“Even when I decided to put my foot down (and that was often) I still averaged 4.9L/100km combined.”

Statements about the 2015 Toyota Prius c that I’ve heard before: The Toyota Prius c is boring to drive.

Wrong.

The Toyota Prius c doesn’t have enough power.

Wrong, but not 100 per cent inaccurate.

The Toyota Prius c looks like my grandma’s shoes.

Again wrong, but also funny.

Say what you want about the smallest iteration of Toyota’s phenomenally fuel-efficient hybrids, but it doesn’t lack personality or the ability to shine on the road.

Here’s why.

Since the last time the c and I rendezvoused, I’d forgotten how decent the handling actually is. That’s not what I’d say about all Prius family members. When passing a German sports car in a tight bend, I still had some leftover give from the tires and suspension. Body roll was surprisingly kept to a minimum so you know Toyota’s doing something right. Granted, I wasn’t on a racetrack (we both know who would win) and I wouldn’t say I was pushing it, but it does hold its own. It even garnered a thumb’s up from said driver.

Prius: 1. Sports car: 0.

So what if the drone of the engine and CVT combined sound like a lovesick walrus? It’s irrelevant.

The car has to work hard if you want it to accelerate quickly. After all, it’s not a performance vehicle in the traditional sense. The Prius c will, however, give you incredible fuel results. That’s thanks to the combination of a 1.5 litre, 4-Cylinder gasoline engine, an electric motor and a sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack.

There’s a whopping 99 net horsepower produced, but again, the c is all about efficiency.

Estimated fuel results come in at 4.5L/100km in the city, 5.1L/100km on the highway and a combined number of 4.8L/100km.

I could have driven it responsibly to try to beat those results, but that was not my goal. And there’s no fun in that!

I wanted to drive it like I would any other car. Even when I decided to put my foot down (and that was often) I still averaged 4.9L/100km combined. Keeping in mind that there were a few long hill climbs on my various adventures.

Of the Prius vehicles available, I’d say it’s the least like a grandma’s shoe. In fact, I think it’s the cutest. Not because of its size, but because it has some nice lines to it. For 2015 there’s a restyled front end with standard single LED projector low and highbeam headlights, two new exterior colours and new “light pipe” taillights.

Bonus.

Inside, you get quite a few tech features, a 6.1-inch (155mm) Touch Panel Display Audio with Navigation, and more.

The front SofTex seats are heated, and if you happen to spill anything on them, they wipe of with minimal effort.

Furthermore, there’s 484L of cargo space with the rear seats up.

With the rear seats folded down, there was enough storage to fit my road bike inside (without having to take off the front wheel) and left room for my cycling gear and a passenger up front.

On the subject of size, around town, it pretty much fits into any parking spot. Even those annoyingly small spots that are the direct result of people not considering others and awkwardly placing their vehicles at just the right distance so a “middle” car can’t fit.

You know the violators I’m talking about.

Prius: 1. Parking: 0.

The particular trim of c I had was deemed the “Technology.” That includes the aforementioned navigation system, SMS-to-speech and Email-to-speech capability, a backup camera, a leather wrapped steering wheel, a power moonroof, 15-inch aluminum alloy wheels, and more.

Let me be clear, the takeaway at the end of the day is that the Prius c is my favourite Prius in the lineup.

You can drive the pants off it and you’ll still get amazing fuel economy results.

There’s room for five, a road bike in the back – but in that case you’ll have to fold the rear seats down and kick three people out – fuel economy is stellar and it’s wrapped into a shapely package.

C might stand for City, but it stands for “winner” in my books.

Long live the Prius.

The 2015 Toyota Prius c Technology has a starting MSRP of $26,055.

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Visit www.toyota.ca for more information.

Contact the writer at alexandra [dot] straub [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca