The Prius C is a bizarre entry into the world of hybrids

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer)
12/26/2018 at 18:42 • Filed to: PRIUS C REVIEW

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I did what every Mexican car journalist does and headed to La Mexicana park to take some pictures, but then I got bored, and moved on.

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Car and Driver gave the Prius C one star for being an uninspiring car that didn’t really make sense because, when they tested it, it was almost twenty-two grand and gas was averaging 2.6$/gal. But things change when you look at it as a sixteen grand car with gas hitting 3.65/gal.

Full disclosure: Toyota was so eager to let me drive a Prius C that they started selling it in Mexico and caught the eye of a close friend who was eager to lend it to me for a long drive.

It also starts changing when you look at very shortsighted government regulations that treat hybrid vehicles (be it a Cayenne Hybrid or an Insight) like the best thing that could happen to you and the city. The Prius C is a car that otherwise doesn’t stand on it’s own, it needs the enviroment around it to stay alive. It is why I have spent two paragraphs talking about aspects that are mostly outside the car’s control.

Even if the minute 1KW battery pack can only power the car for a mile on electricity alone; it’s enough to give the Prius C an exemption from any road tax or emissions inspections for seven. fucking. years. It is a really good deal!

But really, there’s little to say about this Yaris-based franken-car.

The 99 hp engine feels underpowered at any speed above 50km/h, not that it matters in a city

The mechanics of the Prius C are less than impressive, sporting a version of the Atkinson cycle 1NZ-FXE motor with a higher compression ratio than in the previous generation Prius that it used to power. Its a parts bin special... But, really, not that special after you deconstruct it.

The biggest charmer of the Prius C is without doubt the electric battery and motor that try to keep the car moving but fail spectacularly and fall back upon the 4 cyl unit and its CVT. Even when they fail, the way the car is programmed means that you really can’t waste fuel. I drove like an absolute lunatic when I got this Prius C, and it still averaged 30MPG going uphill, and with a heavy foot. Driving equally quickly with my Stinger would’ve yielded 12MPG, albeit, only just touching the pedal.

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It really looks like I’m taking a dump on the Prius C but I really, really like this car. It reminds me that it is only a vehicle; a mode of transportation. It is as off-brand, un-special, and functional as Kirkland water bottles.

Because, other than going, stopping, turning, and moving shit, what is a car really? The Prius C does 95% of what I want a car to do; and larger vehicles like my Kia or my grandfather’s Cheyenne are only able to achieve 70-80% of what I want a car to do.

But I should really talk about this car and not those, or the enviroment around it, because it’s actually not that bad to drive.

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Even if it torquesteers like crazy, and the brakes are vague; the Prius C is chuckable, and in traffic the electric assist, slender body and quick steering really help it navigate it quite smoothly. The suspension is something I’m surprised about, because it’s very different to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I get to drive from time to time.

It’s soft, and the car isn’t caught off guard by any pothole, manhole cover, or speed hump; it is honestly the most comfortable car I’ve driven. Granted, the Prius C lacks one of the biggest selling points of any hybrid: silence.

Since the battery pack is so small, the car can’t really drive on EV mode for long; it’s basically reserved for manouvering inside parking lots before and after any journey. The 1.5 engine is very loud though, and the CVT doesn’t really help with that. The newer unit in the current-gen !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is a significantly better engine, and the extra power is noticeable even if the Prius is much heavier than the Prius C.

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But it’s a small complaint compared to the stereo; my headphones seem to have more power than it does. The interior is otherwise OK; it has a regular shifter instead of the Prius, erm, Mouse-shaped joystick? and it’s just all Toyota regular stuff. Surprisingly the interior is almost as large as the one in the Prius, and it could seat four adults comfortably, but has space for a cramped five. The trunk is a lot smaller though... but remains adequate for city dwelling.

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Car and Driver compared the Prius C to the Mitsubishi Mirage, and I don’t think that’s very fair; the Prius C is a significantly more luxurious car, it also feels much larger, and it’s probably safer; the only thing they really have in common is the tremendous fuel economy. Really, the only car I’d compare it to is the SEAT Ibiza.

