Is the C truly a 3rd gen Prius or is it closer to the gen2 in tech?

from what i gather (i could be partly wrong.. or vague. i have no "real" data as i don't own a C)

1. it's a genII size engine but tweaked like a genIII engine (reduction gears instead of chain, etc)

2. both

3. i hear it drains faster.. but things run more in sync (in a sense.. less peaks.. more balance)

4. also from what i've read... longer cars do better at high speeds.. my info stops there.

5. no clue. i know a lot of people who have switched from the honda system to toyota.

a word of advice i heard from a gentleman who refurbishes millions of prius parts a year... the genII is the most indestructible design. in his opinion the genIII is more froo froo and less muscle (in a reliability standpoint). he called the new C's motor a joke, along with the GenIII. (mainly for extreme purposes like pulling trailers and such. i can't quote him on anything else). personally i get his opinion.. a used genII is cheap and fixing it is way less expensive than buying a new prius... just my .02

 

Thanks for the link. Very informative and well written.

 

Your "gentleman friend" is blowing smoke out his exhaust. The c engine is so new there is no way he could have refurbished a significant amount of parts for it. I'll take the opinion of Toyota's engineers over some self proclaimed expert who's criticism consists of the statement that the engine is "a joke". I think his opinion is a joke.

Who buys any Prius "mainly for extreme purposes like pulling trailers and such" ?

 

me calling the C a joke in such a high profile site is probably wrong of me.

the C engine won't take the abuse that the genII prius takes. Given that i'm looking at most of this as a tow and really rough abuse standpoint...

you haven't seen the test i see people put these cars though. as a newbie to this forum it's easy to see the things you don't get. There are a lot of people out there that their deciding factor is that this car can hold up to such abuse or else they would keep their beater trucks around. there's even a really extensive forum on yahoo just for people pulling trailers.

Yes, all prii are reliable... i'm simply stating that since they added the reduction gears and enclosed the motor casings, they can't take the wear and tear that the genII would take. it's more streamline and eco than brute.

in summary, most of what i'm talking about doesn't even belong on this specific topic.. i simply tossed it out there for a gross comparison. (info for the niche crowd)

 

I can't pull a trailer with a Ferrari... does that mean the engine is a "joke"? People who try to use vehicles for purposes outside their intended purpose is confusing to me. Let's get a golf cart, which does its job very well and complain that it can't outrun a Harley. Would be the same premise.

 

Are you SURE there are reduction gears and motor casing in the engine? I had the distinct impression they would be in the transaxle. Which, indeed, more closely resembles the HyHi transaxle than the one in the Gen 2.

Hybrid Synergy Drive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

#1. The 1NZ-FXE in the Prius C is virtually identical to the Gen2 Prius.
#2. Low weight is key, revised HSD helps
#3. IMO, yes. It could use a battery with significantly greater power density, but then again, every Hybrid or full-electric car could.
#4. The Prius C's greater total drag do hurt pure highway mileage. I've gotten as low as 38 MPG on a 100% highway trip setting the cruise at 70 MPH. Ouch.
#5. I have no idea how you drive. YMMV of course. The C loves hot weather and low speeds. Interstate commuting in winter is the opposite of this cars' forte'.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Toyota updated 70% of the engine parts between Gen 2 and the c, this does not necessarily conflict with your statement.

 

don't confuse motors with ICE... it's not inside the ICE.. it is part of the system as a whole... or transaxle if you want to attempt at being technical (a poor job at that)

as Ryephile said... (although not in an over extravagant way that apparently some need to understand).. the core of the engine is similar. they did get rid of the thermos bottles.. added the cat warmer that's in the gen III and did other mods. for every part remove and added, it's 2 parts changed (as a gross summary)... those parts add up to a large total in the end. (this includes removal of the belt, change from drive change to reduction gears... each gear counts as a part, etc, etc)

i wouldn't spend too much time ripping apart peoples opinions that are truly abbreviated since full technicals would drown out this forum really quickly.

i think i'm done with this topic. (i suggest the rest of you get a real hobby)

 

very informative thread! thanks. i learned a lot just by reading this. thanks again

 

So far I'm getting 48 to 50 MPG driving 72 on Hwy. In town it's doing way better than I had hoped. I love this car.

 

One of the reasons I bought the C was for the 1NZ-FXE engine. I like the one in my Gen II so much I wanted the offspring Toyota put in the C.

 

Hmm...
Personally I think of the Prius c and the Prius v as the first generation of their kind. There is no previous generation for comparison for either.

Which is the Prius c more like?

Some of the changes from Gen 2 and Gen 3 with the regular Prius were loss of the coolant thermos and loss of the fuel bladder and addition of a regular gas tank. Also when Toyota released the Gen 3, part of the information that came out was that the Gen 3's HSD was 90% redesigned. Mostly to be lighter and smaller.

The Prius c, has no coolant thermos and has no gas bladder, and being the smallest Prius, I'm sure it's HSD design owes more to the philosophy of building smaller and lighter because to fit in a Prius c, the HSD by design had to be "smaller and lighter".

So my vote is that basically if we are making a family tree? The Gen 3 Prius has a better claim to being the father of The Prius c, while Gen 2 is more the father then grandfather of both.

Honestly I recently made a "Prius" buying decision. I had waited for the Prius c to be released. I was a little disappointed the EPA ratings for the gas mileage wasn't really tangibly much better than the Standard Prius. If you factor in highway driving it's basically a wash.

But I like the Prius c, I think it's a needed and good product. I think the primary reasons I personally went with a standard Prius were the following. #1, I was coming from a Honda Fit, and the Prius c, in layout and size was so similar to The Honda Fit, that I thought I would constantly be comparing it to The Fit, and in interior design to be honest, The Fit would always of seemed slightly superior. Going from a "Sub-Compact" to a "Mid-Size" created enough differences that the natural tendency to compare was diminished. Also I think when making a change in automobiles there is a natural tendency to want something "different" from what you have been driving.

#2. I actually do a lot of city, suburban driving that would work with The Prius c well, but since the EPA ratings for MPG were so equal, I kind of like the cruising ability of the standard Prius for long road trips better. In coming from a Honda Fit, its nice to drive a vehicle as large as The Standard Prius, and get better gas mileage than I was getting with a sub-compact.

 

jdurston....Thank you for the Green Car Congress link. The most informative article on the "C" I have read to date.

 

Also see SAE papers describing Prius c | PriusChat.

 

I had a 2006 HCH and the Toyota system is far superior. If you get good FE on the HCH, you will do even better with Toyota and not have to try as hard.

 

I put my 2005 Prius into Mossy Toyota (San Diego) for scheduled maintenance on Saturday (120K miles). Got a rental for the weekend, a Prius C. I had said I would not consider the C as a replacement for my venerable '05.

Until I drove it.

For someone like me who just wants to get from point A to point B and be efficient about it, it's not a bad car. Of course the one I drove was a fleet unit from the dealership (baseline model 1) and I would want more 'stuff' in it (NAV system, smart key system, auto on/off headlights, etc.) to match up to my existing car.

I'm thinking a model 4 would be to my liking.