Suspicion One: It Did Not Fit The Mold They Wanted With a base price of $21,530, this little economy box was $2,000 less expensive than its older sibling. With some very respectable numbers of 48 city mpg, and 43 highway miles per gallon, the car was quite attractive.

The Toyota Prius c (c stands for "city"), named the Toyota Aqua (Japanese: トヨタ・アクア, Hepburn: Toyota Akua) ("aqua" is Latin for water) in Japan, is a full hybrid gasoline-electric subcompact/supermini hatchback manufactured and marketed by Toyota.

On all Prius C models, a version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive provides power to the front wheels. Under the hood there's a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine, paired with an electric motor system, an advanced planetary gearset, sophisticated controls and a more compact nickel-metal hydride battery pack.

The Toyota Prius v has the advantage of offering more interior volume, reflected in more front head room, front shoulder room, rear head room, rear shoulder room, rear leg room, and cargo space. The Toyota Prius c, a hybrid subcompact car, has the advantage in the area of front leg room.

The standard Prius remains the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. Although there is no doubt that the Prius C offers a significant standard of efficiency, the standard still trumps its more modern model. The cost of the standard comes in slightly higher than the Prius C.

Highs Affordable, some standard safety and driver assists, warranty includes complimentary maintenance. Lows Abysmal performance, uncomfortable interior, unimpressive fuel economy. Verdict There is virtually no reason to buy the Prius C instead of one of its better, more efficient competitors.

city Prius. Derived from the Latin prefix meaning "to go before". Prius c. The letter "c" represents "city" in the Prius c name; Designed to function as an urban-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience, hatchback utility, with great city fuel economy.

The Prius and Camry hybrids work off a four-cylinder, high expansion ratio Atkinson cycle engine. Atkinson cycle engines squeeze optimum energy from gasoline combustion by increasing the expansion ratio and by extracting every last bit of power from the gas-air mix.

Subcompact hybrid hatchback. Seats five. 46 mpg combined fuel economy.

Prius. Derived from the Latin prefix meaning "to go before". Prius c. The letter "c" represents "city" in the Prius c name; Designed to function as an urban-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience, hatchback utility, with great city fuel economy.

Comfort. The Prius C is a small car that rides bigger than you'd guess by looking at it. The seats are also surprisingly comfortable despite their basic adjustments and cloth upholstery.