2012 Toyota Prius c

Experts have mixed reactions to the 2012 Toyota Prius c (Base MSRP: $18,950 to $23,230). This littler Prius gets the same incredible 50 mpg overall as the regular 2012 Toyota Prius (Base MSRP: $24,000 to $29,805) -- for at least $4,000 less. "The hybrid for the masses has arrived," declares Cars.com's David Thomas, and Edmunds Inside Line says the Prius c "is our new favorite Prius."

But other experts -- just as reliable -- say the Prius c cuts too many corners. It's slower than a regular Prius, and some critics find the interior too chintzy and the ride too rough and noisy (others say they're fine). While all of our top sources recommend the regular Prius, only half of those recommend the Prius c.

We also cover the other two Prius versions -- the 2012 Toyota Prius v wagon (Base MSRP: $26,550 to $30,140) and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (Base MSRP: $32,000 to $39,525) -- in separate reports.

A 'less weird' look than the Prius

The Prius c "does not look weird," says Dan Edmunds at Edmunds Inside Line -- unlike the oddly wedge-shaped regular Prius. The smaller Prius c cuts 15 inches and more than 500 pounds off the "matronly" Prius, giving the Prius c "a snappier look," Motor Trend's Steve Temple says.

Unlike the Prius, "which has the aesthetic appeal of a slug on wheels, the Prius c is an attractive little car," writes Nick Czap in The New York Times. "Where the Prius Liftback is all monolithic planar mass, the Prius c is all curves and flares and bulges."

The Prius c "seems far less weird" on the inside, too, Edmunds says, because the regular Prius's "silly joystick shift lever and the separate push-button for Park is history. Instead there's a normal console shifter and a center-pull parking brake lever -- like a real car."

Still, the Prius c mounts the gauges in the center of the dash, instead of in front of the driver, just like a regular Prius. Not that they're normal gauges, Temple points out -- more like computerized screens busy with info about how much gas you're burning and what the hybrid system's up to. Cars.com's Thomas says the "vibrant" 3.5-inch multifunction screen "will wow buyers of every trim level.... Drivers can input both the current price of gas and the mileage of another car to show how much money the Prius c is saving them, in real time." But Temple's not impressed: "This highly computerized conveyance feel[s] more like operating an iPad than driving a car," he says.

The cabin "is equally sanitized and rather functional," Temple says (Czap interprets it as "pleasingly spare and uncluttered"). But is it nice? Depends on who you ask.

"You expect the interior to be low-rent. That's not the case here," says Cars.com's Thomas. "While the base Prius c One is equipped with seating materials that could have been on a 1982 Corolla, the rest of the cabin materials are on par with competitors like Ford and Hyundai's sub-$20,000 cars."

Edmunds.com begs to differ. "The cabin's plastics are several steps below the materials you'll find in other subcompacts like the Ford Fiesta (Base MSRP: $13,200 to $14,100) and Hyundai Accent (Base MSRP: $12,545 to $15,895)," Edmunds.com says. "The cloth seat upholstery is nothing special, but it's certainly better than the optional 'faux leather.' It may be made from eco-friendly materials, but it's probably the cheapest-feeling material we've felt covering a car seat in quite some time." The whole Prius c cabin suffers from "a definite economy-car feel."

Another top source agrees, calling the cabin "very basic," with "cheap materials" -- hard plastics and thin carpet and headliner. On the Prius c Two tested there, "At least the seat cushions are covered in nice fabric."

Surprising passenger space and standard goodies

Testers enjoy a surprising amount of room in the Prius c -- especially considering that it's a subcompact.

"At 5-foot-10, I was perfectly comfortable in the driver and front passenger seats over hours of driving," says Cars.com's Thomas. Some wish the steering wheel telescoped more, though. In the backseat, "I fit just fine behind the driver's seat positioned where I'd put it to drive. I had inches of knee room and more than enough headroom." The backseat gets tight if you're three across, or over 6 feet tall, reviews say.

In fact, the Prius c loses only an inch of backseat legroom compared with the regular Prius. So where did the designers chop off the extra length? Cargo bay, mostly. At 17.1 cubic feet, the Prius c can hold a couple of suitcases -- about average for a subcompact hatch, Edmunds.com says. "However, an average family's grocery trip would likely overwhelm the space, as would taking a couple of friends to the airport," Thomas says. "The backseat does fold down, either in one piece -- in the Prius c One -- or in a 60/40 split in the other trim levels."

