The differences between Toyota Prius, Prius c, & Prius v

Jun 23, 2014

For the longest time, Toyota only produced one kind of Prius, which was great in and of itself because to even offer an environmentally friendly car 10 years ago was something new. Nowadays, Toyota’s Prius family includes the Prius, Prius c, Prius v and Prius Plug-In, the first three of which are for sale at Markquart Toyota, in Eau Claire.

Prius
The standard Prius is actually the midsize model of the brand and can be recognized in a lineup by its long, arch-shaped roofline that flows from front to back. The arched roofline tapers off at the back with a significant slope downwards to make up the trunk of the Prius. As the medium of the three Prius’, this Prius offers 42.5 inches of legroom up front and 36 inches in back, and for those who pack heavy, there’s 21.6 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk. In addition, the Prius is known for getting great gas mileage, so it is no surprise that the original Prius gets 51/48 city/highway mpg. Not too shabby.

Prius c
The Toyota Prius c and Prius v may have come out at the same time, but they’re not twins. The Prius c is the smallest out of all the Prius’ and while all of them are reasonably priced, the Prius c is the most affordable. Perfect for city driving, the Prius c carries a more traditional hatchback shape and has great airflow dynamics. This snug-bug can still comfortably seat five and has 17.1 cubic feet of cargo room behind the 60/40-split fold-flat rear seats. As if that weren’t enough, the Prius c gets 53/46 city/highway mpg—the highest EPA-estimated city mpg of any vehicle on the road.

Prius v
Last but definitely not least is the Prius v, the big boy of the family. The Prius v is very similar to the Prius but doesn’t come with the classic arched roofline. Instead, the roofline comes down a little and back to give more cargo space to the interior of the Prius v—34.3 cubic feet of cargo space, that is. That’s more room than most small SUVs. And don’t think all that space is going to weigh you down. The Prius v comes with an EPA-estimated 44/40 city/highway mpg. No wonder Kelley Blue Book called the 2013 Prius v one of the 10 Best Family Cars of 2013.

The Toyota Prius, Prius c and Prius v are tried and true and not to be missed. Each comes with its own distinguishing style, plenty of space for people or cargo, and great gas mileage to boot; it doesn’t get much better than that. Check out our wide selection of Prius’ online now or stop by Markquart Toyota to test drive one today!