The Toyota Prius family is rapidly expanding as you know, with the 4th generation Prius IV just hitting the ground, the 2012 Prius v making waves among large cargo capacity drivers and families alike, and the Prius Plug-in is on the horizon.  But it's the compact Prius c, the only subcompact vehicle of any kind to top the 50-mpg benchmark, which has people's heads starting to turn.

Starting with the now well known 53 miles per gallon (city), the Prius c comes with three driving modes:  Eco mode, an EV mode, and a third, unnamed mode presumably called "normal" (as per the current trends in the Prius family).  When Prius c drivers use Eco mode, the engine retunes key systems for enhanced fuel economy - read that as highway driving and the like.  Conversely in EV mode the Prius' engine is set to an electric-power-only state where drivers can go up to one mile and up to 25 mph on a battery charged from the Hybrid Synergy Drive system's regenerative braking and the like.

As for options, let me just say the opening price comes with a slew of standard options (and yes; I WILL get to pricing momentarily).  Features of the base Prius c include:

• AM/FM radio
• CD player
• MP3 and WMA playback
• USB port
• Auxiliary jack
• Remote keyless entry
• Bluetooth for hands-free calling and music streaming purposes
• Tilt/telescoping steering wheel
• Steering wheel-mounted audio and climate controls

Those who want more toys in their Prius c can also opt into buying an upgraded head unit in the form of Toyota's Display Radio and Toyota's Entune with advanced voice recognition software, the latter of which comes with a three-year trial (compatible mobile device and data rates not included).

For those of you who have seen the Prius c in previous photos you might wonder how large the vehicle really is inside.  While it's obviously smaller than the original Prius hybrid, the interior still has a pretty large amount of room thanks to the 60/40 split rear bench seats.  The Prius c won't be just a generic subcompact in the same vein as all those who have come to claim the throne and failed miserably in the past however; as the Prius c's sporty stance and demeanor would have you believe a specially designed and tuned, sporty suspension allows for an agile yet comfortable ride.  Toyota has particularly high hopes for the Prius c in big cities like New York City and Boston where tightly packed streets and high smog are the norm.

To finally get to the part you are likely more than ready to hear, pricing has been set at a starting manufacturer suggested retail price of $18,950 for the base model mentioned above.  With this news of updated pricing, Toyota has also released a list of optional features that will or are likely to be on the Prius c menu.  Optional features include:

• A 6.1-inch touchscreen
• Advanced voice-recognition technology
• Three months of SiriusXM satellite radio included
• HD Radio with iTunes tagging
• Mobile apps such as Bing search, Pandora Internet Radio, iHeartRadio (another streaming Internet radio application), MovieTickets.com, and OpenTable's eating guide
• Access to real-time information about traffic, weather, fuel prices, sports, and news

For more on the Prius c, subscribe to our blog today and keep up to date on all the news when it's published.  You can also email a sales team member and ask them to notify you of any news personally, or use our CarFinder tool to setup an automatic notification when the first Prius c hits our 39 S. Main St., St. Albans, VT lot.

Chris Dugan
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT  05478