it be as an all-out performance machine, a versatile family shuttle or an economical and environmentally friendly commuter. Upon grabbing the keys, the Prius C may not get me giddy the way the 911 would, but it hits the bulls-eye in terms of achieving its mission.
Although the Prius C's performance isn't exactly thrilling, in the real world of crowded city driving, it has enough poke to deal with L.A.'s hordes of inattentive drivers. And of course it feels good getting over 40 MPG while slogging through rush "hour" traffic. Yes, the C's dash design is ugly, but the seats are comfortable, the controls are easy to use, it has a good Bluetooth setup, it's got satellite radio, and it's a snap to park. Monday through Friday around these parts, this is the right tool for the job.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 10,940 miles
2012 Toyota Prius C: Fuel Economy Meter Accuracy
February 7, 2013
When we ran the Fuel Sipper Smackdown back in 2009, the 2010 Prius we used had an overly optimistic in-car MPG meter. On the soul-sucking city driving section of the test, that Prius' meter read 5.4 mpg over the actual results, which came to an 11-percent difference. On the backroad section, it reported 6.8 mpg over actual (14 percent).
Since there's not a lot to inspire me in our long-term Prius C, I invariably pay a lot of attention to its fuel economy. And that's the whole point of this car, right?
2012 Toyota Prius C: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 4, 2013
During the Month of January, our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C performed all the duties expected of a city car and not much else. Most of the miles logged were limited to our daily commutes and we averaged 41.34 mpg during the last two months. That's a good deal short of the EPA-estimated 50 mpg, but still nothing to scoff at, especially considering our heavier-than-normal feet on the gas pedal.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Cleanest Mass-Production Vehicle
January 31, 2013
Every year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) takes a look at the country's greenest mass-production vehicles, and produces a list showing which ones are friendliest to the environment. This year, the Toyota Prius C was the big winner, coming in at the number one spot in the annual rankings.
ACEEE Vehicle Analyst Shruti Vaidyanatha points out that the list is flush with hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric cars — a sure indicator that a shift is occurring as automakers focus more on vehicles that emphasize fuel efficiency and clean emissions.
The runner-up was Honda's Fit EV, with the top five rounded out by the standard Prius, Prius Plug-in and Honda Civic Hybrid. Other models that made the cut include the Honda Insight, Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, Smart Fortwo, Scion iQ and Ford Focus EV.
For the full story, click here.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor
2012 Toyota Prius C: Not Future-Proof
January 10, 2013
Can't say I'm surprised that I can't use the Prius C's Entune apps suite with my iPhone 3G. Everything's moved to iOS 4.3 and beyond to iOS6. But it's a small bummer that soft and firmware has moved fast enough to render a four-year-old phone obsolete, in this application anyway. Heck, Apple doesn't even support this phone anymore beyond the 4.2 version of the software, and I've got no interest in jail-breaking it (some say it works, some don't).
It's a small matter of pride that I've kept this phone alive and operable this long, but a new phone is in the near future. I'll retire this one to iPod service for the car and Pandora streaming for home.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 10,600 miles.
2012 Toyota Prius C: The Kit Fits
January 9, 2013
I got invited to bring my drums to a little jam session this past weekend. The father of one of my kid's classmates is new in town and he plays guitar. He heard I play drums, so it was one of those deals. The older I get, the lazier I get about hauling around the drums. I'd rather buy 10 drumkits off Craigslist and spread them around at all my useless musician friend's houses. Since I had the Prius C, I figured I'd only take the bare minimum: a kick drum, a snare drum, some hi-hats, and the hardware.
To its credit, the Prius C could've handled the full kit and more hardware. There was room for at least two more drums (toms), maybe three, while the front seat remained available. I only had to remove the cargo cover and one of the headrests. I was pretty surprised. And the car performed better than you'd expect, laden with the extra weight. Acceleration didn't feel much different. Still slow, but that initial EV twist helps get that mass up to momentum quicker than you think.
