Good value for hybrid dollar

There's a new mileage champ in town and it comes from a family well-known for offering some of the thriftiest vehicles on the road. 

The 2012 Toyota Prius C is the newest member of the Prius family of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. It joins the regular Prius and the larger Prius V. The C, or compact, model is smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient than its brethren. Just as important, it's also cheaper, starting at $20,950.
There are a few areas of comparison:

Size
The C is a subcompact. It is 95 millimetres longer than the conventionally powered Yaris hatchback, but a whopping 485 mm shorter than the regular Prius. It has a fairly generous 2,550-mm wheelbase for a subcompact car.

Despite its compact dimensions, the C manages to equal the regular Prius in front-row headroom and is able to stuff 35 more litres of cargo into the back. The back-seat passengers don't fare as well, with headroom slightly compromised by a sloping roof. The C is a five passenger car, but with 50 mm less width (compared to a Prius), the three riding in the back had better be on good terms.

The C is 65 mm lower in overall height than the Yaris. It's more pronounced at the rear, where the roof slopes down. It makes for a small hatch opening compared to either the Yaris or the Prius.
Fuel efficiency

With a 1.5-litre instead of a 1.8-litre engine, the C returns a city gas mileage rating of only 3.5 litres per 100 km - that's 80.7 miles per gallon. It edges out the regular Prius's 3.7 L/100 km rating, the previous mileage benchmark. The two are neck-and-neck on the highway at 4.0 L/100 km. The only vehicles that top the C on the road today are pure electric vehicles.
Power
Although power is not a subject fuel-economy buyers rate as important, many change their tune when they try to merge on a freeway on-ramp for the first time.
The C is up to the task. With a combined net horsepower of 99, it is only four horses shy of the conventional Yaris and one horsepower more than the Insight. The Prius, with its 134 combined hp, sounds like a race car in this field.

Acceleration is adequate, but with the pedal planted to the metal, the C makes a sad, moaning sound on its 0 to 100 km/h dash. Part of the blame lies with the CVT transmission, which is tuned for ultimate economy, not acceleration.

Price
 At a starting price of $20,950, the Prius C the leastexpensive hybrid in Canada. It's more than $5,000 less than the regular Prius and $1,000 less than its closest competitor, the Honda Insight.
There are two models, standard and the Technology package. We drove the latter with a Premium package - a fully loaded car.

The up-level Technology trim adds niceties such as steering-wheel controls, Bluetooth, navigation, satellite radio, push-button start and smart key. The Premium package adds a sunroof, synthetic leather seats, an alarm system, heated seats, larger wheels and tires. It hikes the price of the C to $25,340, about the same price as a base Prius.

I would encourage buyers considering the C to sit in the regular Prius as well.

Although the numbers say the C isn't that far behind the Prius, there is a sense of added space to the larger sibling. The cargo hatch on the Prius (which is much larger) amplifies the difference. Even the Yaris feels bigger than the C.

The cabin of the C looks and feels closer to the Yaris than the Prius, with acres of hard plastic. But that all changes when the dash lights up.

The younger generation will take to the instrumentation like ducks to water.
There are menus upon menus. There are graphs, there are facts, there are figures. There is even a calculator that gives a dollar amount to the drive - a feature that requires a driver's input on the ever-changing cost of fuel. Once that is entered, the Prius C driver will know how every penny is being spent - right down to the minute. It will be information overload for some, but nirvana for others. My advice is to get acquainted with the system while sitting in a driveway, or you will soon find yourself driving off the road after being mesmerized by the different screens.

As one would expect, there are both ECO and EV modes. If the driver is really, really light on the accelerator, the C will travel on EV mode up to around 35 km/h.
There is an ECO score (of course) to help a driver check progress.
The C has two screens. The upper screen is devoted to tracking fuel economy.
The audio and navigation are on the lower screen. If drivers are relying on the navigation system to find an address, they have to constantly take their eyes off the road to view the screen, which is less than ideal. I am also surprised Toyota did not include a back-up camera with the system. The lower screen's resolution seems poorer than the upper one and bright sunlight easily obscures the display.

