Hello, Almost a new Prius c owner, Some questions

No, you don't need to let it warm up. As Wayne Gerdes says, just turn it on and drive, don't worry about the people saying otherwise. There's no appreciable difference in how it drives while it's warming up.

As for your size, I imagine there will be enough space for you. It will be a little tighter than other cars, though. The seats have pretty good support.

I'm not sure how the navigation works, I have the C2.

 

While at the drive in, if you have anything running that uses electricty, like the radio for movie sound, or any other accessories, to the point where you are worried about the battery, just leave the car on. The gas engine will turn off until it senses that you have used too much battery and then it will turn on automatically to recharge it, turning off again when done. You don't need to worry about it.

The car is plenty roomy at least in front for some one your size, but you'll get a better feel for that when you finally drive one. The seats are comfortable, but if you have back issues, you'll need to buy something for lumbar support. I don't have any ruptured discs, but I felt that need for more support at that spot and bought a cheap support for two bucks. There's no lumbar adjustment built into the seat back.

I have only used the navigation system once, but I believe if you have Entune activated and hooked up to a smart phone you can get traffic and construction rerouting to work. Maybe someone with more experience there can answer that one for you.

 

I'm 6'3 200 lbs. and I had to put the seat back. At first, I couldn't fit in it and I was like" that's that farthest the seat goes back?!", but then the sales guy showed me the lever on the side I had to "pump" in order to move the seat. Then I had a good amount of room including the head. I did not feel cramped at all. I can't tell you if the seat was comfortable though. I was more focused on the driving experience which was fun. I plan to buy one soon.

 

You'll have no problems at 70-80 mph. Although you may moderate your speed somewhat after a while, as many Prius owners do when they come under the spell of those contant visible reminders of gas milage on the dash. It will cruise up there easily, and if you suddenly need some power to pass, the car can be surpringly spirited when you just floor it. There will be a fair amount of engine noise for a moment when you do, as the transmission apportions your demand between gas and electic. The gas engine is small, and thus makes a bit of noise when pushed really hard.

 

You mentioned both BC and Quebec. Which one are you in?

If you are in or near the Vancouver area, at least a few dealerships have a Prius C that can be test driven. Granville Toyota says they have a tester on the lot but none to sell; Destination Toyota told me earlier this week they had three Technology units on site. You could also join Modo the Car Co-op and test one of the Prius C units in their fleet. I don't know if Communauto in Quebec has this model.

Also for the Americans here - Entune is a USA-only feature. In Canada the units sold with the touchscreens are called Display Audio with Navigation I think. I have not used it myself so I can't report whether it is able to use cellular data over Bluetooth the way Entune does in the USA.

 

Just wanted to chime in on the highway driving. I've had my C3 for almost two weeks. This morning I decided to drive it all out, disregarding the mpg meters and eco score, and go 75-80+ mph on the highway ( most of my commute is on the highway, and there was lighter traffic today). It handled nicely, and I was able to easily overtake and pass tons of cars. I don't really want to drive like that every day, but nice to know I can if I want (and my mileage ended up at 50mpg for the trip).

 

At no extra cost?

 

Your dealer is not looking hard enough or far enough. Others have complained of not being able to find a C4 without a moon-roof and 16" alloys. But it could be a temporary regional issue. I can't imagine it taking 6 months to get. Try another dealer. There's no way a dealer will do an aftermarket moon-roof and the fake leather seats, at least not for free. The wheels alone would be over $1000.00 even if they gave you credit for the the steel.

 

Strange how regional the shortages are. The base model I bought yesterday in North Vancouver had been on the lot since April.

Galaxy Nexus ? 2

 

Just my observation after 4000 miles with my C....

I don't tend to agree with Wayne here...I have found if you take off immediately, the C only uses battery power for propulsion, until the the ICE timing, emissions, warm up is complete....then the ICE can begin charging and propelling...I have seen the AMP draw over 125 (Scangauge II) and it does deplete the battery very quickly on brisk acceleration...I find that waiting about 30-45 seconds until "Stage 1b" starts gives the best mileage. (you can actually hear the ICE change how its sounds when it reaches this stage)

S1b:

• this is an extended warming up stage.
• you also can not enable the EV-Drive Mode during this S1b on Gen3. (you can enable the EV-Drive Mode on Gen2)
• the ignition timing is now normal, and the engine is able to provide power and charge battery.
• you are now ready to drive without any penalty of battery discharging.
• ( A ) if the the coolant temperature is still below 40C after S1a, the warming up continues until 40C.
• ( B ) if the the coolant temperature is between 40C and 50C after S1a, the warming up continues until 50C.
• ( C ) if the the coolant temperature is between 50C and 60C after S1a, the warming up continues until 65C.

I find that the ICE is able to get to EV mode quicker this way and does not spend more warm up time charging the battery = better MPG...I will have to do some objective testing to see if my observations are actual fact...

-M

 

I think it is a better idea to go with the factory installed options than take a chance on the aftermarket ones!

 

And don't just wait. Keep looking and consider traveling to another dealer or having one delivered. Even at 40c per mile bringing one 500 miles is only $200, which is well within negotiation room.

At this point the dealer's just getting in the way of you buying from Toyota.