I'm new and I probably bought the wrong Prius

The C is for city, so it parks well, but is not as aerodynamic as the Liftback. In town it should get good Mileage, it will be lower on the freeway than the Liftback.

There is no reason not to enjoy the front seats in a C, I am skeptical that adults will enjoy the back seats.

 

congrats and welcome! i don't understand the question, it sounds like the c is perfect. what car should you have purchased?

 

Welcome to Prius Chat. Nothing wrong with the C IMO, just a little smaller than the full size Prius.

Enjoy the ride.

 

If you're coming from a geo metro and loved it, I think you will feel right at home in the C. You might lose a couple highway mpg to the regular Prius, but you should gain in the city and won't feel like it is not powerful enough if you're used to the metro. You might have thought the regular one too big or disliked its handling. There are other factors to consider than just MPG, even for Prius drivers (blasphemy!), especially if MPG differences are small. And if you do any city you might make up the difference anyways.

Sounds like you made the right choice to me!

 

Just because Toyota has named it the Prius C, doesn't mean it's exclusively for city driving.
It's a vehicle, it's designed to be driven.

I actually see it as mostly marketing. You've got 3 entries in the Prius family, small, medium and large.

Toyota isn't going to call the Prius c, the Prius Small....or compact...So they are going to tout it compactness as a plus, for city driving and parking. Thus The Prius c---for City....

What it comes down to?
Are you happy with it?

I personally like compact vehicles, and the advantages they do create in todays often congested world.

If you feel comfortable in the vehicle, like the size?

There is no reason to be unhappy.

It will still drive up and down hills, it's still viable for highway drives.

Plus....when you find yourself in a crowded parking lot, or city environment, you will get the benefits driving a compact vehicle creates.

If you love it?
You bought the exact right Prius for you.

 

i see them on the highway all the time. so far, have not seen them pulled over for 'driving while c'.
sounds like you're in the right car, all the best!

 

If you're driving 150 miles per day with a lot of it being highway driving, you will spend a bit more on gas in a Prius C than in a Gen 4 Prius. But it'll take a very long time for the additional gas expense to make the Gen 4 Prius actually cheaper.

The reason why someone should choose a Gen 4 over a C isn't about gas mileage. It would be about the power of the car, the amount of room in the back seats, and the amount of cargo room. If you feel that you need a slightly more powerful car, you wish to comfortably seat adults in your back seat, or you find yourself lacking in cargo space, then you bought the wrong Prius. But if all you're worried about is gas mileage, then there's nothing wrong with a Prius C.

It has no problems driving on flat or relatively flat highways. If you drive on highways in the mountains, you might have to go in the right lane with the trucks because the C will struggle to go 60mph+ up a 10% grade. But as long as there aren't steep hills on the highway (which in Kansas City there won't be), then you'll be fine on the highway. I've got no problems on the highways where I live near Washington DC, but when I drive into Western Maryland (or West Virginia, or places like that), those have been the only times that I've found the car to be lacking in power.

 

10% is an unusually steep grade. I drive up an 8% grade on a regular basis and have no problem keeping up with traffic in my Prius C. I find the car has more than enough power for my needs, but you can't be afraid to push that pedal right down and you have to put up with the whines of protest from the engine.

 

Just returned from a 3600 km round trip from the west coast of British Columbia to South Western Saskatchewan. I had reservations about traveling through the mountains before going and now I know it is not, was not a problem for us.I think the steepest grades were 8% and the first time, because of the motor noise I backed off and soon realized there was lots of power. Fuel use varied between 7.8 l/100km to 4.0 and over the 3600 km we averaged 4.7. Not bad considering we fought some tough winds on the prairies and for one full day I was not in ECO mode. For that day i suspected I used .5l/100km more and really never noticed a change in available power although we were on the flat prairie with a strong cross wind.The car handled well and after this would not hesitate to drive most anywhere.I filled up once a day and cost between $12-$32. Overall for the trip it was around $150 for fuel.

 

I just did a 3500 mile trip from DC to new Orleans to Austin and back. Average for the entire trip was just over 50 mpg. I was not even trying to keep it below 60mph, and generally drove 3+/- over the speed limit. You lose a little on the highway, and more than make up for it in city/stop and go traffic. Most people, even when travelling, do not live on the highways.

I have about 60k on it with a fuelly average above 53.

If you love it, you got the right car. Btw, my last car was a 94 metro.



SM-N910V ?

 

I have taken my c on the highway and it handles it just fine. I drove it all the way from Pittsburgh to Outer Banks NC got over 50 MPG the whole time with 3 people plus stuff.

 

The C is for city, due to the size, not that its means for city use only. Heck its not even called a Prius C in Japan, is known as AQUA. I average 50 to 60 miles per gallon on the freeway, so it actually gets better MPG then the liftback. Its all in the way you drive.

 

That is a bunch of B.S. The 1.5 motor is the same motor as was used in the 2nd Gen Prius liftback, and they are all over the Freeways!

 

You will be seeing better Freeway MPG then most city driving MPG. My average MPG is 55 MPG.

 

What you perceive as lack of power may not be perceived by somone else. Is it gonna be slower up mountains, sure if you don't want to push the car hard, but it can go faster if pushed. I try not to exceed 3,000 RPM which helps protect the engine and better MPG.

 

There would be a lot less confusion if our Prius v was Japan's Prius Alpha.

 

I will just jump into this after seeing a bunch of general replies. C for city: yes it parks well and is awesome in stop and go traffic. It turns on a dime. It isnt more powerful, therefore more consuming, than you need.

I drove mine across the California high desert and back two times. First on a scorcher up to Apple Valley (signs warn not using the air conditioner to save a car from overheating) and next on an early morning/late night Las Vegas trip. Hills. Lots of long long hills. Also one of my work commutes involves not just one but two bridges. Hills. I get awesome milieage. You can too. Just learn your vehicle.

Welcome to the mileage trackers support group.