Read This Before Buying A Prius C

My 2009 Yarus with 98000 miles, is a lot more bumpy and noisy then our new 2012 Pruis C. I will agree that my Yarus kicks nice person on acceleration over our Pruis C, but we are looking for gas mileage not a race car. Though I do miss my 1988 Chevy Sprint made by Suzuki , 3 cylinder 1 liter . It got better gas MPGs and much better acceleration for $5800 NEW at that time. 58 MPGs with a carburetor and i drove it 236,000 before it was hit and total out .
Here is my 2009 Yarus pulling just a little over 2000 Lb and over 500+ Lb of tools and equipment in the back seats

 

Yeah, yer sprint also had no modern safety measures and pollution controls, which is why it and the Honda CRX got great numbers back in the day!

 

True not as much safety as for running clean it was all near zeros for the CO , HC and 15% CO2 most people did not know this that they ran this clean. I was a SMOG tech at the time testing my car all the time showing it as a example.

 

Hilarious post dude, Sorry to say I agree with you on almost everything.

Motorola Triumph ? 2.

 

For me I can't image life with out Entune. I speak and it does it! Finding destinations by name is amazing and having the car guide me is such a nice relief then holding my iphone the whole time. Just went on a 1000 mile trip and had a passenger in the back and they said it was very comfortable back there as well. These are just a few of the great things about the car in my case anyway.

 

Can't argue with your point about the ride. On bad pavement or roads with those annoying strips between the sections, the ride can be jarring. If that's what you have to travel on everyday, then this, or almost any small car in it's class (the Corolla has grown and is not in this class anymore) was certainly not right for you. I encounter this kind of pavement only once in a while, so it's bearable, but I know what you mean. I have lowered my tire pressure to 36 and it makes quite an improvement in ride, with barley a hint of effect on my overall average mpg (56).

I have no problems with the Nav system. Works fine for me. Screen brightness can be an issue in direct sunlight. I expect the aftermarket to come up with a sunshade eventually. Entune is of dubious value, and will be even more so in three years when Toyota starts to charge people for what is essentially access to their own data plan using a monitor in a car that they also own. But I really like the rest of the audio system. I have one set of MP3s on a USB drive plugged in the dash outlet and another set on my phone that I can play using bluetooth. No more fumbling with CDs. And while there are a few additional commands I would like to have, the voice control system is very nice and easy to operate.

Glad you found a vehicle that suits you better.

 

I looked at the 3 gen and the Prius C. I liked the Prius C more. They had three cars two were II and I bought the III that they had. I do not have kids yet but we have one on the way. I bought this car to commute. I had a 2011 BMW 550I with some issues and to get out of it I ended up leasing a 2011 328I. I have been driving the Prius C on weekdays and on the weekend I have been driving the 328I. My arms hurt after driving the 328I something I had not noticed as far as bumps I feel them just like my 328I, the 550 was a different story. I am very happy with my choice and this is just my car to commute and when my 328I lease is over I don't know what I will get. I was expecting to get 40 MPG but I am surprised to see that I average 54 MPG city and highway. My car is two weeks old and it has over 1400 miles my 328I is 1 year and 10 days and it has 24,000 miles and my 550 in 6 months had 14,000 miles. I found the Prius C more sport the 3 gen and I do not need the space. I am glad you found a car that fits your needs.

 

Some road noise over rough tarmac, but i believe a quieter tire would solve that, wind noise over 75mph, yeah, but the car itself is very quiet making the wind noise so audible. Handling, its better than some, worst than some, but it wasn't really meant to be a sportscar, otherwise it would have been given all 4 independent suspension and hydraulic power steering and 4 disc brake with options to turn off the abs and vsc and stuff. It was advertised as the C for city, the sizing is pretty much bigger than most compact city cars, as for price, if the engine doesn't justify it, the equipment does though, MID, 7 air bags, abs, ebd, hill assist, auto climate control, smart entry, and mine comes with sat nav and bluetooth and stuffs. I would have needed to pay a few grand more to get the same thing on a compact gas guzzler.

Though getting 60-70 mpg is about responsible driving, adhering to speed limits, light on the throttle, my previous car was supposed to do 48mpg, but yeah, you need to do the same, 90kph, highway, no long idle, no air conditioning... but the C gives me 48-50 just driving it the way i wanted to even when stuck in traffic, and i still get to have a/c.

last week, was helping my dad pickup some stuff, and found with the seats folded, was hard to fit some large items in, so used my brother's pickup truck to do the heavy lifting, the C wasn't meant to be a cargo car anyway.

From your perspective, I couldn't agree more with you, it's the wrong car, but the car isn't wrong. All you need to do is pick the right one and you'll be okay

 

I agree with some things you said. The ride is not as smooth as in higher end cars for sure. I do notice every bump in the road more. Also, I do think it is noisier than other cars I've driven recently. Neither of these are that bad, to me. I was driving a 2000 Camry for the last two years and I think that was just a higher end car so I notice the difference but I don't mind it much.

I was concerned about the space too. I am considering a roof rack. I did go to a cabin in the woods for five nights recently, and I fit my two big dogs, lots of bags filled with food, clothing, dog supplies, large containers of water and beer and dog food, etc. I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything fit!

I am repeating the same trip soon but with 10 nights worth of supplies so that will be the ultimate test for me of if the size will work at ALL times for me. I guess when I have to move a piece of furniture or something I'll borrow someone's car or rent those $19/day vans.

 

Don't really understand what's the problem with you guys with cargo space. Do you travel with your TV and audio receiver??? I weight 210 lbs, have 2 kids, and I really don't have trouble with space at all!

I have a Toyota Echo hatchback for second car, and a Toyota Rav4 for third.



