The Prius has grown into a “family” of vehicles. The Prius is now called the “Prius Liftback” and the smaller Prius c and larger Prius v have been added. The Prius Liftback also has a Plug-in version available in limited markets.
I’ve driven the 2012 models of all but the PIH. They’re good cars. The Prius is a good car and a fit for many more people than most electrics on the market - plus it has a long track record and people are comfortable buying it because of that. Toyota hoped to build on that by adding the new models to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
The Prius c is easily the most fun you’ll have in a small production car. I’m a big guy (6’3") and fit nicely in one. Adding my wife and two car seats fills the car up, but still wasn’t as bad as when we did the same in the Chevy Volt. The low-slung battery at off-center to counterbalance the engine means the little c has awesome handling characteristics as well. Lots of fun.
The Prius v is the sort of not-quite-minivan of the group. It’s a great car, but relatively boring. Of course, vehicles focused on people moving are rarely interesting. It’s a good size, has great versatility, and gives optimum efficiency for all that. It’s great to see that Toyota thought about the most common vehicle segment outside of trucks/SUVs and decided not to go crossover.
I do like the Prius C, but I didn’t like the ride in it. it felt like it was missing something. The standard Prius isn’t half bad, and the Prius V is pretty boring, but they all get relatively good mileage.
I guess we have real different opinions. I test drove a brand new Prius and found it absolutely no fun at all, very sluggish (especially compared to the Volt) and I felt like George Jetsen driving it. I had the choice of which car to purchase and chose to not buy the Prius because of the driving experience and its absolute tie to gasolene use. I’m 5-8 and my kids are grown. I did like the extra room in the Prius back seat and Cargo area but I was looking for a commuter and with a commute under 80 miles it was an easy choice for much better economy and driving experience.
At 50 mpg and $3.80/gal the Prius costs 13.16 cents/mile vs the Volt at under 3 cents/mile on electric (almost 5 times cheaper for me).
[QUOTE=AaronTurpen;14706]The Prius has grown into a “family” of vehicles. The Prius is now called the “Prius Liftback” and the smaller Prius c and larger Prius v have been added. The Prius Liftback also has a Plug-in version available in limited markets.
I’ve driven the 2012 models of all but the PIH. They’re good cars. The Prius is a good car and a fit for many more people than most electrics on the market - plus it has a long track record and people are comfortable buying it because of that. Toyota hoped to build on that by adding the new models to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
The Prius c is easily the most fun you’ll have in a small production car. I’m a big guy (6’3") and fit nicely in one. Adding my wife and two car seats fills the car up, but still wasn’t as bad as when we did the same in the Chevy Volt. The low-slung battery at off-center to counterbalance the engine means the little c has awesome handling characteristics as well. Lots of fun.
The Prius v is the sort of not-quite-minivan of the group. It’s a great car, but relatively boring. Of course, vehicles focused on people moving are rarely interesting. It’s a good size, has great versatility, and gives optimum efficiency for all that. It’s great to see that Toyota thought about the most common vehicle segment outside of trucks/SUVs and decided not to go crossover.
What are your thoughts on the Prius lineup?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jljeeper;14817]Hi Aaron its me your Volt friend
I guess we have real different opinions. I test drove a brand new Prius and found it absolutely no fun at all, very sluggish (especially compared to the Volt) and I felt like George Jetsen driving it. [/QUOTE]
I’ll agree that the Volt is much more fun than the Prius Liftback, but the Prius c was as good or better in pep and handling and has about the same amount of space (passenger + luggage).
[QUOTE=AaronTurpen;14819]I’ll agree that the Volt is much more fun than the Prius Liftback, but the Prius c was as good or better in pep and handling and has about the same amount of space (passenger + luggage).[/QUOTE]
Well your right I drove the hatchback. I did watch the Consumer Reports on their impression of the C. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but this guy pulled no punches. I’ll have to drive one for myself. It is amazing how an article can taint a perfectly good car.
[QUOTE=Jljeeper;14823]Well your right I drove the hatchback. I did watch the Consumer Reports on their impression of the C. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but this guy pulled no punches. I’ll have to drive one for myself. It is amazing how an article can taint a perfectly good car. [/QUOTE]
I rarely pay attention to the impressions of a vehicle that Consumer Reports puts out. I’ll trust them for reliability info, but they seem hell bent on finding something horrible about every car they drive and often complain about things that frankly seem inconsequential. Like when they said a Kia had “cheap fittins on the interior.” Well duh… it’s a friggin Kia. You can’t compare the interior fittings of a $19k Kia with those of a $25k Honda.
The Prius Liftback was never meant to be a fun car. It was meant to be a highly efficient hybrid. Part of that is having crappy acceleration and spongy handling. The Prius c is based on a smaller platform (the Yaris) and is aimed at a younger audience, so it’s much sportier in fit and can get away with it because it’s a lighter overall vehicle using the same powertrain as the larger Prius.
This is a perfect example of Toyota building on the confidence of the initial Prius and growing consumer confidence in the vehicle. It has been a slow drawn out process but it is certainly beginning to pay dividends for Toyota.
