Why did you choose a C over a liftback?

I kind of chose the C by accident. I went I the dealership to see what I thought of the Prius. I saw this very attractive white car in the showroom that said Prius. My partner and I sat in it and thought it was really cool. We liked the look and feel on the interior. It was only after we got out and looked at the sticker that we realized it was the C.

Well, I was very excited because if I liked the smaller model I was bound to be even happier with the regular Prius. However, when I sat in it I didn't like it. I especially hated the console and the shift. I kept looking back at the C and thinking "maybe that's the car for me". (The price tag didn't hurt either.)

I'm thrilled with the C and my partner is now envious. He's thinking of trading in his RAV4 for the Prius V next year

 

Personally I chose a Prius c over Gen 3 or Prius V mainly because of the cost of the vehicle. My kids are grown with their own vehicles and children, so it's just Gary and me and daily we don't need the extra space.

If we still had children at home, I would have gotten the bigger Gen 3. From what I've read, the fuel mileage isn't that much different from my c. If I had the extra $$ I would have gotten the Prius V. With kids and their schtuff, the larger Prius, imo, is the only way to go.

Imagine everyone piling in and heading off the the grocery store or Walmart. Now add your store purchases, winter coats and maybe one of your child's friends and the c just wouldn't cut it. Also, going to Grandma's house, you'll most likely take the hybrid. The space for all those gifts and food that Granny sends home with you will be priceless. If you go on a vacation you'll be temped to take the hybrid. The extra room for luggage will be valuable then too, even if you are just going to the airport and back.

I love my Prius c. When I trade her off (in about 200K miles I think I'll consider a Gen 3 (or what ever it's called at that time) in a fun color (like Barcelona red maybe?) or some really nice metallic, to make up for the (sorry Gen 3 and V owners) "plainness". Now if only Toyota would wake up and offer a more variety of colors. It'd be easy since they already have some nice colors for the Venza, Camry and Corolla... but I digress...

Deb

 

To be honest, I really, really wanted a Volt, but it was too expensive. The C fit me best because it at least provided some good mpg at a good price and left me well-positioned to save some money, sell the C in 2 or 3 years, and (hopefully) then buy a Volt. Can't remember the last time I had passengers in my back seat, so the size of the car fits me (better than the Volt would/will). The small size also doesn't bother me because the car feels more solid and safe than my former ride, a 1990 Camry.

 

I chose mine because of great look and mileage. I really don't need a bigger car now, since for me it is just a commuter to go to and from work. The less money I spend on gas the better. I truly was trying to figure out why Toyota put this "waterfall" in the center of Gen 3, but I couldn't find a reasonable answer. Whenever my needs will require a bigger car, I would probably go with V unless new "Gen 4" (maybe) is going to have a stunning look inside and out.

 

I wanted a smaller car than the liftback, and I've driven my mother's '06 off and on and didn't like the drive. If I could've afforded the plugin I might have gone for that, but the c fit the price point and the size I was looking for. Also I just like the look of it.

 

Well, I definitely like how it looks better than the other Prius models. For me, though, the deciding factor was the money. My husband just moved out May 1 so my monthly household income will be changing for the worse. I did pay all cash but I didn't want to pay more. I need that for the lawyer!!!

I do agree with the other poster that there is not a lot of space. That would be a factor for me if I were trying to decide between this and another Prius model--this one does not hold much! I decided that: I had a Corolla FX 1988 two door hatchback for 14 years and fit a ton of stuff in there, so I think I am a gifted packer, and it would only be an issue a few times a year. I'll figure it out at those times or get one of the pods people put on top for storage.

 

I've always driven small cars (1960s VW Beetle, 1970s Honda Accord, 1980s Honda Civic CRX si, 1990s BMW 318ti) and the C just felt right after I'd tried and rejected the liftback and the V.

I'm generally hauling only the driver and perhaps one passenger, so lots of cargo space with the back seats down when needed.

