Driving Prius C from Liftback

I can only speak for the C, but's let's be honest people, the car is gutless!! Yes, it hauls me from point A to B just fine. I've learned to drive differently, but I'll be the first to admit, there are times when more power would be handy!!! I love the car but I sure miss the oomph of my Honda Fit.

 

The car is smaller and has a smaller engine, so I can imagine that has something to do with better city mpg ratings. That being said, I drove the Prius C first and then a Prius before I bought my lift back. After coming out of the C, the regular Prius felt like a damn Cadillac. Roomy, quiet and powerful. I do wish that the MFD was a little more modern like it is in the C. It looks like something out of the 80's in comparison.

 

"I read that indeed the engine is lighter (yes) with less oomph (much yes) and the battery is actually smaller (yes) and the electric engine has less oomph (yes) as well to make a smaller vehicle. (yes)"

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Fuelly data suggest C mpg is slightly better than a Liftback, but the EPA (and Prius Chat experience) indicates the better mpg comes at slower speeds. The C is what Toyota says it is - a City car that's inexpensive, small inside & out, easy to park, with great MPGs. I love my C and don't use it much in a City but it may not be a good match for you.​

 

For someone like me who drives a lot of freeway, the lift back is better than the C. I get better fuel economy, more power, and more space. If I drove more city traffic, then the C would be better with its smaller size for squeezing into tight places.

I remember when the C was announced, I was really excited at a smaller cheaper Prius. But the lower highway fuel economy turned me off.


iPhone ?

 

I don't know about other area people living but my C is perfect for freeway driving around here in Los Angeles, CA: it's lucky if I can drive fast up to speed limit with a lot of stop and go.

 

The C is a great car for what it is. It's just so hard to say that it's better than the liftback since it is just so good at everything. That's really the beauty of what Toyota has going with the Prius family. Every model has its strengths and every one is a good car.

 

You can get instantaneous MPG with the bar graph display, but it's not very precise, especially on Canadian models where it's actually the reciprocal L/100km scale.. That's why I bought a ScanGauge II: I've got instantaneous fuel consumption, battery SoC, battery current and coolant temperature as my standard gauge display.. I wish they would make a version with a larger screen as I'd love to also have battery, inverter and motor/generator temps displayed at the same time, or at least a "favorites" screen where you can just cycle through 2 or 3 display choices for each slot vs. all 20+ items..

If you're coming from the 2010 with the 1.8L engine, yes, the C is obviously quite a bit less powerful, but if you had the Classic (which was really sluggish in terms of throttle response) or even the original liftback, which they greatly improved, but both of which had the same 1.5L engine as the C (1NZFXE), I think you'd find that the C's tuning parameters make it a pretty peppy little vehicle compared to the other two.. I also love the tiny turning radius (the 2010 IMO, navigated like a boat- the body design, etc just made it feel huge) and the variable boost voltage from the converter makes the most of the smaller battery and can deliver a good burst of extra power when needed: unlike the Classic, I don't feel like I'm going die when attempting passing maneuvers in the fast lane- this car can keep up..

 

Its "horses for courses". The C is unbeatable at what it is designed for - great economy in town for a very competitive price. My lifetime tank average is 62mpg, my last 2 tanks gave 65mpg, and my current tank is halfway to 69mpg. Like any small car, however, it has much less in reserve at high speeds.
In town, my speed is mostly 25-30, with about 20% at 50 or so. If I take the waterfront route to the city (flat, winding, smooth, and steady traffic with hardly any stopping) I regularly get about 84mpg round trip.
An interstate car the C is not - better to update your Liftback. If you can afford both, now that's heaven!

 

I now own both and for some reason I enjoy the c over the lift back. Oh, and the c does display your current mpg estimate along with a bunch of other information. All depends of what screen selection you pick.

 

I'm assuming it's the 5 minute MPG interval screen with the bar all the way to the right.

 

You can see the "from start" average MPG at the very top of the screen by cycling through the odometer displays, and then on the bar-graph display (which you have to enable by going into the settings menu while the car is stopped; for whatever reason it was not enabled by default), you can see the 5-minute MPG averages and the instantaneous consumption bar..

I would really love a user-configurable info screen: I'd love to be able to see the per-drive MPG, a per-tank MPG, the instantaneous MPG, as well as brake/regen info as well as battery SoC, remaining driving range and engine as well as ambient temperatures all in one screen vs. having to flip between screens or having to use an outboard display like a ScanGauge.. Have a screen with areas and a list of info items that you can place into the various areas- would be a huge selling feature for most of us technically inclined Prius drivers..

 

I have only driven the C. I would like to drive the others to see how they run. I can't complain about the small engine, even though I have been a hotrodder all my life. We enjoy this car or a lot, even though we rarely get maximum mileage. Our local trips are only a couple of miles. We do a lot of interstate trips. I do love getting 50 plus on the interstate trips, often, depending on temps, wind, rain, and summer/winter blend. We use the ScanGauge for instant mpg, along with other readings. Money well spent if you enjoy getting maximum mpg. We came from an 03 Pontiac vibe gt so we know about losing power. But, I smile passing those gas stations. Just the two of us so the back seats stay folded down most all of the time. We get lots of questions about the car. I suspect if I drove daily on interstates I would have looked at a bigger Prius but they are so ugly, chuckle chuckle. I have no regrets and like the car more every day. Have 30,000 on it and owned for 18 months.
Dan

 

Isnt this the same in the lift back? "You can see the "from start" average MPG at the very top of the screen by cycling through the odometer displays, and then on the bar-graph display (which you have to enable by going into the settings menu while the car is stopped; for whatever reason it was not enabled by default), you can see the 5-minute MPG averages and the instantaneous consumption bar.. "

Also when you shut off the vehicle it gives you an overview on your MPG consumed on the trip.

 

Just got back from a 1800 mile round trip through WV to KY. We got 43mpg through some serious mountains on our brand new '13 PC4 - Fastest speed reached (tempting fate vs tickets) was 99mph. It seems to have plenty of power for the savings rewards IMO..... Then again, my other car is a 280 HP SRT-4 with a premium fuel only requirement because of the turbo & at $4 per gallon I get about 23mpg max in it, also top speed in that is 140mph .

 

If price is an issue, I'd choose the C, but if not, the liftback is better utility-wise. It has more power and space. I can fit my bike in it with the seats folded down. It's also much quieter on the freeway. That said I love my prius C. It's different. You sit in a more natural position closer to the windshield. I always felt so disconnected in the liftback. Like the car was always driving you. The TFT screen is great, very sharp. My bike can fit with the front wheel off. The skinny tires also make it fun to toss around this 25lb car. A lot of people might be put off by the fact it's built on a regular car chassis, but I commend Toyota for making a little cheap hybrid, that's more car than hybrid. The only car I'd rather have is a Tesla.

 

So far I have about 5500 miles on my C two in just over 2 1/2 months - mostly done between 40-50 mph. Averaging 50+ at each fill - some almost as high as 75mpg. It seems to get better mileage with the wife and her sister on board than with just me As for pep it's done what I ask/need of it (including haul over 600# of wood pellets). For more we have the wife's Matrix and her 2.4l with sport tires and rims. It's nice that we save in gas each month more than the monthly payment is when comparing it to the 2005 Rav4 I had before. The wife would like to drive a lift back model two or higher - she believes that would be more her style but at 4'11" I'm not sure As a previous poster mentioned - many models for different needs/tastes - will probably be near impossible to design one that will satisfy everyone.