Consumer Reports twists the knife

With nav and voice command is expensive. Auto climate control and Bluetooth is also extra money.

However, the base Altima I posted at Consumer Reports twists the knife | Page 2 | PriusChat can has an Edmunds TMV of $17,754 now, including dest charge. That does come w/cruise control, variable intermittent wipers, unlike the c One.

In looking over the base Altima (2.5), it does appear pretty stripped down. The 2.5S w/convenience package has an Edmunds TMV of $20,730, including dest charge. With that, you get smart key system (Intelligent Key in Nissan parlance), power driver's seat + the earlier features I mentioned.

If you really want well equipped and cheaper, try the Fit, even though I'm not fan of it.

 

Have you read the defensive and sarcastic CR blog post referred to earlier in this thread? Here's the line which makes a mockery of their credibility in the review of the C:

"Our Chevrolet Sonic and Hyundai Accent both feel like driving a Mercedes compared to the more expensive Prius C, and they cost $3,000 less."

Tom Mutchler, who wrote that blog post, is also "Consumer Reports' human-factors engineer"; as such I expect he was responsible for most of the criticism of the C's comfort, ride, noise, etc. in the review.

 

Your comment would seem to be very subjective and certainly is just one reviewer's opinion....not like the CR test of cars which uses many objective measures and a many different subjective reviews to provide a balanced reliable review of cars.

One of the CR editors replying to the mass hysteria of Prius C fanboyz is interesting and would necessarily be a single person's reply but that has nothing to do with the car review which is not a singe reviewer as the fanboyz keep repeating in their defensive and sarcastic PC blog posts.

 

My last car was a Fit and yeah it was a great car, loved it to the it was crunched... well no I take that back. I still love that car . However when I was shopping for a new car i ended up getting the the C. Its basically the same size but gets wwwaaaaayyyyy getter milage. i hypermiled the crap our of the Fit and would get around 45-48mpg. On the prius C maiden voyage from the dealer home I got 63mpg. This was the first time I drove a car with a cvt transmission or a hybrid without some dealer guy sitting next to me tellin me to gun it. It took me months to learn how to tweak the 48 mpg out of the Fit. Lets even say some of the skills I learned with the Fit carried over to the C. Which the main one I used did not. If you saw my CTV+DWL=FML post you will know all about that.

This car is way way WAY better. Lets just put the mpg to side sec., which is hard to do because while hypermiling the **&^%^&% out of the Fit i could only get 48. Which id lower then the EPA for the C. Even with AAAALLLLLL that aside the cost of ownership is way lower. I had around 80,000 miles on the Fit (dont tell my Progressive ) I got to put new tiers on it, new breaks two times and oil changes every 5000 miles. Then there is the car, I have almost 1000 miles on it and i dont think the break pads have had to touch the wheels once. Oil every 10,000 miles. AND I had to take it in 3 times because of recalls on parts.

Over look ALL that, which is really getting hard by now, and then you STILL don't have a car that is as nice as the C to be in. The honda GPS system sucks. plain and simple. It looks like some sort of early 90's movie tech and will get you lost allllll the time. Take you way out of your way all the time because it never knows when you can turn left from a center turn lane. I had to buy a TomTom because it just sucked so bad. The Fit does not have anything other than cloth seats, does not move fast if you have the A/C on, seat only goes forward and backward, and ALSO has a plastic dash.

Dont get me wrong the Fit is a great car but it cant hold a candle to the Prius C.

Thanks ... I feel better now lol

 

Look at how condescending you are; I'm embarrassed for you. No matter how many times you repeat yourself, that doesn't make CR's "review" objective, logical, or backed with scientific data. The collective majority of subjective impressions does never equal objective data, however emotionally tied you are in defending them as your own personal saviors. CR is just another for-profit business that uses titillating headlines to generate traffic and sales at the expense of moral fortitude and honest journalism.

 

Correct. It is the decades of objective, logical, scientific product reviews by CR that gives them credibility vs. a handful of emotionally invested purchasers.

And then there are the objective facts, which you got wrong.

 

^^ Actually, CR is a non-profit that eschews advertising to avoid bias.
They make mistakes, but a lot fewer than any other source I can think of. I wrote CR to complain that the Prius 'c' subjective test was so discrepant with their objective measurements in the same areas. I am not happy with their treatment of the 'c', -- or the Honda Civic for that matter. I hope they self correct.

 

^^ Actually, CR is a non-profit that eschews advertising to avoid bias.

 

I stand corrected on CR being "non-profit". That said, their financial dependence on subscribers does not make them immune from emotional or social influence, nor does it make their testing practices useful or accurate. Calling themselves "independent" is more of a legal formality than a financial reality. If they weren't able to sell subscriptions, which it can be argued they use dramatic headlines to do so [e.g. "The Toyota Prius c isn't a good car, and here's why"], they'd be out of business.

 

Yes you were completely ignorant of the facts and history of Consumer Reports and attacked CRs credibility based entirely on your ignorance of the facts.

You bought a Prius C and are emotionally invested in your decision to the point you ignore the facts and go further and attack analysis of the Prius C that even Toyota would agree with about aspects of the car that Toyota purposely designed and built into the Prius C.

 

False. I was only ignorant of one fact, and it isn't relevant for this discussion as it's simply a legal formality and nothing to do with how they test cars. You making a sweeping generalization against me doesn't make you accurate. I discount CR's credibility as it relates to my automotive preferences. Obviously you feel their opinions matter more than those actually buying the car in question. Unfortunately, your opinion isn't terribly relevant.

What precisely is Toyota agreeing to, and do you speak for or represent Toyota?