You can get a really nice SEAT Ibiza ‘Xcelence’ for 14,600*-15,750 dollars.... Sure, it’s not a hybrid. But it has !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the same fuel economy (43 vs 47MPG); and you can buy it with a manual transmission*, handles much more sporty, and it has a little bit more power. This car really is a great deal.

Ah yes, Chapultepec Park; much better.

In this scenario; the question becomes much harder (as long as you ignore the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! even if you shouldn’t), If the government didn’t make owning a car such a pain in the ass, buying the Toyota would be ridiculous, but since we live in the real world, and since gas prices are going up, it makes sense to compare them because even with the small amount of road tax, and the similar fuel economy, six or seven years after buying them, the SEAT will be more expensive to run, and since government regulations continue to target ICE vehicles while leaving hybrids alone, the future resale value is uncertain.

It’s a very good question, but not one I have an answer to. At least it’s a step in the right direction.

Despite being larger, more powerful, and heavier, the Prius tops the Prius C’s fuel economy thanks to the larger battery.

One of the biggest complains about hybrid cars is that they’re not necessarily affordable. But at the same time that the Prius C is on sale for 16,200 dollars, one of the best selling cars in Mexico remains the Jetta and the CR-V crossover; which can be more expensive than the little Prius C or even its bigger brother.

Which really makes me question whether people have a realistic understanding of what they do with their car. The Prius certainly made me question it, Which is why I loved driving it. It is small, it uses little energy to move me, it fits things, and it’s cheap... What about it isn’t to be loved?

Specs:

Data from Toyota Mexico and Fueleconomy.gov

*: MPG data obtained from SEAT’s website in Mexico for the Ibiza, and Fueleconomy.gov for the Prius C.

DISCUSSION (25)

dogisbadob > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:19

The Prius C is awesome! A nice little car that gets good mpg and has a sunroof. Too bad we don’t get the Prius V anymore. Do you still get it in Mexico?

Of course, Mexico has lots of cool cars we don’t get up here, like that Seat Ibiza you had to mention :p

Honda offers the BR-V down there. Have you seen one in person yet?

Spanfeller is a twat > dogisbadob
12/26/2018 at 19:22

I do not believe we ever got it here, I have seen countless BR-Vs they seem to have been a market success!

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:38

That pretty much sums up my experience with the C. You just can’t expect too much out of it (a pocket rocket it will never be...). I flog it around w/ o paying too much attention to MPG and still get around 38-40 average....

Mercedes Streeter > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:47

When the C first launched in the States it had the best EPA fuel economy rating of all the Prius siblings. It also had a lower MSRP and its pedestrian styling made it more invisible to coal rolling pickups. It was an uninspiring vehicle to drive but I had and still have a lot of respect for it.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:47

A friend of mine drove one of these from Atlanta to Seattle. You should do likewise and see how you still like it.

Spoiler alert: he didn’t like it anymore

Spanfeller is a twat > fintail
12/26/2018 at 19:50

“The 99 hp engine feels underpowered at any speed above 50km/h, not that it matters in a city”

I did try it on the highway a bit... it’s acceptable, but not anything I’d take on a cross-country journey.

I do know someone who took a regular Prius from Mexico City to Monterrey and it felt OK according to her.

Spanfeller is a twat > Mercedes Streeter
12/26/2018 at 19:52

It’s still cheaper than the Prius, but I’m not sure that the difference is made up unless you live under very specific circumstances and you need such a compact car ... I do appreciate the more... regular... styling over the Prius.

Spanfeller is a twat > SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
12/26/2018 at 19:53

I’m sure it can be turned to Otto cycle, and make it churn 130hp easily with a few tweaks .

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:55

I have driven min e up to Sacramento and down to Monterey /Salinas (from the SF Bay Area) and have not had any issue - runs just fine at 70+ MPH....

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 19:58

My sister in law in Japan has one, an Aqua as it’s called there.

Spanfeller is a twat > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
12/26/2018 at 19:59

I find the “C” name kind of odd.

Compact?

City?

Cheap?

I have no clue.

Maybe it’s clue!

