Prius Liftback vs Prius C

I test drove the C in April as well as the Liftback. There was no comparison in quality of ride, etc. imo. The liftback is a better built vehicle; ride quality, engine/drivetrain and the mpg is very similar. With gas prices so high, I'm a bit surprised to hear they aren't moving better though.

 

Mandy, non-Prius drivers don't see the cool technology of the hybrid displays. It doesn't add speed, but it adds mpg and fun.

By the way, I get tired of people asking me if I have the Prius c or v. I say it's the original Prius without any letter after it, which it now desperately needs to avoid confusion. Right now, it's the Prius BLANK.

 

The wife loves her C. Other than the fancy screen and digital speedometer, it's basically a hybrid Yaris. The dealer couldn't keep them on the lot. They were THAT hot.

I liked her C so much, I sold my Yaris hatchback for another hybrid.

I couldn't get the same car as the wife (so the C's out), so the next logical choice was the liftback. My brother has a 2010 Gen 3, so I checked it out. Things I didn't like: Spaceship console intruding into my personal space on the right; the rear view is partially blocked (horizontally) by the design of the split windows; and the overall looks. I loved the fact that it's bigger than the C, geared towards longer distance commutes (unlike the C, which was made for the city) and there's a lot more rear passenger space. I tried to convince myself that I wanted the liftback. Got me all the way to the dealer (dragged my whole family with me too). Just as I was about to choose the color, my wife (bless her) spoke up and said "We hate the car". She was also bothered by the same things and noticed that I didn't really want the liftback.

We went to the Lexus dealer and fell in love with a CT200h. Sure, there's no improvement over the C for rear passenger space, but it's got the same drive train as the Prius liftback without the looks and annoyances of the liftback. Sure it costs more, but I drive about 100 miles a day. I would be miserable if I spent all that time in something I didn't like.

Back to the C... I think it's great for people who don't like the liftback. It's got a regular shifter mechanism on the floor between the front seats like a normal car. Take out the rear head rests and the rear view is unobstructed. It's small, for those of us who like small cars. And it feels a lot more peppy in ECO mode than the liftback.

 

i love my C got it a week ago.
used to drive an acura cl 3.0

i ordered my C in May, and just got it last week.
and ive only seen one on a lot.

 

The people in my household (wife and two roommates) call blue Prius C the "Tardis" cause it looks bigger on the inside than the outside. I can't really speak for how they are selling vs the Prius, but my guess is that the people who are buying them are people who would have never bought a Prius (or like me would never have bought a Toyota). Congratulations to Toyota for making a car I actually wanted to buy and didn't make me yawn while driving it.

To me the Prius was kind of ugly and you could really tell that Toyota had been slapping on features here and there, trying to keep their 4 year old design up to date. The Prius C on the other hand seems much more holistically designed and a better looking car in general. All the little things put together, like the angle of the Navi screen attracting much less glare, and much lower price made the Prius C a very attractive package where the Prius was basically a non starter.

Edit: in regards to pricing, I was able to get a Prius C 4 for 22,700 in California. It took a lot of phone calls and getting the far away dealer to e-mail me an official quote, which the local dealer was then willing to match and even do a swap to get my color (only two blue streak metallic in my area she said). Toyota then had another $1000 rebate for grads and graduate students on the Prius C. In the the end it cost me 21,700 plus taxes and a small amount in dealer paper work fees. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

 

I have been getting 26mpg over what your getting with the Focus last 3 tanks now that I got the driving down better. Another thing to consider is resale value which will fall much more then the Prius. Then also the low maintenance requirements like no belts and 10k oil changes is also less operating cost.

 

i got the c level one in canada similar as the 2in the us. in the lower trim levels it was worth it for me the high trim levels becomes less .I love the c and the city milage i can get is alot better than the reg prius plus i liked the looks better and the colours are alot better the dealers are selling these cars fast so i dont know what the salesman was thinking ?try and find these cars its not easy .Oh bye the way i own a parts store and still have not sold one thing for any prius

 

Hey Rev, the c can be hypermiled like crazy. I know how much you like to hypermile.

 

The Focus is a far better driving car than a Prius (I had a 2001 ZX3) but I needed better gas mileage so I ended up with a Liftback. You got a real bargain, my '01 ZX3 cost as much delivered. I'd maybe consider a Focus Electric next time but I really want the new turbocharged ST model. Finally, a performance Focus here equal to Europe's!

 

When I went shopping for my Prius Four last month here in Austin, there were about the same number of C models to the Liftback. There were fewer V models. I saw about the same number of people shopping for both the Four and C.

I think it's great that Toyota now makes the three different sized models to try to appeal to a wide audience. Between the three, most people should be able to find a model that fits their needs. For me, I liked the 2nd generation when they came out, but I wasn't able to get one. So when I was finally able to get a Prius, I already knew which one I wanted...and I love my Liftback. That being said, I live in the suburbs. If I lived in the city and had to park a lot in tight spaces, I would have most likely looked a lot closer at the C.

- TP

 

Years from now my guess is that among Prii devotees that ..
The Prius c will be not just be the least expensive but the budding hypermiling genius of the family.
The Prius v will get the accolades for being the most spacious and functionally useful of the family.
The Prius Plug in will get the best marks for the highest MPG and its all electric range .
but
The Standard Hatchback Prius will remain the most popular version.

 

Checked local listings on autotrader and not surprised.

Prius C Two $19,740 (Red or Gray only)
Prius C Three $21,270 (Red or Gray only)
Prius C Three $21,570 (White)

Prius Two $21,690 (Silver)

Since Liftback Two is closer to C Three package-wise, you get alot more car for mere $120.

 

We've established the fact they are a fantastic tire and an economical choice. Unfortunately they don't offer the same mpg as the OE tires. Now we just have to see how long they last. If they last 65,000+ then I still say it's a winner for more than just safety and traction.

 

I agree with you on that what do you call the regular prius anyway? I search online for prius and get c, v and plug-in.

 

Many people call it the Prius HB (Hatchback).

 

Add me to the list of people who bought a C and was completely uninterested in buying a Toyota, or Prius. I drove a loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee, got fed up with the gas, was planning on buying a Sonata hybrid. Decided to just peek at the Toyota website to see how much a Prius would cost, even though I despise the look of the liftback. Low and behold I see the C, and how low it's priced compared to a liftback or Sonata! And on top of that the best MPG numbers you can get without plugging in. So I decided hey, if I'm gonna save on gas, I might as well go all the way, pay less on sticker in the process, and the bonus of driving in the carpool lane.

As to them selling slow, it was hard to find a C4 myself. Took a month. Dealers were sold out of them, and ones incoming were already had deposits on them. Only one came in at any dealer near me, and it was light blue, no good. Finally got lucky and called a dealer right after he got 2, by the time I went, 1 was sold. Saw a lot of 1's and 2's, and only one 3 the entire time I was searching.