One doesn’t get a true sense of how a car will work for them until they take a roadtrip, so my family and I went on a day-trip with the Prius C to the Pirate Festival at the Long Beach pier and spent some time at the beach. We had a lot of fun and got to do some great people watching!
Again, I am so impressed with the gas mileage on this car. I feel like I have been driving this car around like crazy and all I have had to put into the gas tank it $10. The Prius C is not a speed demon, but who cares because those who buy a hybrid are probably not looking for a zippiest car when it comes to how fast it goes from 0-60mph.
Cargo-wise we were a bit tight for our day-trip to the beach. I managed to fit two beach chairs, towels, snacks and a few sand toys which definitely put us at maximum capacity. I realize that the Prius C was not designed as a family car, so I truly can’t criticize the cargo space limitations for a family headed to the beach. My friend owns the new Prius V (which was designed with a family in mind) and is thrilled with the car. She told me that the V is easily able to handle all of the gear a family needs.
The kids were fine in the back and had plenty of room, however they definitely missed having a DVD player in the car because we heard WAY more “When are we going to be theres” than usual. While it is definitely not a MUST, the option to have a DVD player would be nice (As far as I can tell it is not an option on the Prius V either).
My only other items on my wish list that were not fulfilled with the Prius C were:
- Seat heaters (I am a bit addicted to them)
- Programmable driver-side seat / steering wheel / mirror positions
I am a true lover of a good seat heater and given that I live in utlra mild California, I am guessing those that experience REAL weather would appreciate the option to purchase a car with seat heaters too. If only one person ever drives your car, then the programmable seat position is probably not a huge issue for you, however when more than one person does drive a car it is inconvenient to have to readjust everything to your liking.
On our way home from our day trip we made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s and when I came out to the car I found a Prius C parked right next to me and another Prius parked right in front of me…people have definitely embraced Prius (I of course had to snap a few pics of this parking arrangement)!
Technology-wise what is cool about the Prius C is Entune. For those of you unfamiliar, Entune:
We used the navigation system for our trip to Long Beach and it worked like a charm giving me plenty of notice before turns, etc.
I was also impressed with the Bluetooth phone system in that it was really easy to use and extremely clear.
One of the fun features is that after each use of the car when you shut off the engine there is a message telling you how much that trip in the car cost you (This picture was of a local trip, NOT the Long Beach trip). This is a fuzzy picture taken with my ancient iPhone (sorry), but you get the gist.
My husband said he was actually going to be sad to see the Prius C go back to the dealership and I will be too. The Prius C has been a pleasure to drive and it soooo easy to park due to its compact size…I never met a spot I couldn’t fit into while test driving it and that is absolutely priceless for the city-dwellers this car was designed for.
Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Toyota Youth Network.
The Prius C Four does have heated seats.
That’s good to know! The one I test drove didn’t and I LOVE heated seats.