Toyota Prius c: 53 MPG city / 46 MPG Hwy; Under $19,000

[Danny]

A new story entry has been added:

Toyota Prius c: 53 MPG city / 46 MPG Hwy; Under $19,000

Below are a few important tidbits of Prius c info. Click above for the full article of information.

• 53 MPG City / 46 MPG Hwy / 50 MPG Combined
• With a starting price that will be under $19k, the Prius c will carry a lower MSRP than the first-gen Prius Toyota launched 12 years ago.
• Targeted toward "younger shoppers seeking a smartly designed, fuel-efficient subcompact car packing advanced drivetrain and in-car technology"
• Powered by 1.5-liter engine. 99 total horsepower.
• Available in 9 different colors.

[usbseawolf2000]

Using 55% City and 45% highway, the combined is 50 MPG.

[spwolf]

yep... so what do you guys think? It seems reasonable.
Real life figures should be considerably better than Prius IMHO, because it is only 2500lbs car.

It is very light car. Yaris in US is 2300lbs, and thats with less features and smaller car (Prius c is based on Verso-S MPV sold in Europe and Japan, which is half size up from Yaris).

[Skoorbmax]

Damn, that is a bit disappointing on MPG, I won't be the only one to say it. More or less rated the same as the Gen 3, which is larger and has more power. How is this even possible?

It's pretty obvious that hybrid tech is going to get incrementally better now, no leaps and bounds.

On the other hand, if it's under $19,000 that to me offsets any disappointment at it not having a combined ~55.

I think this car will sell like honey to a bear. If you're looking at econoboxes you're looking in mid teens but throw a few more thousand at it and your ~29-30 MPG (best in class econobox or subcompact mileage for city now) can get boosted to 53, it's going to be an easy sell to many.

[Rybold]

UNDER $19K and March 2012 !!! SWEET !!! This will open up a whole new market of consumers!

And I'll bet companies will buy these for couriers and car fleets to run errands around the city.

Will it effectively price Honda out of the market?

If regular Prius is 51/50 mpg and this is 53/46 mpg, it makes me wonder which model with have the higher combined mpg on the EPA rating. Toyota says 50 combined, but is that the EPA number that will be on the window sticker?

[cyclopathic]

Interesting that the hwy MPG is lower then GenIII. Granted the Cd is higher (.28) but frontal area is lower, so the resistance of Prius C should be closer to GenIII (about .26 after frontal area adjustment).

Overall rating EPA is the same as bigger GenIII, but you can't beat 19,000 MSRP, they will sell. Esp to commuters, city dwellers but also looks like a perfect 1st car for a kid.

[jyoungprius]

Originally Posted by Rybold

If regular Prius is 51/50 mpg and this is 53/46 mpg, it makes me wonder which model with have the higher combined mpg on the EPA rating. Update: I just read the article. It's 50 combined.

This is looking like price is the main differentiator between the more expensive GenIII and the less expensive "c", and not the mpg.

The net epa numbers show exactly the same combined mpg as the 3rd gen midsize Prius. So I can get a much smaller lighter car with far less power...and yet not gain even 1 mpg (combined) epa mileage. That is very disappointing.
This car will only appeal to those who have envied the Prius for many years and now might finally be able to afford the $19,000 starting price.....but it looks like the average driver will gain absolutely nothing in terms of better fuel economy over the regular more powerful and more roomy midsize regular Prius.

[F8L]

Originally Posted by jyoungprius

The net epa numbers show exactly the same combined mpg as the 3rd gen midsize Prius. So I can get a much smaller lighter car with far less power...and yet not gain even 1 mpg (combined) epa mileage. That is very disappointing.
This car will only appeal to those who have envied the Prius for many years and now might finally be able to afford the $19,000 starting price.....but it looks like the average driver will gain absolutely nothing in terms of better fuel economy over the regular more powerful and more roomy midsize regular Prius.

You stated the main point then you seem to have missed the point entirely.

It is opening up the Prius to a new market segment. It was not designed to beat the standard Prius on all fronts. It was meant to be cheaper and smaller. I feel they hit the nail on the head. The Prius will always be their gold standard. I bet they are saving up and perfecting the new technology for the GenIV standard model. Debuting a car that is better all around than the standard model would be a bad move for Toyota.

[jyoungprius]

"Debuting a car that is better all around than the standard model would be a bad move for Toyota."
That's true.....however, I am much more interested in what is best for the consumer...not what is bestfor Toyota.

[Sergiospl]

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