Well, I have had my Prius C for a few months now after stepping down in size from the lift back for various reasons. I love this little car and have really had fun driving it, but it did not get highway tested until recently when I took a vacation in the NC mountains. As my journey began, I was unsure how 99 hp would handle freeway speeds of 70-75 mph and climbing mountain passes. The answer is…………AWESOMENESS!! It kept up with traffic with no problems, climbed the mountains around Asheville, and conquered the Blue Ridge Parkway without a hiccup. This little car really can go when you need it to. It was just me and a bunch of luggage. At one of the rest stops, I spoke with a couple who had a C and was towing a small pop-up camper behind it (750 lbs). Not sure if you are supposed to tow with the C from other posts I have read here, but they loved their car and took it everywhere. For me, stepping "down" to a Prius C was a great choice.
Good report! 100 BHP is actually quite a bit of grunt if you use it right, and the C-type appears to. No....it's not as much horsepower as a little boy would want, but you should be able to go anywhere that a road will take you, and keep up with other traffic along the way. FWIW, If you know what you're doing, you should be able to tow a 750# pop-up with the C-type. Pulling isn't the hard part. It's things like turning and braking that usually get people in trouble, and those pop-ups are low slung and fairly wide. As long as you respect the fact that 700# is most of your design MTOW and remember that you're turning and braking for two, you should have no problems other than know-it-all jerks (like me ) telling you that you shouldn't do it. Happy Motoring. HAVE FUN!!!! (Isn't that the whole point???)
Thanks NuttyKat. I will be in the market for a new car in a couple of months. The lift back and the C are at the top of my list. My biggest concern with the C has come from reading "experts" write about how underpowered it is. It's good to hear from someone who has a different experience. One question. Is it as noisy as the "experts" say? I'm not expecting Lexus like quiet. Just curious.
Drive the hatch as well. With all due respect to the C-types out there, the G3 is on sale right now because SUV's (actually mini-utes) are back in vogue now, and the G4 is due out at the end of the year. I'm seeing prices for the hatch in the LOW 20's. The C-type is a good car....but I'm thinking that the G3 is worth the extra thou. Good Luck!
Hi RivRider, In my experience, the lift back is a quieter, more cushioned ride than the Prius C. However, I am used to driving smaller cars so I'm comfortable with both a rougher ride and increased road noise. As ETC (SS) suggested, test drive both and consider what your cargo needs are. Liftback two in my area is priced around $20,500. Good luck - you will get what I consider a great vehicle either way.
The car also has a 60hp electric motor that is constantly being accessed. It provides 125 ft-lbs of torque, compared to the 82 ft-lbs generated by the engine. That's 159 hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque. As a comparison, the Camry with the 2.5 liter engine has 178 hp and 170 ft-lbs.
The 1NZ-FXE engine produces 54 kW (73 hp) and the HSD motor is rated at 45 kW (60 hp). Total output is rated at 74 kW (99 hp).
We travel with a collie and 3 shetland sheep dogs. They fit fine in the C thanks to the more vertical rear space. To me the steep slope of the lift back was wasted unusable space.
You are double counting some of that power. Of that 60hp electric motor (MG2), at most 36hp can come from the battery. The rest must come from the gasoline engine (via MG1), whose total power you have already counted. Remove the double counting, and the Liftback system limit is only 134hp.
My Fit is equipped to tow a farm supply trailer rated at 750lb and I've towed my lawn tractor several times without incident. My C would easily do the same. you need airlift rear shocks to make sure hitch load isn't too much which will result in the tail wagging the dog. you should also get a trailer braking system so the trailer is braked when your car does. with the trailer folded down it would not likely be a problem with wind resistance. and yes, you will not pass many cars so choose your route carefully. cheers ps I have no doubt my elrectric leaf would be as eassy to tow my tractor, maybe better tho range could be a problem.
I wonder which car people are driving when they complain about the c's (lack of) power. When I need to accelerate quickly, my car does it and without hesitation. She also does just fine at highway speeds. She does better and is quieter than my old Saturn (which always had to downshift) going over mountain passes. The car is not without faults (limited cargo space and poor navigation system), but lack of power isn't one of them.
naah.. it needs more power for hill climbing. Having climbed up the Blue ridge on lesser roads and had to spend too much time at WOT. When we pulled out at the top there was a heavy electric smell coming from under the hood.
hillclimbing is boring, downhilling is where it's at watch as everyone just keeps using their brakes and following terrible lines
That particular one would not have been fun at all. There are no passing zones, and too many blind corners to slow them down. I remember many years ago doing it on bicycle (and also tandem) and on a few sections we broke into 50mph (60 on tandem). On loaded tandem it was a real drag to get stuck behind one, even with 3 brakes I was worried about overheating rims and blowing tire. On going up it was fun except I couldn't shake off that pesky M3. There was no running away bimmer had advantage in everything, power, suspension, tires..
I think the underpowered remarks come from the fact that the engine really gets taxed RPM-wise when you need power. This may, in fact, be causing a psychological response where some folks may inadvertently hold back as a result. I can relate to this...and can't help but cringe a little every time I need serious acceleration. The higher hp of the liftback (which I also owned prior) definitely gives you more headroom here.
I believe the engine is limited to 4500 or 4700 RPM, which is low for a small displacement (1500cc) 4 cylinder engine.
I think redline is 5k. When you put pedal to the metal it keeps it at 4800-4850. With regards to power deficit majority of cars on the road go from 0 to 60 in 7-8sec and you are in disadvantage when it takes you 11.5.
Yeah, that was the only thing I didn't like and will need to get used to after testing it on the highway. I guess I shouldn't be afraid of flooring it as soon as I get to the on ramp. My old man says it's a good thing because I'm bit of a lead foot. Part of me feels like my wings were clipped but I'll take the reliability and fuel economy over the power...I just hope I don't get stuck behind some slow moving trucks
