Cool and funky tends to be green-related these days. That’s not a bad thing, especially when cars like the Toyota Prius C are right in on the act. Toyota reckons that hybrid technology is the way of the future – at least for now, anyway. That’s why the Toyota Prius C happens to be the most fuel efficient car in the Toyota line-up, and the cheapest hybrid vehicle available.

What’s under the hood? The Toyota Prius C has a tight little 1.5-litre VVT-i engine that runs on gasoline, provides plenty of nip and promises lots of miles per tank. Mated to an ECVT transmission, acceleration is smooth and it works well. A clever EV (electric vehicle) mode makes use of the electric motor for a short length of time depending on the battery charge. When you need more power, the four-cylinder petrol engine kicks in, and the Toyota Prius C turns on a clean set of heels. In fact, delivering a maximum power output of 74 kW of power, the little Toyota Prius C can be driven happily along at highway speeds. Just think of the fuel savings you can enjoy with a 3.9 litres/100 km average fuel consumption.

When Toyota designed this vehicle, they wanted the car to be fun and cool. Toyota has marketed the car well, with an interactive Eco-drive monitor located on the well defined dashboard that displays a generous amount of information that includes the hybrid system status and other eco-friendly driving stats.

There are two Toyota Prius C models: the Prius C and the Prius C i-tech. With the base model, you’ll still enjoy plenty of features. Smart Entry and Smart Start makes a cool addition to getting into the car and starting on your way. There are seven SRS airbags, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. This sort of safety kit makes the Toyota Prius C a safe small car. And, you also get a 6.1-inch touch screen with an integrated reverse camera and a steering wheel that has switches to control the car’s air-conditioning, audio and Eco-drive monitor. Sound audio design has voice control and Bluetooth drivability.

Step up to the Prius C i-tech, if you really need too, and you’ll find 15-inch alloy wheels, a premium synthetic leather interior that looks smart and mod, a large rear spoiler, LED headlamps with pop-up washers and a 6.1-inch touch screen audio with satellite navigation and an integrated reverse camera.

There are three exclusive colours for your Toyota Prius C. The bright Sunrise is my favourite, while the Aqua is a close second. You’ll also find the White Mist is a safe bright colour, too. The projector type four-beam halogen headlamps, front fog lamps and LED rear combination lamps come standard across the Prius C range. The i-tech model has LED headlamps combined with headlamp cleaners as standard equipment. Why use LED technology? It not only looks cool, it assists in reducing the car’s electricity consumption.

On a practical note, the hybrid battery, auxiliary battery and the fuel tank are located underneath the rear seat. Boot space is a satisfactory 305 litres, and the rear seats have a 60:40 split. Safety equipment is excellent, so we would expect this car to attain a five-star rating – Toyota, certainly, make out that they are confident that the Toyota Prius C will achieve this.

For a super thrifty, solidly built economy car, the Toyota Prius C takes the hybrid technology to new levels. Reasonably priced and refreshingly green, the Toyota Prius C is a winner.

The current Toyota Prius C models include the:

• Prius C
• Prius C i-tech

For any more information on the Toyota Prius C or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Toyota dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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