 

I went into the dealership and looked at both the c and liftback. I test drove the c first and really liked that the interior was set up like a regular car. Then I test drove the liftback and didn't like the interior at all. I didn't like the shifter or how it felt sitting behind the wheel. I don't need much space so the size is fine with me and the price point was right for me. I love my c!

 

Test drove them both, under the same conditions, and the liftback seemed a little "floaty" to me compared to the C. I did like the interior on the liftback better, but found the visibility out the back window to be poor (just based on my 6'1" height). That was the deal-breaker for me, and I went with the C. I love it.

 

Wife and I went to look at a lift back. When she sat in the lift back, she hated the huge console. It seemed a little confining to me as well. We liked the open layout of the C And really like ours.

If the next generation of lift back gets rid of that console, we would look at it again.

 

That center console was another reason I didn't like the liftback. The c has a center console that's closer to the driver so it didn't feel as weird. I still would rather have everything in front of the driver, but at least with the c it's close enough to not be distracting.

 

To me, regular automatic gear shifter sticking out of the floor is the ugliest part of the car. But, everybody's taste is different which is a good thing.

- Alex

 

I have a Gen2 and a C. I like them both but the C gets much better mpg. The Gen2 is a little bigger, and I think probably a little more "solid" than the C, which makes sense since it weighs about 500 lbs more. The Gen2 cost about the same amount of dollars back in 2005 as my C did in 2012.

My kids have grown and left the nest, so we don't need big cars anymore. You can pack a lot into a C with the seat laid flat. Not as much as the Gen2 though, it is surprising what you can get into a Gen2. My wife was worried that the weekly groceries would not fit in the C's cargo area, but that has not proven to be a problem.

I don't find the C to feel small like others have indicated. In fact, it feels pretty roomy to me and I am 6 ft tall and 175 ish pounds.

I have noticed that I can hear the HSD working much more than in the Gen2. I can actually hear the MG's changing speeds at times.

But the best is the mpg, I am pushing 60 mpg on my daily commute. I am soon going to take a trip in it and I expect the mpg to be less cruising on the highway all day. We will see.

 

I originally wanted the Hyundai Veloster, but when the C came out I definitely wanted that instead. When I wasn't getting the price I wanted I started looking at 2010 Prius 2's and 3's. I test drove them and didn't like the "boxey" rigid way it drove. It's hard to explain but the C feels more like our other cars in the handling department and those 2010 Prius's we test drove felt like we were driving a small pick-up or something, even my wife didn't like it and she wanted the larger size. Add to that, the MPG that my friend said he was getting with his C was amazing. His family has both the C and a 2009 Prius. He said the 2009 average 48 mpg consistently and the C was averaging 57. On a shallow side,,, every time someone stops to ask me about the car they say they don't like the body style of the original but love the style of the C. I ,personally love the body style of all the 2012 models, some people don't.

 

I chose the C over the liftback because i like small cars and i do not have a family to drive around. It basically fulfills all of my basic necessities and does a great job at that. Extremely efficient car. Love it. A plus side to having the C rather than the liftback is that your dumb high school friends won't call you a "faggot" for driving an eco friendly car. Its honestly hilarious, people tell me all the time how great my car looks yet when they find out its a Prius they begin to degrade the car.

 

"not as attractive" --- Bingo!

 

I wanted the C because I spend about three hours a day driving. I like being able to fit into tight parking spaces, especially when parallel parking where other cars couldn't fit. I like the 60/40 fold down seat. I like the styling. I like the technology. I loved the price. I didn't drive a liftback so I can't comment on it but to me they look like bowling shoes. Not attractive.

 

I wanted the Volt (have since it was first announced in 2007) but it was out of my price range. I had a 2010 Prius Lease that I had 12 months left but was already 3000 miles over my total lease mileage. I prefer the look of the C to the liftback, and I made a deal to get out of the Lease without penalty. I like the look of the C - especially the interior, this will probably get traded in for a Volt or Cadillac ELR in a few years though when my motorcycle is paid off and the C is paid off.

 

^^ Yep - had one person tell me my car looked pretty sporty - then they found out it was a prius.