The Toyota Prius c has
received the Toyota Safety Sense C, or TSS-C for short, as a standard for all
model grades. The previous model year only had it as an option for two Prius c
equipment levels, but now it has become standard, which is a significant
advantage for the customers of one of the most affordable hybrid cars on the
U.S. market.
The Toyota Safety Sense-C integrates a suite of
systems that assist the driver in preventing an accident. It incorporates the
automatic high beam assistant, which switches between low beams and high beams
as it spots oncoming vehicles, a lane departure alert, and a Pre-collision
system.
The latter is functional between 11 km/h and 136 km/h, and has a camera and a laser beam at its disposal. If an
imminent collision is recognized, the driver is alerted with audio and visual
methods.
In case the driver does nothing, the system will
attempt to prevent the crash by applying the brakes, which will mitigate the
effects of the said impact. If the driver notices and reacts, the system keeps
helping him by using Brake Assist, which delivers additional braking force.
The technology described above, a frontal collision
mitigation system, will be mandatory on all new automobiles of the 2022 model
year in the USA, but Toyota and Lexus want to stay ahead of the pack and make
them standard on their products by the end of this year.
The 2017 model year of the Prius c also gets other
improvements, which involve a redesigned front end, a new front bumper,
modified side rocker panels, and a blacked-out rear spoiler. Customers of the 2017 Toyota Prius c have to choose
between four equipment grades, which are called One, Two, Three, and Four.