I would be interested to hear people's comments about the fake leather found in the Premium package. I feel it's a step backward, as it looks it will be hot enough to fry the back of passengers' legs in the summer.
I would choose a model with just the cloth seats and save $2,210 (the price of the Premium package) in the process.

Apart from the niggling criticisms, the Prius C is an amazing package for those who want to maximize their transportation dollars. Apart from the size, the C does practically everything that its bigger brother can do. With its attractive entry price and class-leading fuel economy, I would be surprised if Toyota dealers can keep any of them on the lot as word gets out.

parrais@timescolonist.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Toyota Prius C Sold by Dealer at Crazy Markup

Only in America could you get away with this. At Peace Arch Toyota all of our vehicles are priced at manufacturers suggested retail price. And we don't charge a documentation fee on new vehicle purchases.


But in America.....

Charge as much as you can, when you can — that seems to be the mentality at Al Hendrickson Toyota of Coconut Creek, Fla. where the sought-after Toyota Prius C is marked up by a whopping $7,000.
A Twitter user posted a picture showing the dealership’s “Market Value Adjustment” which brings the car, which carries a $19,900 base price, to a grand total of $27,834. That’s enough to buy the mid-range Prius hackback, but it doesn’t seem to matter because the Prius C is a hot-selling car.

Much to Toyota’s delight, it sol 1200 units in the first 3 days of availability in the U.S., and demand continues to exceed supply. So much so that the automaker is taking steps to ramp up production by shifting resources and dedicating more space in its Kanto factory for the small Prius.

Despite that, dealerships like Al Hendrickson can try to scoop as many ladles of greed gravy as possible until the company manages to address the issue. It’s not uncommon for dealerships to mark high-demand cars up to recoup losses, but this case seems excessive.

We called the dealership looking for an explanation, but they refused to comment on the topic.

 By: Luke Vandezande

Pop Top Sienna

An interesting Sienna owned by one of our customers. This Sienna LE 4-cylinder has been converted into a raised-roof camper.

Toyota Calls New CNN Unintended Acceleration Report “Grossly inaccurate”

 


In response to a new report on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 program accusing Toyota of a cover-up of unintended acceleration issues with its cars, the Japanese automaker is fighting back.


In a statement released today Toyota commented that, “In the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, CNN has irresponsibly aired a grossly inaccurate segment on Anderson Cooper 360 that attempts to resurrect the discredited, scientifically unproven allegation that there is a hidden defect in Toyota’s electronic throttle control system that can cause unintended acceleration.”

Toyota then goes on to document the exhaustive testing performed by NASA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Academy of Sciences, all of which, “have thoroughly debunked this worn-out fabrication.”

According to Toyota, the CNN story hinges on a document that the automaker claims has been improperly translated – a story CNN first ran in March of 2010. Furthermore, Toyota points out the much larger conflict of interest involved, namely that one of the main experts accusing Toyota had his research funded by legal firms with clients that are suing Toyota.

Toyota says the group of lawyers, “are continuing their efforts to manufacture controversy where none exists and have used CNN to support their narrow, self-serving agenda.”

In addition to these claims, the story also covers several reports of unintended acceleration, that Toyota describes as “unverified” and comments that for one complainant, Tanya Spotts, the car’s “Event Data Recorder” actually proves that the wrong pedal was applied and that proper application of the brakes only occurred when it was too late to prevent the crash. Toyota even goes on to comment that such improper application of the brake pedal is not unique to Toyota and that last year NHTSA received similar complains relating to twelve other automakers.

“Notwithstanding CNN’s irresponsible, inaccurate broadcast, we are gratified that Toyotas are once again widely recognized by leading independent evaluators as among the safest and most reliable in the world,” concludes the letter.

 By: Colum Wood

2012 Toyota Prius V is versatile, green, and available at Peace Arch Toyota

This hatchback provides a pleasant driving experience and has some advantages over the typical model

What was once a single model that defined Toyota's commitment to environmental performance and superior fuel economy has become a line of cars - an obvious sign of success. My guess, then, is that the ultimate sign of success for Toyota will be to have Prius become a verb, much like Google has.

