C must not mean ‘city’ anymore.
Perhaps in a desperate search for more ‘millennial’ appeal by piggybacking off of the whole crossover craze, Toyota has given the humble and harmless looking Prius C some stubble, cargo pants, and face paint.
The differences observed here are formed from the lens of the Aqua, the car’s name when sold in its home market of Japan, but it’s been all but reported that most regions (such as North America, as Car and Driver confirms) will be receiving this SUV-esque update for the 2018 model year.
It is purely cosmetic, apparently, as the bolder fascia, front/rear skid plate, silver accents, and protective cladding that runs along its lower perimeter and wheel arches, aren’t backed up by any mechanical alternations that would make it any more competent when the going gets a little tougher. The ride height, for example, hasn't seemed to have been increased by any meaningful amount.
Like most crossovers, it’s meant to look meaty without any real muscle, and that objective seems well reached here upon following a template that aspires to an ‘active lifestyle’ without really being more suited to it.
Drive is still sent to the front wheels exclusively, powered by a petrol-electric hybrid that marries a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder and a pair of electric motors - one for direct propulsion and the other to supplement the planetary gear set in Toyota’s e-CVT. In all, the combined output stands at 74kW, as it did before.
Thankfully, there are also some changes made to the Prius C’s interior, but these can be classified as light alterations. The steering wheel, for example, wears a newer design, and the centre stack and infotainment spread looks to be updated as well. Aside from that, we struggle to spot much of a difference but will add that certain cabin improvements will be dependent on the market it’s headed to.
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