You've still failed to list those alleged design flaws.

 

This thread has descended into silliness and name-calling.

I purchased a C - no "fanboyz" thinking in the decision. We have a 2007 Fit Sport and love it but I wanted the MPG. If Honda were importing the Fit hybrid - no contest - I wouldn't even be here because I'd be driving the Fit.
I was sorely disappointed when Honda did not bring in the hybrid Fit, as rumored, several years ago. My wife loves her Fit so much she refused my offer to buy her any - repeat - any Prius she wanted. I did look at the new Honda Insight - very much underwhelmed by the design.

The first Prius I wanted was the v - but I could not justify the $6000 higher price and, slightly, lower MPG though the extra space would be useful at times. I'm not partial to the looks of the "hatchback" or regular Prius sedan - the rear window and that weird, to me, thing going across it just looks funny. Test driving both the regular Prius sedan and the C - I did not feel either had any particular advantage in terms of acceleration but the C seemed a little bit "tighter" handling. The ride of the C is comparable to the Fit (remember we have a Sport) but the handling is not as sharp.

So - buy what you want and have fun. Life is too short.

YMMV

 

It pretty much started out that way with the emotional "twist the knife" tone as though Consumer Reports, well respected, objective, credible product review organizations, had a vendetta against Prius C's. An over reaction by those emotionally invested in their car purchase. As we saw, much of the reaction based on ignorance of the facts about Consumer Reports.

Which is the conclusion of Consumer Reports comparison of the Fit vs. the Prius C. Unless you want the mpg, the Fit is a better buy. Consumer Reports gave a very good analysis that would help any consumer considering purchasing a Prius C to know the pluses and minuses and to make an informed decision.

 

I think all of us understand by now what your opinion is on the subject.

 

The Fit rides no better than a C - at least the Sport. Wind and engine noise is comparable. My wife commented when riding in the C - "Your car rides so smooth." This was on a stretch of smoothly paved freeway. Remember - she is the one who loves her Fit so much she won't take any new Prius or even a brand new Fit (I offered to buy her anything she wants).
As for being a better buy - at least here in Hawaii the Honda dealers always tack on a "dealer's markup" to their advertised prices. The Fit would have cost about as much as the C. Not a better buy in my book.

CR is not the end all and be all. I subscribed for many years and followed many of their recommendations. Most were good - some not so. A couple of refrigerators we bought using their recommendations were not good - unreliable. We'll see what happens in a few years as the user feedback is received by CR. As for their revised opinion of the Honda Civic - I don't get it - the new ones seem very nice.

This is my last post to this thread - it's become a useless tit for tat. You will not change your position that CR is the last word in automobile reviews. Others, including myself, will decide for ourselves. For me - I've finally learned to look at everything with a unjaundiced eye - guess old age does bring some degree of wisdom(?).

 

I'm sure one can find some exceptional niche market though I would guess if the Honda dealer can add costs to popular models so would the Toyota dealer.

No one said it was.

You'd probably have to say any thread titlted "Twising the knife" to describe the matter of fact CR car reviews pretty much started out on the wild side.

I would describe CR as the first word on car reviews, the place to start with before you go for test ride, to be alert for the issues they raise. I'm sure they recommend cars ahead of my Prius III/3 but I wanted the mileage but I haven't drunk that much Prius Uber Alles Kool-Aid that I don't respect CR's reviews as objective, useful and credible.

 

By the way, I've been a fan of CR for years but they are way off on this one. The Prius C is an awesome vehicle. All cars are loaded with plastic these days. No sciatic pain from the faux leather seats on our long family vacation. Car handled well. I was able to pass cars on 2 lane highways. Pickup is acceptable ... if I wanted a fast car, I would have bought one. Even my teenage kids who thought our vacation would be uncomfortable, thought the car was acceptable. I had to put their station on the satellite radio but we all need to sacrifice something to go green ; )

That is kind of what it is about right. The internal combustion engine needs to go the way of the abacus and the horse drawn carraige. This is a step in that direction. I do not feel like I gave anything up when I bought the C but I have so much more....

 

Chuckle...no the Prius is C is not "awesome", it is Toyota's stripped down plastic and string version of a full size Prius. Built to provide the most inexpensive 50 mpg hybrid at the $20K price mark. It is an "econobox" exactly as CR described. Nothing wrong with that. It is supposed to be a hybrid econobox but claiming otherwise is not credible.

Consumer's hit the target on the Prius C.The emotional, defensive response from Prius C owners notwithstanding.

Consumer's is right, a $23K Prius III is a good buy vs. a $20K Prius C. At the same time, for someone who really wants 50 mpg and $20K is financial limit, CR calls it right "a reliable, affordable Prius hybrid for less money". Hardly a "twist of the knife" except to those who insist a Prius C is "awesome". A Prius isn't "awesome". A Tesla S is awesome.

 

Wow!
I thought it was bad over in the Pancake Haus!!!
This whole thread comes off like a room with 6 toddlers and 5 toys.

It's a CAR.
If you listen to the bunny-huggers out there we shouldn't even like cars all that much!!
Get over it.
If you like your trial-size Prius....then you know what?
It's a good car!
Better still if it's as reliable and as gas thrifty as its larger cousin!
I know people who are crazy about Pontiac Aztecs, but they don't go red in the eyes and foam at the mouth if somebody else doesn't like them.
If you need some "expert" to validate your car purchase...(an EX is a 'has-been' and a SPURT is a 'drip under pressure') then you have a lot more problems in life than seeing your car on a list of "Popular Cars To Avoid."