Differences between the Prius C and your previous car?

i came from a manual 5-speed Scion tC that only gave me about 29 mpg at best with the conditions of the car as it was.. obviously a bit larger in size.. along with a lot of modifications to the vehicle to make it comfortable for long trips.

definitely a fun car to drive.. but with gas prices sky-rocketing again.. it was becoming unpractical to drive long distances, which is what i usually do nowadays.. my left foot is twitchy not doing anything in the new car.. but my pocket is rejoicing from the gas savings..

 

i came from a Auto Civic - 22 MPG in city. lol and I get 53 MPG now. what a different.

much better view inside the C. I was lucky I didn't kill someone when I was driving the 2010 Civic coupe. the side air bag is like "10 feet" wide and block most of the side conver view. lol I drove it for two years, I almost killed 10 people because of that.

thanks god.

 

Wow why so low MPG from the Civic?

 

I also came from a Fit sport. ...Umm... What he said lol. Only thing Id higher quality tech in the car. I hated the GPS system in the Fit and love the one in the C. The only thing i really want to comment on is the handling. I have a feeling, just a feeling I don't really know, but I think this may have to do with the low resistance tiers that are the C. They do not grip as well as other tiers so they tend to slip a little as you take turns fast. As a big time DWB guy I noticed this right off the bat and the C does not grip like the Fit. Id really like to know how much it is tiers and how much it is the car it self. ?

 

I'm coming from a Mk6 Golf TDI 4dr 6mt. Both are hatchbacks with 4 doors and front-wheel-drive, however that's about where the similarities end. The TDI had great low-end torque, of course 3-pedals [which I miss], but it was also too big and too heavy where I felt wasteful and guilty DD'ing such a beast. The Prius c is about a foot shorter in length and a few inches narrower and shorter in height, all pluses in my book. 500 pounds lighter is a big plus. The improvement in FE is a bonus, as I was already getting great FE.

Things I miss:
*3-pedals
*turbo-Diesel torque
*bank vault build quality
*Dynaudio stereo, legit good for OEM

Things I don't miss:
*HPFP commencing self-destruct sequence
*Awful Warranty and even worse dealership ethics
*Too big, too heavy
*flaky Bluetooth sometimes didn't want to work
*Poor ergonomics, ingress and egress forced you to contort your foot to not hit the door and seat simultaneously. Also there wasn't sufficient inboard knee room.

 

2001 Chevy Prizm (now dead) 3AT, 1997 Geo Prizm 3AT (see Fuelly) and my wife's 2007 Fit Sport AT.

Kirkuleez - your sum-up of the Fit vs. the C pretty much matches mine. The Fit is fun but it can be noisy and bounces around more. On a good stretch of road or freeway - the C is noticeably smoother (my wife commented on this). The C does seem more stable and "planted" than any of the cars I've been driving lately. My "car" before the 2001 was a '88 Ford Ranger AT given to me by late Dad when he bought the '97 Prizm. I came to truly understand the "Found on Road Dead" and "Fix or Repair Daily" jokes after driving the Ranger for 4 years.

The C (better aerodynamics??) behaves much better when it's windy than the Fit or even my Prizms.

I can drive the Fit whenever my wife isn't so I guess I get the best of both worlds. I also drive my '97 Prizm - especially when the dogs are with me. The C is much more comfortable than the Prizm. By the way - for those who may be wondering - the '97 Prizm was my late Dad's car - my late Uncle took it when my Dad died and then I got it when my 2001 died. It's barely got 40K miles on it.

 

I used to own a Fit as well and I think the grip problems are 100% the tires. The C handles better to me with the exception that the tires slip more since they're only 5" wide compared to 6.5" on the Fit Sport. However, the car's traction control or whatever they call it really keeps it feeling stable, even while slipping. By definition it's not as fun to corner in since fun is pushing it to a slightly unsafe limit but I find it can do more, more safely than the Fit IMO.

 

Ford Explorer, 5000+ lbs, 19 mpg!
Prius C, 2500 lbs, 58 mpg+!

 

Had a 95' 240sx. 22 mpg and only takes premium gas and I used to fill up every three days. Since it's rwd, it had a tough time with snow and even with freezing rain.
Now I get about ~70 mpg. I expect my fuelly avg to rise a little. Don't need to fuel up until 3 weeks or so. The ride is a lot smoother. Can't comment about snow handling yet. I'm sure it will handle fine.

