Prius C should be excellent for city driving with its very low fuel consumption in start/stop traffic and good pickup acceleration. As a mid hatchback, it has good maneuverability in crowded places like a small Myvi but in a better body designed for greater safety and comfort - the back seat is wide and deep almost like a home sofa. The doors can open out big for smooth access of children with heavy bags.

Unless its price AND maintenance are considered not affordable, Prius C has almost a perfect balance for your purpose. We are taking delivery of a Pearl White Prius C this week mainly for my wife to send and fetch our kid (Primary 1 too), replacing our Peugeot 206 which is 6inch shorter. Our current other ride is Kia Sportage 2011 which is a good value buy with its many modern features.

"The prius C has no belts. It has a low friction timing chain of metal that last longer.

The C has an electric power steering, Electric water pump, electric Aircon pump. NO belts here.

Very little rubber to wear out in this Prius C engine." The Bad here is that only Toyota trained and equipped workshop can service it.


This post has been edited by mkhor7: Mar 28 2012, 09:19 AM

This is our first Toyota. God bless us with a small good income and we think it is time to change car due to our kid now in Pri.1 in a city school. The fuel saving benefit may take many years to recoup the extra cost of this new car. Thanks also to duty free for hybrid car, and the Japanese government incentives for a less polluting car.

The interior design is very subjective. It is made from eco material to be long lasting and easy cleaning. The off-cut design is to create balance and visual space for both left and right front passengers, and I think it succeeded well in this goal.

This post has been edited by mkhor7: Mar 28 2012, 10:24 AM

Our Prius C is imported from Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Pte Ltd with AP granted to OTOMOBIL SEJAHTERA SDN BHD, a subsidiary of UMW.
On the customs declaration form, FOB cost is RM66,198.43 plus Freight RM3,009.69and insurance RM58.88. 10% Sales Tax of RM6,926.70 is payable while Import and Excise duties are exempted.
Total cost is RM76,193.70 at Port Klang. UMW has to add local distribution and marketing costs. Selling Price is RM93,967 (OTR is RM97,000). It seems the margin for Prius C could be below 18% !

If no exemptions, 30% Import Duty is RM20,780.10 , 75% Excise Duty is RM67,535.33 and then 10% Sales tax is RM15,758.24 for this CBU car!

Full CBU Japan except for local Reverse Sensors and Alarm systems with cabin motion sensors, and the stick-on number plates.
Audio headunit is oem from Pioneer DEH-M8247ZT a 2009 model with 4x40W output and value about RM220 online.

This post has been edited by mkhor7: Apr 1 2012, 04:39 AM

Any Toyota SA could get a copy of the customs declaration form and AP details.


Have anyone noted wind noise at the driver's door even when driving at low speed below 50kmh?

Mine has the standard thick UMW type.

Initially PriusC was to be RM103900 at almost 30% margin for UMW. Maybe with Honda due to release Jazz hybrid, UMW top gun decided to just earn 18% at OTR RM97k for PriusC to be competitive here. This strategy also helps to draw customers to the much higher priced Prius.

This post has been edited by mkhor7: Apr 6 2012, 08:06 PM

Wow you are back from the future 30-April !

PriusC steering is assisted by an independent DC electric motor which operates even when the fuel engine is stopped or off. This Electric Power Steering EPS produces a high frequency motor whine from the rotation of worm and ring gears. Most other car models put their EPS motor in the traditional location at the bottom of the steering column near the steering rack below the hot engine bay. However in our PriusC, which has very little space in the engine bay, the DC motor is moved upward in the steering column to be nearer to the steering wheel. The EPS motor is inside the passenger cabin under the dashboard!!! Toyota should do a better job to insulate the EPS noise that can be heard clearly especially during parking or when vehicle motion is slow. Maybe Toyota engineers love this "robotic motor" sound.

More importantly, check to see if your EPS is accurate, no vibration, smooth and very light (and feel lifeless). If so, this is normal, and we like it.

This post has been edited by mkhor7: Apr 18 2012, 06:52 PM

Just a first time Toyota buyer. PriusC technical info are in the net. I will share more later.

It is disappointing, but not surprising, that UMW has SC who are not fully experienced with Prius systems, just the basic maintenance - engine oil, spark plug,...

PriusC is the 3+ generation from Toyota and based on the Prius from second generation onwards (2003- now) . The EPS in all these Prius and PriusC have the same layout.

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Added on April 18, 2012, 10:24 pmIt seems the MID in the PriusC for some regions (also in Taiwan) is limited to 6 display modes only. The PriusC for USA, Canada, Australia,NZ,... markets has 8 display modes. The extras are "Eco Savings" and "Eco Savings Record" and are different from "Eco-Score" mode display.

Maybe the higher up feels we are not interested to know our fuel cost savings against another comparison car, or that it is a big hassle for us to learn how to enter the fuel cost per liter into the system. ??? Or maybe UMW save some cost to exclude it ???

This post has been edited by mkhor7: Apr 18 2012, 10:24 PM

Previously posted details:
Our Prius C is imported from Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Pte Ltd with AP granted to OTOMOBIL SEJAHTERA SDN BHD, a subsidiary of UMW.
On the customs declaration form, FOB cost is RM66,198.43 plus Freight RM3,009.69and insurance RM58.88. 10% Sales Tax of RM6,926.70 is payable while Import and Excise duties are exempted.
Total cost is RM76,193.70 at Port Klang. UMW has to add local distribution and marketing costs. Selling Price is RM93,967 (OTR is RM97,000). It seems the margin for Prius C could be below 18% !

If no exemptions, 30% Import Duty is RM20,780.10 , 75% Excise Duty is RM67,535.33 and then 10% Sales tax is RM15,758.24 for this CBU car! Total Exemption = RM97,146.97!

Full CBU Japan except for local Reverse Sensors and Alarm systems with cabin motion sensors, and the stick-on number plates.
Audio headunit is oem from Pioneer DEH-M8247ZT a 2009 model with 4x40W output and value about RM220 online.