Toyota Aqua/Prius C (NHP10)

Happily however, there is another ending for the year 2011. Welcome everyone, to the automotive climax of 2011 that is much more fuel efficient than the Prius. If whoever Google searched "Four types of Prius", well sorry, that's not what you've expected because in reality, there are three different types of Prius such as the regular one, the Prius Alpha MPV, and the Prius PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle) available at the end of January 2012. This compact hybrid car is not a Prius, well despite it will be exported to the rest of the world soon as the Prius C. This is Toyota's compact hybrid that takes on the Honda Fit Hybrid and promises to deliver the best fuel efficiency a hybrid car can give. But I don't care, this is the Toyota Aqua, the newest hybrid hatchback that is cheaper than the Prius.

2012 Toyota Aqua

It's not just me who likes the Aqua either, everyone does. Some say the only thing she enjoys more than cosplaying Haqua is the Aqua. (Cure Aqua?) I praise to someone who doesn't like the Prius but girls are going to get thrilled. Well, it doesn't have powers like what Cure Aqua have from the Precure5 GoGo. It wasn't built to purify murky waters. It wasn't made to be more friendly to the animals...

2012 Toyota Aqua interior

It wasn't made to be more classy because the interior is somewhat a mash-up between the Prius and the third-generation Vitz/Yaris. It wasn't made for performance because it uses the upgraded 1NZ-FXE engine with Toyota Hybrid System II that produces 74PS of power and 111Nm of torque. In fact, it was made to satisfy you with its world-leading fuel economy of 40.0km/L of fuel economy based on Japan's 10-15 Mode Cycle, bridging the 2km/L gap ahead from the Prius. It is a good value for money because the Aqua has the starting price of 1,690,000 Japanese Yen (about 1,042,000 Philippine Pesos), affordable than the Prius' starting price of 2,170,000 Japanese Yen.

There are three grades for the Aqua; the Aqua 1.5 L (the entry-level variant), the Aqua 1.5 S, and the Aqua 1.5 G (the flagship variant). Depending on the variant, there are seven packages available to suit the Aqua's individuality for owners such as Smart Entry, Beauty, Audio, LED Headlamp, Navi Ready, Touring, and Advanced Display. After all, it is available in 10 exterior colors such as Super White II, Lime White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Gray Metallic, Black Mica, Super Red V, Citrus Orange Mica Metallic, Yellow, Blue Metallic, and Cool Soda Metallic.

My Comment:
It won't get you into trouble, it will often leave a female driver a smile on her face, and yes, the ride's slightly smooth enough to lead you back home. Of course, this is more efficient than the Honda Fit Hybrid as expected. There are many tuning and customization parts available for the Aqua courtesy of Modellista and there are Toyota Genuine Accessories available for the Aqua to stand out the rest.

See you next year. And now if I don't mind, I want to be alone with Haqua, I mean, Cure Aqua, I mean, Aqua...


Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation