It seems that the Toyota Prius C is looking for its identity. In 2016, Toyota’s smallest hybrid received a small upgrade that consisted of the addition of a racy lower body set; this year, the Prius C adopts a more SUV-like appearance.
Marked by a brand-new front end that consists of upgraded headlights and an improved hood, the 2018 Prius C’s mug includes crossover-like design features such as silver accents on the front and rear fascias that imitate skid plates and black wheel arches that seem to communicate a more off-road-ready mindset. Furthermore, there’s a lightly modified interior includes a refreshed center stack and an upgraded steering wheel.
Regardless of the 2018 Prius C’s makeover, the model’s gasoline-electric powertrain is still same. All Prius C models once again make use of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and two AC motor/generators that create a combined 99 horsepower. The bigger motor/generator is tailored directly to the final-drive differential to offer propulsion and to generate electrical electricity throughout deceleration. The smaller sized A/C system collaborates with the combustion engine through a planetary gearset to control the wheels with electronically managed drive ratios, frequently called an electronic CVT.
Although the high-grade Prius C 4’s price of entry holds steady at $25,850, the rest of the Prius C lineup observes a modest $480 price bump for the 2018 design year. The base Prius C One now begins at $21,515, while the mid-level Prius C 2 and 3 trims sticker at $22,315 and $23,740. Similar to last year, every Prius C comes standard with active-safety products such as forward-collision warning with automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. A backup cam is newly standard.
While the EPA has yet to provide fuel-economy figures for the 2018 Prius C, Toyota anticipates they will be the same as the 2017 design’s 48 mpg city and 43 mpg highway.
Regardless of how it styles itself, however, Toyota Prius C’s below average driving experience suggests we ‘d gladly take a mileage hit to spend our time behind the wheel of more appealing and more economical subcompact hatches such as the Ford Fiesta or the Honda Fit.
