Why did you choose a C over a liftback?

Not any more, I'll bet!

 

I have a dilemma. Considering trading my 2013 Prius III for a 2013 Prius C IV.

Cost and mileage is not a factor. It all started when I rented a Chevolet Sonic recently and loved the way it drove. I'm just not crazy about the way my Prius drives. I've always driven a stick shift. My last three cars (over 15 years) were Jeep Wrangler. I commute 150 miles round trip 3 times a week. I just got tired of getting 18-20 miles per gallon and my Jeep had 160, 000 miles. I had a Honda CRX once and loved it. So I sold my beloved Jeep with regret and got the Prius this past May. I did not get the C at the time since I thought it looked too small and looked like something a college kid would drive. I kept my back seat out on my Jeep so I always had enough cargo space (groceries, Ikea, 10 bags of mulch from Lowe's, etc). Passengers are typically just me and my dog. Freeway driving to work, otherwise drive around town. I'm not sure if I will regret trading Prius for the Prius C.

I read the pro's and con's. Prius does offer a comfortable ride, like the backup camera, has enought HP and cargo space. But I feel like I'm driving an elephant. I drove the C once and it drives better, but the freeway noise and not having the power mode is a factor. With Prius C I can get nicer seats and wheels this time since I don't like the ones on the regular Prius.

I'm going to try another test drive on the C. Meanwhile I was hoping to get some feedback here. Anybody has any regret on getting the Prius C after driving the Prius?

 

The power mode is built into the C, not a separate function like the Standard Prius. Absolutely love my C.

 

I love my C, but the one thing I give it low marks on is cargo space. Since I don't need much cargo space, it isn't a problem for me. However, it sounds like it might be for you.

 

If cost and mileage are not factors and you prefer driving a manual transmission with plenty of cargo space, I'm really puzzling as to why you'd be considering replacing a Prius liftback with a Prius c.

That's not really true, but the whole Power Mode thing is a red herring. It does not offer additional power... not one jot of it. It's simply a remapping of the accelerator pedal. In any mode (ECO, Power or normal) having your foot off the accelerator equals 0% accelerator and having your foot pushing the pedal all the way down equals 100% accelerator. No matter what mode you are in, the car will behave exactly the same when the pedal is in either of those positions.

Between the two it just changes the curve of how you get from 0% to 100%... but there's no additional power. Just a mental game and what angle you prefer your ankle to be at.

The liftback and V have three mappings from 0% to 100% and the c has two, that's pretty much all there is in it.

 

Before I bought my c I had rented a liftback while out in California for a week, then I did an extended test drive on the Prius v. I didn't really like either of them, as both were quite a bit bigger than I was accustomed to driving (I had a Honda CRX Si the first year they came out, then a BMW 318ti hatchback). So I waited for the c, took it for a long drive, and I was sold.

But if I had your 2013 liftback, I wouldn't want to take the hit on trading it in so soon. Why not wait a couple of years and check out what will probably be a new generation of the Prius c then?

 

Thanks for all your input. Cargo space is not a factor. C gives me enough space with seats down. I don't normally have passengers. I test drove a C yesterday. It's a little noisy, but the C feels more like driving a car. With Prius I feel like I'm driving a space ship. Any ways, this particular dealer was not flexible with the price. They wanted 24000 for the 2013 C and only would give me 20000 for the 2013 Prius. I thought I can get even exchange for 23000. I think I will wait a couple of years and hopefully Toyota will come out with an improved C. The Sonic hatchback I rented had really nice interior.

 

I test drove both the regular prius and the c, I bought the c because it looked nicer and got better mpg in town where I drive the most, put that with lower price and I got 0% 5 yr loan. I pulled the triger at just over 20K out the door it was a great purchase.

Last year my wife got the 2012 camry hybrid over the prius, we really like it and it is such a nice driving car for the freeway. It has so much more power than the prius and it only cost about 1k more at the time.

now looking back the prius would have worked well for both cars, but we are happy with what be bought. Toyota hybrids are really good, just pick the one you like and drive drive drive.

 

I put a scion on my c as a joke, I have had people ask what kind of car is that then I tell them it is a toyota prius C

 

two door option would be a hit with many I think

 

I chose a C because I liked the actual shifter. I felt like I was going to snap off the one in the liftback. That and the lower price tag decided it for me.

 

In order... price, mpg, handling, gadgets I could get for the price!!

All the best from Luna's Lass!!
...? via my Samsung Galaxy S2...

 

i chose the Prius C because it had more cup holders, for one. two, the back window on the liftback is distracting. Plus, the C is more fun to drive and sportier.

