Hi everybody, I'm a newbie to PriusChat with a question about the Prius c luggage capacity. My 2002 Honda Civic’s official trunk volume is 12.9 cubic feet. In my Civic’s trunk, I’m able to fit 2 fairly large wheeled suitcases lying flat and side-by-side between the wheel wells, plus 2 large totes, one on each side behind the wheel wells, and 2 large garment bags laid flat over the 2 suitcases. Behind the suitcases, there’s room left over for books, magazines, snacks, binoculars, etc. I’m looking at a Prius c to replace my Honda Civic but the luggage space, with the rear seat in place, looks much too small to accommodate all of the above even if the reported cargo space is 17.1 feet. What gives? If the 17.1 Ft cargo volume is the official measurement for the space ‘beneath the Prius c removable cover’, I can’t understand why it looks so small compared to my Civic’s trunk. Is it possible the quoted Prius c cargo space is for whatever can fit ‘beneath the roof’ behind the back seat? In a Toyota showroom, the Camry’s 15.4 Ft trunk looks simply cavernous next to the Prius c 17.1 cargo space. I would like to know if any of you Prius c owners are able to fit 2 large suitcases in your hatchback beneath the cover (or below the window line, if no cover). Suitcase size is 24x16x10 inches. Thanks.
No way. Maybe two carry on size without the cargo cover. Anything more than that, you will have to fold the seats.
Hate to disagree with B2, but without the cargo cover, even if you don't fold down the seats, I think you have a goodly amount of room. Here's a thought... take come empty luggage with you to the dealership and tell them you want to see how it stores. I know I can put an awful lot of stuff in the back of the C2 without having to put the rear seats out of commission. I have been able to put four cases/flats of bottled water, a 30lb. bag of cat food, and 2 weeks worth of groceries for three people in that space without impacting driver visibility. In the past, I have always judged "trunk space" by the number of bodies you could fit in it (yes, i'm weird that way). I think you could easily stuff 2 or 3 dead bodies in the back without having to fold down the rear seats... though the third body would probably impact driver visibility... and would certainly alert the cops <wink>
We are going on a trip (20 hours one way) next month. We checked and we have been able to squeeze: 1 large suitcase, 3 carry on sized suitcases and one medium sized bag into the back (no cargo cover). There will be four of us traveling including one ornery 16 year old and one fairly sweet (but profoundly autistic) 13 year old. Yikes! The bags in the back come up a little on the sides, but the headrests are there anyway, so it doesn't block much. It seems to have a lot more room than my last car (Scion Xa). I agree with above, if this is important, bring the bags to the dealership and see if they fit.
Sounds like a good idea. I'll only know for sure if I take my stuff to the dealer's showroom, won't I? This all began when I took a Prius c with Nav out for a test drive. (15 inch wheels) Frankly, I did not expect much, after reading CU's take on the small Prius. I wanted to see for myself if the car rode as harshly and noisily as they reported. My test drive was about 30 Km (20 Miles) and included highway and town portions. I was pleasantly surprised! The car did not ride harshly; I did my best to find bad road surfaces but unfortunately could not find any really bad surfaces, potholes and the like. I also thought the car rode rather quietly both in town and on the highway at around 115 Km/H (70 Mph). Even a full throttle run from zero to 115 or 120 Km/H was not as loud as I expected. Sweet little car! Once back at the car owner's home, I had a look at the cargo space and it sure looked very small. Later, at a dealership, I was able to compare a Prius c and a Camry. The Camry's trunk looked like it would be able to swallow twice as much as the Prius c cargo bay could hold beneath the cover. Yet, the specs state the Prius c holds 2 cubic feet more than the Camry and I just can't see how that's possible.Meanwhile, B2FiNiTy reports the car holds very little yet RocMills and BeckySue state it holds a fair amount. I'll have to dig into the site's posts and see if most members believe the Prius c's cargo space is sufficient for their needs, generally speaking. I believe I'll also see if I can come up with information on how official trunk measurements are obtained, while I'm at it.
Roc you are so funny! Hmmmm the three bodies would have to be small petite and asian, and stacked or at least in a fetal position. its smallish for cargo space compared to a civic or my 325i bmw. but if you get creative and make adjustments in how you assemble your cargo it can work. I made that discovery last week when i came out of Target with my normal purchased items and discovered i couldnt mindlessly throw them into the trunk as i normally would in my beemer. i had to stuff the cargo area and the backseat area. But with the gas savings, it pretty much pays for several target trips.
If I had to guess, the 17 cu.ft. is with the privacy shelf removed and stacking it high and deep. It could also be cheating by removing the floor foam inserts and pouring your cargo into the cracks around the spare tire. At the end of the day it still has plenty of cargo space. Me and 2 friends went for a long weekend vacation and all our luggage fit in the car and there was still plenty of room to buy a bunch of wine.
Well, of course, how else would you transport dead bodies? I mean, I suppose you could set them up to look like passengers... but, yeah, I had stuffing them in in mind. Seriously, didn't someone here once post that they were able to "camp" in their C? I'm sure that several months back there was quite a lengthy thread about how much (and what) various owners had managed to fit into their Cs. Visuals can be deceiving, most especially if you've only had actual trunk experience in the past. I know that this is my first hatchback... I had a truck back in the 80s, but every car since then (until Entu) has had an actual trunk.
Sedan's are best for dead bodies. That way there's a baffle to separate the stink from the cabin. That's probably why sedans are so popular in USA: "Because Hoffa".
I'm Asian and no way you could get three of me in that space without a bone saw... That said - I have a friend who always checks out the trunk space at the annual car show by figuring how many bodies would fit - plus a shovel. The car show is this weekend and I know he'll give me a report.
As a photographer I can tell you I'm able to fit two large camera bags (wheeled) and also a fairly large duffel with some of my lighting gear with stands plus a small 4 step aluminum latter along with a few other packs in my C. and I still have room for a small cooler. When I did all this in my JEEP I had to utilize the front seat also and had no room for passengers. Now my assistant can ride with me. Don't be fooled and pack smart.
Tomorrow it will be two beer kegs and 240 lbs of ice plus 7 cases of wine. No passenger but that says a lot for room.
there should be a thread where people take pics of it loaded up and post. that would be really interesting and fun.
Whoa. A Montrealer who could not find a bad road to test drive the C.???????? Things have changed since I moved from there
Yes, this. Now I'm annoyed I don't have photos from times I've gone the full Tetris on my c. I changed from a 2003 Corolla hatch and the c's cargo area is little different.