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 20:02

Well after living in Japan I have just stopped asking why, usually the answer is they think it sounds cool. I’m sure they wanted to keep the brand recognition for Prius.

Spanfeller is a twat > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
12/26/2018 at 20:03

You mean c ool?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 20:08

In the USA Prius means hybrid, Toyota and reliable so it would be nuts to distance people from that. I have no idea what a Prius is VS a Prius V, no idea, but I know the car will be a hybrid. Japanese native speakers hear things we don’t, they name things in odd ways there but they like how it sounds.

fintail > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 20:16

A 2000 mile drive might be more tiresome. He also hated the seats and was no fan of the electronics. . Useful as a city car though, he liked the mileage.

Spanfeller is a twat > fintail
12/26/2018 at 20:18

Surely... but it’s hardly the objective for this car.

I think I might be biased, but I know this for certain: I’d take this over a regular Yaris, but I might take an Ibiza over either if I’m gonna spend more than 50% of my time on the highway.

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 20:27

The C is for “City”

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 20:27

That would be....interesting...

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
12/26/2018 at 20:33

My main complaints about it are 1. No Android Auto, 2. That annoying passenger airbag light in the instrument panel. It bugged me so much that I took the dash apart to be able to block it.

Spanfeller is a twat > SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
12/26/2018 at 21:02

I believe it’s the same engine (and gearbox probably) than the aforementioned Yaris... the Yaris has 107HP; so it’s a 30hp increase over the Prius C. It might be a big gain, but I think it’s just valve timing and perhaps cooling. I’m sure it’s doable, but hasn’t been done because... you know, it’s a Prius.

Kinja'd!!!

I’m only worried about the gearbox; not the CVT, the HSD; since it mixes the CVT and the electric motor, maybe 130hp is just too much.

Kinja'd!!!

I’d love to test a 130hp Prius C though, plus one with rear disk brakes.

bhtooefr > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 21:44

It’s also higher compression pistons, 13:1 instead of 10.5:1. I’ve heard of people using Prius pistons as a power adder on higher-octane fuel for 1NZ-FEs...

One trick with Toyota hybrids is that they’re often transmission-limited on how much power they can absorb, and if you try to do power mods, they’ll compensate automatically by reducing power requested from the engine. (That said, there’s someone that turbocharged a NHW10 Gen 1 Prius, and got much better mid-range acceleration and better fuel economy...)

Spanfeller is a twat > bhtooefr
12/26/2018 at 21:54

Maybe you could reprogram the HSD, but I doubt it would let you put 130-140hp through it anyway.

bhtooefr > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 21:56

I’d say there’s a couple reasons why the Gen 4 Prius is so much further ahead of the Prius c on fuel efficiency, outside of the battery.

The 2ZR-FXE ESTEC engine has 40% thermal efficiency (and the Toyota hybrid systems are good at finding the most efficient operating range) instead of 37% for the 1NZ-FXE used in the Gen 1 and 2 Prius and the Prius c.

Additionally, it’s slipperier - Cd of 0.24 vs. a Cd of 0.28 for the Prius c. (Using a naive height * width approach, the Prius does have 1.054 times the frontal area, but the Cd more than makes up for it.)

So, if you combined these two factors (there’s some other improved efficiencies in places), a Prius c’s 43 mpg EPA highway becomes about 51.5 mpg EPA highway, which is right between the regular Prius and the Prius Eco . (I use highway to reduce weight effects, although regenerative braking reduces the negative impact of those anyway.)

Spanfeller is a twat > bhtooefr
12/26/2018 at 21:59

Given the way the tests are carried out, I think the battery is the charm... and in real life, just being able to turn off the engine and run the auxiliaries on a battery in traffic or in a stop is pretty good for consumption and emissions.

bhtooefr > Spanfeller is a twat
12/26/2018 at 22:01

Ultimately a smaller battery on a Toyota hybrid just means that, in a normal driving cycle, the PWM frequency of the engine will be higher (because it can’t run without the engine for as long), and braking may not be able to recover as much energy (but the Prius c is lighter, so there’s less energy to recover, too).

(Also, you’re more likely to be caught flat-footed without battery energy during a high acceleration event on a smaller battery...)