 

I actually got a Sonic for about a month as a rental as well after my poor old 2001 was pronounced dead due to corrosion and I was waiting for delivery of my new C2.. It was actually kind of funny though- the rental guy who picked me up said "you're lucky, we got you one that's good on gas".. Now, my old 2001 was getting between 44-50 MPG without really trying, and despite careful driving, the best I managed to do on that crummy GM vehicle was 30 MPG, the average was more like 25-27 MPG.. Not only that, I *hated* the way that car drove- the engine was anemic and it sounded like it was straining at any speed.. The only way that car got any power was to gear for high RPMs, so at low gear, you got nothing, and then the RPMs shot up and the car lurched forward, nothing like the smooth control that you have with the Prius.. The "sport" shifter with +/- buttons on the knob was an absolute user-interface nightmare.. You can put paddle shifters on the steering wheel, but buttons on the shifter knob are awkward and absolutely non-intuitive.. There really wasn't much I liked about that car- everything was cheap and plasticky, the instrument cluster was ugly, the rear door handles up on the pillar were annoying to open..

The only feature I really did like was the heated seats, which I think should be standard in all vehicles in cold climates (hear that Toyota? In addition to the PTC heaters and the heated mirrors, heated seats should be part of the cold climate package)..
I was so happy to take that car back to the rental and drive my C2 home, my very first trip in the C2, which I got 60 MPG.. GM- 27 MPG.. "Good on gas" my nice person..

But as to why I got the C2 vs. a regular Prius- it was mainly the size.. I came from a 2001 1st gen, which in my estimation was basically a cross between an Echo (at the time) and a Corolla in terms of interior room and vehicle size, and while I have driven the 2nd gen Prius and did actually look for a used model in my area (none available at the time, or they were overpriced at dealer lots), I really didn't like the the 3rd gen.. Why not the 3rd gen? Well, a number of reasons: I got used to the nice open console of the 1st gen, and the 3rd gen "wrap around" just felt claustrophobic, despite the other improvements to the interior that actually gave you more room.. Another factor was the new "high beltline" design- the windows got smaller and I felt the visibility was much impaired vs. previous models, and finally, the kicker: the car was only slightly bigger than the Gen 2, but the various design elements made the car actually "feel" a *lot* bigger: I test drove the vehicle and while the driving experience was familiar, I felt like I was driving a boat- think my dad's Ford station wagon from the 70s.. I found it difficult to estimate where the car was, and the smaller windows just made navigating the car around the dealer parking lot much more difficult.. Now I'm sure I would have gotten used to it, but with the C available, I took it for a test drive and while there were design elements that I still didn't like (small back windows and visibility primarily, but the reduced rear storage was also a factor), the driving experience was very similar to the 1st gen and it felt "right". One final factor, which was probably least important was that I liked the look of the C, particularly the hood and front end.. On the Gen 1, the one design element I really didn't like was the hood- it sort of had a VW Bug kind of feel that didn't quite match the rest of the vehicle. I didn't mind the Gen 2 design at all, but I really did not like the Gen 3 with it's prominent "schnoz" bump, so combine all these factors, and it was clear that the C was the right car for me..

Why the model 2 vs. any of the others? I could have picked up a C3 for a reasonable deal- the dealer had it in stock as a demo and would have given me a reasonable break, and it was in a color I liked, but to be honest, Toyota shot themselves in the foot with their C option packages.. In 2012 in Canada, the base model was actually the C2, but in 2013, they stripped the base model down even further to make the C1, which is just a bit too basic, and the 3 and 4 simply had nothing that was willing to pay the price premiums for.. I can get alloy wheels and a heated seat cover, which are the only two options I'd have liked, for much less than paying for package #4..

 

To be honest, I was considering either a Ford Focus or Mazda 3. I hadn't considered a prius at the time because I felt they were out of my price range. And at the time, all I knew about were the liftbacks.

Then I saw some Prius c's sitting out in a lot at a Toyota dealership when I went with my sister to help her look for a used camry (she was dead set on that, no convincing her otherwise). While she didn't one she liked, I took a closer look at the c's and later on did some research on them after seeing how much cheaper they were to buy compared to the liftbacks and prius v.

The price, mpg, keyless entry/push start, gps, and fog lights/heated seats and mirrors on a c4 helped to seal the deal for me, since I work third shift and it gets cold in WI winters, and not having to deal with opening a frozen lock, sitting down on a freezing seat and having to deal with freezing sideview mirrors was really nice.