"We Priused our way to Florida, averaging five litres per 100 kilometres." OK, that's reaching.

The second entrant in the Prius hybrid lineup, the Prius-V, is an extension of the (third-generation) original, with essentially the same powertrain but in a more wagon-like hatchback body style designed to meet - if things go according to Toyota's marketing plans - the needs of growing families. (The Prius c - for city - an "urban-friendly" hatchback, will be available next month; the Prius Plug-in Hybrid in 2012.)

From a purely esthetic standpoint, the v is by far a more attractive hybrid than the fourdoor liftback model, said third-generation model launched for the 2010 model year. (To be fair, the liftback is much more mainstream than its two predecessors, which seemed to revel in an overt, funky green smugness.) The v, though, blends in (or stands out, depending on your interpretation) with the likes of the Mazda5 and Kia Forte5 as a more versatile - hence the v suffix - family car with minivan/crossover overtones and an emphasis on cargo space.

In a normal review, I would start with the powertrain and then move to performance and handling dynamics. But, this is a Prius, people - it's not an especially fun car to drive for motor heads. It's sort of slow - especially when accelerating from a standstill - changing to glacial when in Eco mode and on an incline. Push the consolemounted Power mode button and acceleration improves noticeably, as does the ruckus from the 1.8litre gasoline engine when bigtime passing power is called for. Anybody who expects anything but is dreaming in technicolour. But people dig this car because its hybrid technology is still cool and it boasts miserly fuel consumption. Plus, it gets a big thumbs up from both Hollywood and the environmentalists.

If you are serious about keeping your hard-earned dollars out of the hands of the oil companies, you can't go wrong, especially with the new body style. My week with the tester generated a parsimonious 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres, without me going to any great lengths to be eco-friendly.

What makes the v a better Prius than the standard model is its genuinely roomy cabin, with excellent sightlines out the front and side windows. Even with the front seats back in their tracks, there's (just) enough room in the rear for leggy six-footers, with plenty of headroom to boot.

 Popping the rear hatch reveals a wide, deep cargo area with 34.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, which Toyota claims makes the v the most spacious dedicated hybrid vehicle on the market. Dropping those sliding, second-row, 60/40-split perches all but doubles the hatch's capacity. Plus, the front-passenger seat folds flat for longer items.

Like the Prius, the v's Hybrid Synergy Drive system uses two high-output motors, one 60kilowatt (80-horsepower) unit that mainly works to power the transaxle and another smaller motor that primarily works as the electric power source. The nickelmetal hydride battery pack is the same as on the Prius liftback but with a cooling duct located under the rear seat. Hybrid Synergy Drive is a series-parallel hybrid system that can provide power from the gas engine alone, the motor alone or a mix of both. It uses a start/stop system and regenerative braking to conserve fuel and recharge the battery under deceleration. The drive system is built around the 98-hp 1.8L Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and, working together, contributes to a total of 134 hp.


In addition to the standard driving mode and Eco and Power modes, there is also the EV mode, which allows the Prius v to run on battery power alone for very short distances (1.6 kilometres maximum) and lower speeds. In Eco, the engine management system emphasizes fuel economy, manages throttle response and limits power consumption from the air conditioning.


The Prius v retails for $27,200, a reasonable price for a hybrid of its size and intent and with the number of standard features it carries. The tester, however, was loaded to the max with a $9,675 Touring + Technology package (a combination of three separate available packages), weighing it down with a far heftier $36,875 sticker. A panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, premium audio system, Intelligent Parking Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, voice-activated DVD navigation system, synthetic leather seats and a ton of stuff more are all included. Maybe it's just me, but I felt this was overkill, trying to turn the v into some sort of luxury hybrid, which it's not.

That aside, the hatchback proved to be a pleasant driving experience. While still maintaining a portion of the Prius iconoclasm that isn't present in more mainstream-oriented hybrid sedans (Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima, for example), the v's design and space utility make it an easy fit into the hybrid segment. It's a welcome addition, one that will help evolve the Prius line.

By Brian Harper, Postmedia News