I really don't need more space. With the Echo, I can put my hockey bag in the trunk without issue. And with the Prius C, space is really an improvement Vs the Echo. I can put 2 hockey bags easily! I keep my RAV4 for heavy big boxes... but in 3 months, I needed it only twice for 65 inches TV and a new table.

We always take the C for any trips, and never needed more space with 4 peoples on board.

 

Most of his complaints should have been vetted on the test drive. I can understand how it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new car and overlook flaws.

As far as size, I fit my family of four, two guitars and bags of cables, etc. most every Sunday. I could see how a car seat, with the young one's legs sticking out could be an issue.
I will agree about the harsh ride, you feel every bump.

60-70 MPG tanks? I had no such expectations. I am glad to exceed the EPA 46 MPG on the highway, where I spend most of my time.

Entune is ok for what is is. The navi function is hit or miss and the voice recognition sometimes comes up with hilarious results. Makes my kids laugh, so it gives new meaning to "entertainment system". Pandora and iHeartradio are nice. Audio quality exceeds BT streaming.

The only real complaint I have is that the passenger seat hurts my wife's back and we've yet to find a solution for it. It keeps us from taking any long trips.

10,000 mile service tomorrow and we just sent the payoff check, so she's all mine for the long haul!

 

I took three test drives at two different dealers, but I guess I was not in the car long enough to realize the seats really need a lumbar adjustment.

This isn't exactly the same as the one I found at Walgreens for $2.00 (they don't sell it anymore), but it's very similar looking. The only down side is that it pushes your whole body out a bit so you lose an inch or so of thigh support on the other end of the seat. But it definitely works, and is a quick cheap solution until you find something better. All the "something betters" are much more expensive, and I haven't found any stores selling them. They are all online, so it's impossible to try before you buy.

Amazon.com: Angel Sales PosturePro Lumbar Support: Health & Personal Care

 

We live with choices we make, the C is a great commuter car for me.

one size does not fit all.

 

OP is guilty of expressing the same confirmation bias in expecting everyone will secretly agree with him as he was when he chose the wrong car and told himself it was the right choice. Just cause you don't know what you want doesn't mean we don't rightfully enjoy our decisions.

 

I haven't had any trouble with cargo space either. My boyfriend and I took it camping, and fit two coolers, one tote, a tent, two chairs, an air mattress, two pillows, two backpacks, extra blankets, and a guitar. Now, if we had a child or friend to take with us...then we would have had a problem. I do understand that everyone's circumstances are different, and some people really do need more cargo space. But I don't know that it's quite as bad as some people think.

 

This just goes to show 'one size does not fit all.' Prius owners have three sizes:

• 1.5L - small
• 1.8L - medium
• 1.8L - large

Like Goldilocks, the buyer has choices and needs to sample each . . . and then make their decision. Some fraction of the buyers will choose and later realize 'Opps' but often they can go back and without too big of a penalty, fix the problem.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

It's apparent the OP has a very different perspective than some of us, but I can say for sure his priorities are virtually opposite to mine.

First off, the Prius c is still too big; a foot shorter in length and 6 inches shorter in height would make the car much better, as in sporty, lighter, more centered polar moment of inertia, less big. While I enjoy wafting along in a big fat wasteful luxo barge on occasion, driving one isn't anywhere near the top of my personal automotive agenda. One reason I don't feel bad getting rid of the Golf TDI was it was simply too big and heavy and I felt wasteful hauling all that excess around.

Ride quality bad? Are you kidding or just being dramatic? The Prius c is the most disconnected and floatiest car I've owned since my old BMW E36 M3. Last weekend I drove the car from Detroit to Chicago and back and even the massive speedbumps on I-94 didn't distract me from my relaxed daze. This car has fantastic ride quality, almost too good. I already have KW V3's on order to knock out the wobble and get the chassis tied to the pavement; the last thing I want to do is have to slow down for corners because the stock suspension is obviously tuned for magic carpet and not chassis control. The OP very clearly has no sporting background or intent. The Prius c caters to people that may want to explore a sanitized version of sporting suspension without any of the actual performance or cavity-filling rattling characteristics that typically accompany sports car suspension tuning.

Price. Ah yes. The Prius c was by far the cheapest of all the options I was looking at. I almost feel guilty how inexpensive the car is. It's also a bit of irony the OP went and bought a more expensive car while complaining the c is too much.

Infotainment: I have a c Two, which means I don't have to suffer with Entune or Nav. The Bluetooth streaming is fantastic, the USB perfectly functional [though not the best GUI], and the sound quality tolerable for now. Coming from the Dynaudio system in my TDI is an admittedly tough act to follow, as it was legitimately good. For the price of the car, the functionality is perfectly acceptable.

Cars are very personal and subjective. What's too hardcore for the OP is on the ragged edge of too soft for me.

 

i just got back from a 4 hour trip each way i got 60 + mpg carried 2 inflatable kayaks and 3 people .In the city i can get 70, my 08 civic got 40 mpg and about 30 city ,more room in the trunk but less room in the car .I picked the one because i wanted to keep the price down .Not much else out there in this price range that is alot bigger .I live in canada and a new civic with the same equipment as the c is more money .To load this car up makes the price gets too close to the bigger prius and other competion so it just made sense to buy the base car it had everything in it i needed

 

OP - Thanks for your views on the C. I guess that my only comment is that many of the issues that you had with the car are because you talked yourself into it rather than bought it on its merits. I am not trying to be mean, but did you not take it on a test drive? Did you not look at any other cars? Why did you not actually try and fit your son and his gear into the car? Why did you assume that you would get far better mileage than the EPA estimates?

Sorry, but the issue with the C in your case is that you bought the wrong car for the wrong reasons- because it seems as though you bought it over the lift back because of price.