CleanMPG First Drive Review of the 2012 Toyota Prius c

Toyota said Monday that a hydrogen-powered vehicle that emits only water vapor as exhaust will proceed on sale in the U.S. in 2015, a year earlier than it pledged just two months before.

The Japanese automaker made the announcement Monday at the International CES, the technology industry's annual gadget show. The move came months after competitor automakers Hyundai and Honda both said they'd start trading vehicles with that expertise in the U.S. in 2015.

The electric powered car, which Toyota calls FCV for now, utilises hydrogen as fuel for a electric battery. Toyota says it will have a range of 300 miles, can accelerate from standstill to 60 miles per hour in 10 seconds, and can refuel its hydrogen tank in three to five minutes.

Toyota states it will aim on selling vehicles in California at first. employed with researchers at the University of California, Irvine, Toyota said the first 10,000 vehicles can be supported with only 68 refueling stations from San Francisco to San Diego. It documented that California has accepted $200 million to construct about 20 fueling stations by 2015, 40 by 2016 and 100 by 2024.

"This infrastructure thing is going to happen," said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive procedures for Toyota engine Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Carter said all the vehicles in California could be assisted with just 15 per hundred of the 10,000 gas positions in the state now if they were spaced rightly. Researchers approximated where likely FCV purchasers would need hydrogen stations and planned to put them inside six minutes of their home or work.

"We don't need a position on every corner," he said.

Carter added that the U.S. agency of Toyota had lately increased its demand for vehicles. He said that a 95 per hundred slash in output costs from the initial prototype would help it make fuel cell vehicles that are "a sensible price for a lot of people."

Toyota Motor Corp. has pledged to sell its fuel cell cars for $50,000 to $100,000, aiming for the lower end of the variety.

 

I assume the Four is still available with a faster steering rack?

 

Love the new colors! I'm debating to get the new front bumper and front headlights but the old ones had two barrel headlights and the news are single. Having the two barrel lights does look nicer IMO.

I wonder if the new bumper has been wind tunnel tested? The C does so well with MPG it might not even show up and pass under the mpg radar.

 

Hi Wayne,

Are you referring to the new upcoming Yaris/Mazda 2 Chassis? I'm sure the next C will be based on that chassis?

I wonder what was changed on the chassis in this refresh like you? Anyhow I'm keeping my C for a long time! I have done some nice upgrades on mine and now doing ECO trailering with it.

My next car will have to be EV to be worth it. I would like 500 mile range like a Prius C hehe lets see what happens with battery technology in the next 10 years.

 

I bought a brand new 2015 Prius C Three today. It appears to have ~ two thirds of the maximum cargo area of my trade in, my beloved 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring. I picked the car on the lot that has Good Year Assurance Fuel Max tires instead of Bridgestone Turismo tires. I am going to set the tire pressure to 45lbs. Tomorrow, Ravenol releases 0W16 motor oil to the North American market.

I cannot wait to learn to hypermile.

 

I wonder what Toyota will say about 0W16 oil. I bought my Prius with some Yokohama rim protectors that are only rated at 44 psi , but tires are temporary. Getting a car in the colour I wanted came first.
It almost came down to a coin toss for me , when deciding on a liftback or a c. The c is excellent in so many ways, but I wanted it to swallow my mountain bike without any disassembly and the liftback does that nicely.

 

It will void the warranty! Don't try this at home! My conditions are unusual.

However, Japanese market cars run on 0W16. This particular oil is formulated differently than Toyota Genuine motor oil. It is slightly thinner yet very shear stable. It runs clean and long---certainly outside of warranty.

I anticipate slightly elevated MPG, better protection, very clean piston rings, and longer oil change intervals.
I drive mega miles--- 90k miles per year and desire a vehicle life of several hundred thou sand miles.

This is exactly what I do. Used oil analysis will be obtained. I want to see how the thinnest safe motor oils influence MPG.

There are different maintenance plans that will work. My second choice would be Quaker State Ultimate Durability 0W20, with its extraordinarily low price and low NOACK volatility index, with frequent oil changes. The ICE in the Toyota hybrid system has frequent stops and starts, as I am sure you, Edwin, and everyone know.

 

A question please for xcel/ hypermilers.

Would it be worthwhile to trade out my heavy, factory steel wheels for light aftermarket wheels. I would realizeimmediate returns on my investment if it is indeed worthwhile.

Thank you.

 

Considering the huge amount of highway travel you must be doing , I don't think the weight savings would be helping at steady highway speeds. City driving , perhaps a per cent.
Just my wild-ass guess.

 

Thanks ETW.

First tank full ~63.2872 MPG. Per display. 90% flat hwy 53 MPH.

Baseline being established. Will boost tire pressure pretty soon.

 

Nice result. After a couple of tanks , can you check your actual fuel consumption ( vs Toyota's fcd) and see how accurate it is ? My Liftback over-reports by about 5%.

 

I mispoke. MPG's were not per display only-but more per hand calculation. The only caveat is that I did not have knowledge of exactly how much the dealership filled up the gas tank. In a few days I will boost tire pressure to 50 lbs. I am just beginning to learn how to kick in EV mode in city driving. In two weeks, the engine will be broken in. In three weeks, I will install Ravenol 0W16. With discipline and technique 70MPG should be no problem.

Thank you for your feedback ETM.:teeth:

 

Understood. I asked because of comments I read online, and because of feedback I received from a tire retailer. The claim is that the relatively heavy steel wheels get bent easily from curb rash and that they tend to not stay hubcentric. Ah yes, ML, from pc. I am going to join and ask a few questions over there. This is my first experience with a hybrid. So far, it's been a lot of fun, "driven" by a business decision.

I think pc and cleanmpg will be my online hangouts moving forward.

Thank you Mendel Leisk.:teeth:

 

Second fill up.
Hand calculated.
58.945 MPG.
95 % flat freeway driving
Cruise control at 53 MPH.
Will start filling up
xcel method for accuracy.
FCD too generous.