 

It seems the Prius C should be renamed the Fit killer lol. I wonder just how many Ex-Fit now prius c drivers there are out there.

 

I love my C but I don't think it will kill the Fit. The Fit's ability to carry cargo is mind boggling for such a little car. My wife and her sister have transported huge ceramic planter pots in the Fit - pots so big and heavy they were difficult to unload and we had to roll 'em into position in the yard.

The C's hatch opening, because of the aerodynamic shape, is much smaller than the Fit's. Limits what can be loaded - as I found out when I bought my wife an Adirondack(sp?) plastic lawn chair. I had to actually bend the legs to get it into the C. The Fit can carry several of the same type chair - the C only one.

I'm lucky cause I can use my wife's Fit when she's not using it. I really like both cars and can't imagine not having either one.

The '97 Prizm is kinda tiring to drive but I'll keep it as a spare and a dog mobile.

 

I had a '08 Civic coupe. I miss the handling and acceleration and the seats a bit.. Between the two of us, my wife and I have had 5 civics in the past.
So far in mixed driving our new Prius C gets at least twice the fuel economy of the Civic, which was reasonably efficient compared to most cars. I almost got a Fit the last time I was car shopping...

 

I drove a 2008 E150 cargo van. It was a great van, easy to drive, plus I could wag all sorts of stuff home in it. The difference in cargo capacity is pretty obvious, but so is the E150: 18mpg to Prius c: 58mpg difference. No worries for me though, we still have Gary's 2007 E150 cargo van in case "we" need to tote something around.

Trading for the Prius c was a great decision, no regrets here!

Deb

 

1994 Alfa Romeo 164 LS

• Miss Snappy acceleration, communicative brakes, hefty steering
• Miss Howling engine
• Miss Very sturdy quality
• Miss style, grace, and comfort...best leather I've experienced
• Don't miss dreadful 14-16 MPG on PREMIUM in NORMAL DRIVING!
• Don't miss excessive maintenance regime...20K timing belt change interval
• Don't miss fearing where to buy parts
  
  
  
  
  

 

2000 Mercury Sable. It was my first car so we had fond memories.

Almost night and day between these two cars:
- gas mileage 18MPG vs what I am getting now
- size: c is over three feet smaller—perfect for parking in Brooklyn
- color: sonic blue over boring beige
- new vs old - I needed repairs all the time on my sable!

I ALWAYS wanted a little blue car and I've ALWAYS liked hatchbacks. I couldn't complain about the sable though, it was a good car and lasted me a long time but it's nice to finally get what I want

 

We still drive the 03 Vibe GT 6 speed manual. Just kept it, with 155k on the odo. Lots of fun to drive and it is fast. Low profile 17 inch tires holds it on the ground. I did not expect to like the Prius C when I test drove it but was surprised. The mileage is twice what the Vibe gets. I am happy with 30, when I can get it in the gt. The regular Vibe has a smaller engine and I think gets better mpg. The cvt took me a bit of getting used to. Can't tow it behind our motorhome either.
Getting 60 mpg in town and 50 on the hiway, I love the car. We did our own upgrades to it after purchase, wheels, leather seats, tinted glass. Have it just the way we like now. I do wish I had fat tires on it but do not want to sacrifice mileage, yet. I think it drives great and has plenty of get up and go to get this kind of mileage. Everyone asks lots of questions when they see it as it is the only one around here, at the moment.
Dan

 

The OP, Kirkuleez, would disagree. He traded his Prius C back for his old Fit soon after he bought the C--and took a financial bath for the trade.

Traded my C back for my old Honda Fit. | PriusChat

 

I recently replace my honda insight (first generation - the only real insight). I am still not sure I made a good financial decision. Unfortunately, things wear out.

On the prius I like:
-quieter, smoother ride
-marginally better (I think) city mileage (mostly due to electric mode, I assume)
-new care smell and shiny paint
-tires available from more than one manufacturer
-a few more built-in technology features
-electric-driven accessories (don't loose AC when stopped)


On the insight I like:
-aluminim body/light weight
-marginally better highway mileage
-more functional and useful displays (in my judgement)
-don't feel compelled to wash as often
-small (roughly cubic foot), hidden storage compartment under rear floor
-a little quicker and faster than the prius

 

Infiniti G37x....328HP down to 99HP....Oh My Saved almost $1000.00 in fuel costs during the first 5 months (7500 miles) or driving the C compared to what it would have been with the Infiniti. (55MPg vs 19 MPG) Loving every minute of Driving my C!

-M