X

2012 Toyota Prius C (photos)

Toyota's smallest Prius is a little hatchback with a modern design and dimensions very suitable for city parking.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
35169638_SS01.jpg
1 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Toyota has deemed its Prius hybrid so successful, the company is launching other new models bearing the Prius name. The Prius C is the third model in the lineup, following the original Prius liftback and the slightly larger Prius V. The Prius C is designed to be a small, entry-level Prius.
35169638_SS02.jpg
2 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Toyota styled the front end with its corporate design language, including the Toyota nose bump. Toward the rear, the car has a sporty, swept-back look.
35169638_SS03.jpg
3 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The architecture of the hybrid power train is the same as that of the other Prius models, but with a smaller engine and electric motor. The total output of this system is 99 horsepower, and it averages over 50 mpg in a variety of driving conditions.
35169638_SS04.jpg
4 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Technically, the Prius C could seat five, with a little room left over for cargo. But passengers would be cramped and it wouldn't be comfortable for long trips.
35169638_SS05.jpg
5 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The taillights are a bit too large, considering the overall design of the car.
35169638_SS06.jpg
6 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The Prius C sits on a very conventional suspension, which gives it a decent but unremarkable ride. The seat padding seems to account for some of the shock absorption.
35169638_SS09.jpg
7 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The cargo area is not large, suitable for a few grocery bags maybe, but not a standard CNET editor.
35169638_SS10.jpg
8 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The interior is covered in hard plastics, which cheapens the feel, but the two-tone cloth seats look nice. The Prius C showcases new Toyota navigation technology, along with the Entune app integration system.
35169638_SS11.jpg
9 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Electric power steering is immediately obvious when you turn the wheel of the Prius C. Loose steering-wheel tuning marks the car out for utilitarian cruising, not cornering antics.
35169638_SS14.jpg
10 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
As with Toyota's other hybrids, the shifter is merely a drive selector, with the standard Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive positions. It does offer a B setting as well, which maximizes regeneration.
35169638_SS15.jpg
11 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Similar to the Prius, the Prius C uses a completely digital instrument cluster.
35169638_SS16.jpg
12 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Touching the steering-wheel controls causes this display to show up on the instrument cluster. In practice, it is not all that useful, as you can quickly learn the button positions.
35169638_SS17.jpg
13 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
This new display, to the right of the speedometer, has a variety of useful screens dealing with the operation of the hybrid system.
35169638_SS19.jpg
14 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
On this screen you can program in the current price per gallon of gasoline, and see how much the Prius C costs to drive.
35169638_SS21.jpg
15 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
This new navigation head unit, standard in the Prius C Three trim, shows maps in 2D or 3D. The new maps have a nice look, but the head unit is difficult to see when the sun is out because of the glare.
35169638_SS24.jpg
16 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Toyota retains the power-flow animation display on the main screen, although it can also be called up on the instrument cluster display. This screen shows when the battery is being charged and whether power to the wheels is coming from the engine or electric motor.
35169638_SS25.jpg
17 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
There are a good number of digital audio sources available to the stereo, including Bluetooth streaming, Pandora, and iPod.
35169638_SS27.jpg
18 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The audio system only has six speakers, but the sound quality is decent, with good separation and some real bass. At higher volume the quality quickly disintegrates.
35169638_SS28.jpg
19 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Entune offers access to a variety of apps, most powered through a connected phone's data plan.
35169638_SS29.jpg
20 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The gas prices app is very useful, letting you quickly find the lowest per-gallon price at stations around the car.
35169638_SS30.jpg
21 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
We searched on the term "fries" using Bing, and it came up with these results in the San Francisco Bay Area. The results are tied to the navigation system, so can be quickly set as a destination.
35169638_SS31.jpg
22 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The Bluetooth hands-free phone system does everything we would expect, and it also has text message integration. Unfortunately, few phones support the protocol that lets the car display text messages.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos