The Toyota Prius design has always been a heated point of discussion for car lovers. Why does being ‘green’ usually mean looking like a bit of a geek?

The Chevrolet Volt did a lot to change that. It’s an extended range electric vehicle that looks cool, sporty and graceful all at once.

The Toyota Prius c changes the nerdy-vehicle landscape once again. The newest addition to the Prius family is a little beauty. Okay, maybe not in a sinewy European sports car kind of way, but to us, the Prius c is pretty sharp.

The Prius c is billed by Toyota as a premium subcompact, a ‘gateway’ vehicle into the Prius fold. The ‘c’ stands for ‘city’ and will get you from A to B in style.

The silhouette is jaunty. The Projector Style halogen headlights, the rear spoiler and the sculpted flares over the rear tires look cool.

The Prius c is more agile than the conventional Prius since it’s 48.5 cm shorter in length, 4.6 cm lower in height and 5 cm skinnier. The payback is like fitting into those high school jeans.

All the major components have been redesigned to reduce weight, scale and improve efficiency. The engine is more compact and weight distribution of all those components, including positioning the hybrid battery and the fuel tank underneath the rear seat, helps lower the centre of gravity.

With a hybrid what people really fall in love with is fuel efficiency. According to Transport Canada, the Prius c has a fuel efficiency rating of 3.5 and 3.7 L/ 100 km/h (highway/city), allowing Toyota to claim ‘lowest of any vehicle without a plug’.

Our numbers are slightly higher but falling under the spell of the cuteness factor of the Prius c leads us to drive it with more gusto than we would normally drive a hybrid or other ‘green’ car. Uh oh.

On the highway, the ride and handling is acceptable. Lisa doesn’t think she would be throwing it onto a track but if she did, it sure would look cute going around the turns!

But Garry wants to talk looks. Yes, you want a vehicle to get you from A to B. Yes, you want a vehicle to have enough space for your life, all the stuff and people you carry. And yes, you want to do your part to not rob the earth of any more of its resources. But, if you love cars, you want your vehicle to look good.

Prius c comes in some pretty neat colours, like, Mandarin Orange Metallic, Summer Rain Metallic and Moonglow. Our tester was Alpine White which, for Lisa, adds to its cute quotient.

Indeed, the Prius c shows it’s possible to have beauty, functionality and outstanding fuel economy with a nice personality.