Please forgive my naivete in all areas...but, LOVE my 2012 Prius C (purchased new in 2013) and even happier that I recently paid it off. I had a Rav 4 prior to this, so I'm hooked on Toyota. I purchased the Prius because I was traveling a lot with my job....over 25k/year. I want to keep my car, which now has about 110k miles. I'm again starting a travel position, which will take me away from my home for periods of up to 6 months at a time. I'd like to consider getting a small (very small) RV..maybe like a teardrop,,or at most at Class B option. I will need my car to drive, but would like to consider a camping type of thing for housing. It is not imperative that I do this, but I'd like to consider it. (Finding myself interested in leaving a minimal carbon footprint, I guess ). I was hoping that maybe towing a teardrop would be feasible with the "C," but now I'm not sure. I went to an RV show recently, and it was suggested I get a class B or C and tow my car. I am not savvy in towing anything, but I believe I could learn. Any ideas on either using Prius C to tow something, or towing the car itself would be greatly appreciated. (I came upon this sight by sheer chance...hope I'll be able to return to see if any comments...naivete, further explained. ;-) Thank you
Most of the people I have seen with Class B or C RVs towing cars are doing it "flat" (all four wheels of the car on the ground, towed behind the RV). Don't do this with a Prius! There are threads here that discuss the reasons in more detail, but the car should never be towed with the front wheels on the ground. I suppose you could put the Prius on a trailer and tow it that way with an RV. As for using the Prius to tow a lightweight camping trailer, I don't know. Perhaps wiser folk will chime in on that. I'm pretty sure the owner's manual says "no towing." The vehicle is already a bit short on horsepower and might be overtaxed even with something lightweight. Having said that, I've seen some motorcycle "tent-campers" on the road that might be something to look into; they would surely be about as lightweight as anything you'd find. There are some threads here on camping/sleeping in the Prius. It sounds more feasible with the larger lift-back Prius than with the "C", unless you are a short person. I intend on trying it this summer with my new-to-me "C" (or "mini-Prius," as one of my friends calls it). One big advantage of hybrids for this is the built-in "HVAC" (heating/air conditioning). You can set the temperature to a comfortable level, leave the car "running" (in park), and in most conditions the combustion engine will not run a whole lot, just enough to keep the battery charged. Finally, welcome to the forum! All good wishes to you.
Like the person above me says, don't tow the car with all 4 wheels on the ground. As for towing a tiny camper with a "C", I've never seen it, but have seen a few Prius on the road towing really small things. Even seen one hauling one of those small U-Haul trailers. Where they get a hitch to do that with I don't have a clue however. The manual says not to tow anything with a Prius here in the States, but I hear if you go to Canada, it has actual towing specs. Not sure what they allow however. Kinda seems weird towing is ok in Canada, but not in the US. Must be a lawyers fault or The People's Democratic Republic of California got involved.