A drummer buddy of mine plays professionally in New York and hauls his gear between the city and his Jersey home in a Focus wagon. He loves it, but I think even he'd appreciate the Prius C. I'd say it's a solid New York/LA/Chicago or any big-city musician's car. Small footprint, easy to park, enough space to haul gear for most rock/jazz gigs. Pretty impressive.
2012 Toyota Prius C: Count to 10
January 7, 2013
I've read the manual, quickly checked some forum postings, and I'm still left wondering: what the hell is the Prius C's EV mode useful for exactly? It shuts off at 10 mph. Apparently, the regular Prius, or earlier generations of, could run up to almost 45 in EV mode (say some forum posters). But 10 mph? Even stop-n-go traffic pokes ebbs and flows at around 20 mph. I guess you could argue that EV mode is helpful when trawling the parking lot at the local big box.
The Prius C manual says that it's possible to drive 1.3 miles if driving at a speed of about 25 mph or less. I'd like to first know how I can get to 25 mph. Maybe this section of the manual has been copied and pasted across the Prius lineup. Anyway, it's quaint to have the EV mode button there. But what else does the mode that it activates do exactly?
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 10,533 miles
2012 Toyota Prius C: Despite Entune Hassles, This Nav System Works Well
December 02, 2012
Although I'm comfortable using my iPhone's Mapquest app for navigation, I really do like having a factory nav system embedded in the dash. It's easier to read; it puts nav, audio and phone functions in one place, and I never have to worry about it going to sleep or the voice instructions not being loud enough.
I used the nav system in our long-term 2012 Toyota Prius C every day last week, several times a day to get directions, and every single day, I went through the process of hooking up my phone via the USB port and booting up the Entune app. As you'll recall, Entune isn't necessary to use the nav system, but you need an active connection to see traffic data.
Yeah, the process is kind of a hassle, but over the course of five days, the system consistently did a competent job rerouting me around traffic based on the info it was getting via my phone's data connection. It didn't present incident/collision information with the specificity of say, Inrix, but it was good at knowing where the traffic was and suggesting appropriate alternate freeway routes and even some detours on surface streets that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. (You're not seeing traffic data here on this map, because I took the photo in the garage where the phone is incommunicado, and also happened not to have the Apple cable with me.)
It certainly helps that my AT&T iPhone generally has a strong signal throughtout greater L.A.
I also haven't gotten any indication (i.e., threatening texts from AT&T) that letting Entune harness the power of my iPhone is resulting in heavy data usage. Then again, the real test would be for me to use Entune every day for a month, and then see how well I'm doing on data usage.
Any Toyota/Lexus owners out there who are using Entune/Enform on an everyday basis who can speak on this matter?
Finally, note that Entune was included as standard on this Prius C Three model, which at $22,395, is priced pretty affordably for a nav-equipped hybrid. So buying a car equipped exactly like this one is a reasonable proposition.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 10,277 miles
2012 Toyota Prius C: Surprisingly Comfortable
December 01, 2012
Honestly, I never expected much in the way of driver seat comfort from the Toyota Prius C. I've never found the standard-size Prius that comfortable, and this junior version is a subcompact, and subcompacts often compromise on comfort. The C's steering wheel tilts and telescopes, but the range of adjustment is minimal. At the launch event last winter, I remember opening the glovebox into my shins while riding as a passenger... the footwells are not large.
Due to poor planning this week, though, I made a couple two-and-a-half-hour drives in our long-term Prius C. And strangely, the cloth seats in our Three model proved quite comfortable. There's a plush layer of cushioning on top of each seat but also enough structure underneath that to give you some support. I do put the seat all the way back on its track, but for me (a 5-foot-10 adult), it's not maxxed out and I can still use the seat-height adjuster to improve the view over the dash without causing the seat-bottom cushion to angle too far forward.
Bottom line: If you find the driver seat/seating position in the regular Toyota Prius uncomfortable, don't assume it'll be the same story in the Prius C. For me, the smaller Prius is actually better.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 10,275 miles
