Used 2013 Prius or 2015 Prius C one .. Help !!

drive both cars for yourself. be sure to understand the shortcomings of the c 1's option package.

 

Consumer reports, which I personally find to be quite good at testing/reviewing, didn't speak very highly of the Prius C. Main concerns were quality of interior build, noisy at high speeds, and sluggish. In terms of mileage it does get slightly better mileage than the Prius hatchback. I thought about the C, but after I drove one and read some reviews I decided to go with the hatchback. Have no regrets and am pleased with my decision.

While I can understand dismissing the materialistic aspect, do consider things such as comfort, especially if you're going to be driving 70 miles daily. The C, my opinion, is a nice car for short jaunts. Not so sure I'd want to do consistently long trips with it. Bisco makes the ultimate point... drive both cars and decide. I would add to do some research on both of them. You might finds pluses and minuses you hadn't considered. Good Luck.

 

Buy new over used for long term as it removes the who knows what was done to it variable. As I'm sure you know, C1 comes w/o cruise control...if that matters.

 

70 miles a day w/o cruise control alone would drive me nuts......


You will def get better mpg with all that highway driving with a liftback as well, unless you keep speeds real low and stick to back roads..


I took my wife to the dealership to very seriously consider a c, we left in a new v for her (I have a liftback)... Consider the storage capacity as well unless this will solely be a commuter and not used to haul really anything but a couple bags of groceries...

 

I just got back from visiting family. I was offered a Prius C as a rental car "upgrade" for $10 a day more. I decided to try it out for the 2 days I was there. I drove a lot, over 300 miles, so I saved almost as much in fuel cost.

I found the C to feel very cheap and basic compared to my 2010 liftback. For example, there was no seat height adjustment, no outside temperature display and no smart key. I also found the suspension to be harsh. I felt every bump in the road and there are a lot in N.Y. where I was visiting.

I love the smart key and will never buy a car without it. If you haven't used one, it is more of a convenience than you may realize.

EDIT: I just checked the Toyota web site. The smart key is available with the Prius C "Three". The one I rented must have been a lesser model.

That said, I am sure the C would serve you well and will be a very cost effective as you put on the miles of your commute. Also, I don't know whether the C can be better equipped than the basic one that I drove.

The dealer should let you test drive both the C and liftback to compare.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

from what I understand the C is basically a yaris frame with 2nd gen prius system put into it's drive train.
is sluggish and noisy because it's basically the same frame as a yaris with its less aerodynamic design, poor handling and with the added weight of the hybrid system. (I havent driven it myself but I've watched pretty much every review out there for the prius C, plugin, V, liftback)

test drive them both and see how they feel for you, ultimately it'll be you that will be driving the vehicle for the next few years
Last time i checked, Toyota offers huge discounts a new C (recent graduate being one that saves 1000-2000 [over the timeframe I checked it varied from 1-2k])

 

Interesting. Now, a friend of mine bought a Yarus when they first came out, and he LOVED that car. It got great mileage and was quite reliable. It is a fairly basic compact passenger car though. Still, his was super reliable, etc. So, if they're building on the Yarus as a base, that isn't really a huge negative, it is a good solid starting point. Of course the Prius C is still pretty much a whole different car, and you're right, drive them all and then decide. I know we looked at the C, and ended up spending the extra $6k for a standard Prius. I don't recall what package the one we looked at was, but it was a 2015 and it was back in March. They were already discounting them to $17k then (and I'm sure we could have gotten a better deal than that). I'd try to talk them down at least another $1k, those things have been on the lot a long time, and if its the level 1 trim package, its probably not what people are really looking for.

 

Drive them both. Up a hill, and over uneven pavement (potholes, manhole covers, etc). Doing this made me decide on the standard Prius. Although I do really like the C's styling !

 

I have owned both a c and currently own a liftback (my brother has my c now).

The questions you should ask is "What do I intend to do with this vehicle?"

Are you going to haul any cargo? The liftback has much more room if you find yourself shopping for lots of stuff frequently.

Both cars handled the freeway fine, but the c produced a more noticeable whine when I wanted power going up hill. Nothing drastic or deafening, but I always felt like it was wheezing for breath during those moments. And I use cruise control all the time, so if you have a really long commute, this might be a crucial factor, as the c one trim doesn't have CC.

The c's stock suspension system frankly sucks. You're going to feel every bump on the road with it. Keep this in mind if the roads by where you live aren't in great condition.

MPG-wise they were roughly the same. The c has less power, but it's also about 500 pounds lighter too. It does have a smaller gas tank though, I think 9.5 vs 11.9 for the liftback, so you'll have to fill it up slightly more with the c. But you can hit 50 mpg easily unless you drive really fast all the time.

If you live or work in a heavily populated area, aka "the city", then the c has a huge advantage as it's far easier to park due to its shorter size and tight turning radius. And in "city" driving the c does slightly better in mpg due to not being as heavy as the liftback.

You can fit 5 people in either vehicle, but it'll be pretty tight in the back seats with the c, unless they're all really skinny or young kids.

As far as reliability, so long as the liftback wasn't involved in a major crash or suffered flood damage, it should last you for a long time provided you don't beat it up and get the routine maintenance done regularly.

 

Both the C and LB have the same reliability, horrible suspension and great mpg. The only "real difference" is size and cost...and as it applies to this post...new vs used.

 

I agree with Ashlem who said "The c's stock suspension system frankly sucks. You're going to feel every bump on the road with it. Keep this in mind if the roads by where you live aren't in great condition."

yes, the liftback suspension isn't great but it is better than the C's suspension

 

Respects, but I just bought my second LB and put many miles on the C in the last month and both model's suspension suck, the difference is marginal at best. But then...most of us didn't buy either to do slaloms or so we could watch a diamond cut in the back seat while driven either.

 

Bottom line, we are mostly in agreement, just mildly different impressions. Let's hope that the gen 4 is a lot better.

 

Would be nice...however performance is generally sacrificed for efficiency to maintain cost.