That's still more cargo space than you'll get from the 2012 Honda Insight (Base MSRP: $18,500 to $21,965), Inside Line's Dan Edmunds points out -- and "the Prius C's backseat is actually far more inviting" than the Insight's.

Unusual standard features impress testers: automatic climate control, hill-start assist, Bluetooth and a USB jack are rare on base-model subcompacts, but you'll find them on every Prius c. The Prius c One (Base MSRP: $18,950) also gets remote keyless entry, power windows, tilt-and-telescoping steering, 15-inch steel wheels, a four-speaker CD stereo and iPod interface.

The Prius c Two (Base MSRP: $19,900) adds two more speakers plus a split-folding backseat, center storage armrest, height-adjustable driver's seat, cargo cover and cruise control. The Prius c Three (Base MSRP: $21,635) adds a 6.1-inch touch screen with navigation, voice commands and Toyota's Entune smartphone integration system (so you can stream Internet radio, search Bing, etc.), plus satellite radio and keyless ignition. The Prius c Four (Base MSRP: $23,230) tops out with faux leather seats (heated in front), heated mirrors, fog lights and alloy wheels (15- or optional 16-inch). You can opt for a power moonroof on the Three and Four.

'Drives more like a normal car' than the Prius -- only slower

Even experts who like the Prius c admit: It's slow. And although it eventually does make it up steep hills, it struggles in test after test: "We found ourselves recalling those optimistic lines from 'The Little Engine That Could' as the car pedaled hard uphill" on steep San Francisco streets, writes Temple at Motor Trend.

To shrink costs, Toyota's engineers not only shrank the size of the Prius c -- they also shrank its powertrain. Its 1.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine joins a pair of electric motors to crank out 99 total system horsepower (35 fewer than the regular Prius) and 125 pound-feet of torque (28 fewer than the Prius).

The littlest Prius takes 11.3 seconds to reach 60 mph at Edmunds.com -- "quite slow even for a subcompact car ... but the C's power is perfectly acceptable for around-town driving and getting up to highway speeds." As with all hybrids, the regenerative brakes recharge the battery while you drive. They do a good job stopping the car promptly in tests, too.

It's not sporty, but experts say it's still livelier than other Priuses, thanks to its lighter, littler body and less-numb steering. It "drives more like a normal car" than the regular Prius, Edmunds.com says. And on snaking switchbacks in the California mountains, the Prius c "hugged tight turns with minimal body lean," Temple says.

Ride quality gets mixed reviews. One prominent source complains that the Prius c rides "stiff and rubbery, even on the highway," while the weak engine "screams to keep up." Temple says the ride's OK on smooth city streets, but "gets tiresome and busy" when the road grows bumpy or long. Edmunds.com agrees that the ride gets "a bit harsh at times," but others completely disagree: Inside Line's Dan Edmunds says the Prius C "feels calmer and more settled than any regular Prius," and Cars.com's Thomas calls the ride "remarkably comfortable."

Overall, "In terms of driving performance, the Prius c is about as exciting as you might predict, which is not very," Thomas says. "But compare it with traditional high-mileage subcompacts like the Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta, and it gives up little ground."

50 mpg, just like the Prius

"Otherworldly" fuel economy (as Inside Line calls it) is the big story here: The Prius c ties with the regular Prius as the most fuel-efficient car you can buy that doesn't plug in.

Both Priuses get 50 mpg overall, although the Prius c (the c stands for "city") does 2 mpg better in town and 2 mpg worse on the highway, according to the EPA. Several testers do achieve these stratospheric numbers in the real world, although one leading test gets a lower 43 mpg in mixed city/highway driving with the Prius c.

EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

City: 53 mpg

Highway: 46 mpg

Combined: 50 mpg

Safety and reliability ratings are strong so far

Although the Prius c hadn't yet undergone government crash-testing when we checked, it had already aced all of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's independent crash tests. The Prius c comes with the usual array of standard safety features -- antilock brakes, traction and stability control and front, front-side and curtain airbags -- plus a driver knee airbag.

Reliability should be better than average, a leading consumer organization predicts. The Prius c carries three-year/36,000-mile basic and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranties, plus eight years/100,000 miles for the hybrid component.

NHTSA Safety Ratings

• Not tested

IIHS Safety Ratings

• Front Offset Impact: Good

• Side Impact: Good

• Rear Impact: Good

• Roof Strength: Good

• Named 2012 Top Safety Pick