I've been averaging 54 mpg doing 2/3rds freeway and 1/3 suburban street driving to and from work, but with this cold winter it's dropped to about 44, which isn't bad considering the temps have been anywhere from 0 to 25 degrees F. And once in a while, I do get some cars that slow down and stare at my car, since it seems c's aren't too widespread in my area just yet.

 

Bought a used 2012 with 15k miles on it.
Main reason was price. That and the center console as many other state, is just terrible on the liftback.

 

I bought a brand new Prius C II this past July. Very, very long story that I'll spare you, you'd be bored. Short version: after years of driving 15-to-25-year-old cars (seriously), an opportunity arose to buy a new car, my first one since the '90s. I've already put over 8,100+ miles on it in just 6 months.

After EXHAUSTIVE research, the best car was the Prius C. I *had* to have a car that would give me the best gas mileage as I drive anywhere from 45-60 miles 6 days per week (on average). We tried very, VERY hard to buy an "American made" car (read: Ford, Chevrolet), but the bottom-line price never met up with the need for the best gas mileage money could buy. We test drove…oh, I do not know, probably 15 cars? Volkswagen, Nissan, Chrysler, you name it…if it was advertised as an "economy/gas savings" vehicle or a well-reputed diesel, I test drove it. I drove the Prius C twice, and it by far was the best deal in the end. We did look at other models of the Prius, but none compared to the financials and our overall needs of the C.

Originally we thought I'd be getting the Prius C I, but I really, REALLY wanted cruise control for the every-so-often trips on the tollway/expressways I have to take; so Prius C II it was.

I can't begin to tell you how much money we're saving on fuel per month. Right now my mileage is in the toilet, as the daily temps around here have been anywhere from -18F to 38F, mostly toward the below 0F temp. But over the late summer/Fall I was easily getting 54mpg-60mpg. Compared to my former vehicle, a 25-year-old Oldsmobile, which on a good week I'd be lucky to get 23mpg-24mpg, I now regularly average 50+mpg (save for the winter). My wife has a '13 Corolla, she gets around 33mpg, which is way better than the 17mpg-19mpg her '96 Mustang got. Suffice it to say: we're spending less than half the money we used to spend on fuel every month.

The money we save on gas per month alone covers BOTH the car payment for my Prius C II *and* the gas I have to put in it every month. Speaking budget-wise, this is insane…in a very positive way.

I love cars, but am not mechanical or a "car guy" or petrol head/gear head at all. I feel even better driving the C II in the Chicago area with the idiotic/unsafe drivers around here; I feel safe, I save money on the price-gouging/over-inflated gas prices we pay here (some times during the year, highest gas per gallon in the nation…including HI and CA), and the car performs exactly how I need it to in every situation. I'm sold on the Prius. I'll try to keep this one running as long as I can, and it feels like it's going to run longer than I think it will as long as I take care of it (and I will).

 

Yep - my Fuelly numbers tell it all.

My best mileage with the old Prizm is lower than the worse mileage I got in the C.

This was when I caught what looked like an Exacto knife blade in a tire and my mileage dropped into the low 40s.

YMMV

 

I never even looked at the liftback or any other Prius's. I was driving a 12' Camaro SS and got tired of filling the gas tank and premium fuel it required. Most of the time it just sat in the garage due to low gas milage and trying not to put milage on it. It was black and if it rained or got wet due to parking next to sprinklers it got water spots. (I will never get a black car again.)

Anyways when i was ready to get a "great on gas" car i looked at what car got the best gas mileage and the Prius C fit the bill. On a sad note when i went to trade in my SS i was shocked as to what the dealers wanted to give me for my 1.5 year old car. I went to a dealer on the east coast of Florida and got a great trade in on my SS and a good deal on my Prius C.

To be honest i really don't miss my SS at all (except for the power) especially when i hardly have to put any gas in the C and when i do it's about half or less than what i would of had to put in my SS.

 

First time poster with a newer (December) Prius C3

I had narrowed my vehicle choices to C-Max, Prius V and Prius C. I was replacing a GMC Acadia so the first 2 choices provided great fuel economy without that much loss in cargo capacity. I was about to pull the trigger on the C-Max but had a very unpleasant experience at the Ford dealership as I was about to sign the papers. When I went to the Toyota dealership, they gave me a good price on the V but a fantastic price on the C3 - so I decided to just get the commuter. I just use my Honda Odyssey if I need to haul people or stuff on longer trips.

I was focused on getting a vehicle with lots of cargo capacity or a commute-only vehicle - the liftback was in the middle of the pack and didn't excel in either category. Another consideration is that the PriusC looks like many other small cars - so it is a stealth hybrid. Working in SE Detroit I already get plenty of grief for not buying from the Big 3.