Highway merging & uphills

100% "adequate" for sure. Merging safety was one of my biggest concerns going in as well. You don't win any drag races of course, but I've done just fine on the 400 series highways around Toronto Ontario, and they can definitely be as white knuckle as any US freeway!

Hills are fine too. Honestly I've found it's more likely for the driver to hold back on the pedal than anything else, as you have all the various displays egging you on to drive for economy!

One note that I haven't seen many people mention, so maybe it's just me, but the blind spots seem more pronounced than the corolla I'd driven previously, so I do find myself being extra vigilant when changing lanes and merging.

 

I don't own a Prius c (but rather a 110 hp Gen 2 Prius), but IMHO, this is a subjective call. It depends on your tolerance, how much you have to press on the go pedal, how much vs. how much NVH you hear while you're accelerating and what you're used to.

What make and model of car do you drive now so we can get an idea of what you're used to? Any Prius family member will of course feel weak next to 250 hp+ 6+ cylinder cars (esp. those w/smooth and quiet engines... e.g. my former 255 hp 02 Nissan Maxima).

You can see how the c did in CR's acceleration tests at Fuel Economy vs. Performance | MPG vs. MPH - Consumer Reports and Fuel Economy vs. Performance | MPG vs. MPH - Consumer Reports .

In the LA area, of course everyone drives fast there, provided the highway isn't jammed.

If you want better acceleration, you should also consider a regular Prius (aka liftback) or MUCH better, a 2012+ Camry Hybrid. A previous gen Camry Hybrid (07 to '11) is slower but still much quicker than any Prius (Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance).

 

For me, this car has absolutely zero problem merging onto our 110 km/h freeways - complete non-issue. I will be at traffic speed every time, without a second thought.

Hill climbing - not the fastest car on the planet. Can it do it? Of course it can do it. If you're someone who is going to get upset because someone overtakes you or tailgates you because you're not doing 10 over the limit up the hill, you need to get another car.

This is not a car for lead foots, but it can do everything any 2WD car can do.

 

I also have a 40 mile commute, most of it highway and with a lot of hills. The car has done fine. It does lose a lot of speed on the hills if you let it but it won't if you accelerate enough--depends on your preference. Also, the merging is great. If you punch the accelerator, the car GOES like any other car, you just are compromising your MPG. I tend to average 42-48 mpg for my commute. And that is with me accelerating to merge and also up the hills, and averaging probably 73 mph.

 

I agree completely. I have driven my C throughout the Andirondack and Catskill mountains. The C will climb hills like any other average 4 cylinder car. To do it, you will sacrifice mpg. Just like Emily said. It depends on your preference. My daily commute to work is just under 10 miles one way. I climb about 800 ft in elevation in those 10 miles. I average high 30's mpg up hill in the winter/cold days. Mid 40's summer/warm days. That might sound sort of crappy, but I easily get 65 mpg in the winter on the way home and up to 80 mpg in the summer. So if you average the up and down I am still happy with the overall mileage

 

Is it a hotrod? No. Does it get the job done? Yes.

Does it sometimes sound like it's working a bit hard to do the job? Yes. Is it? Probably not, it's just the nature of the transmission and engine speeds.

By the way, the gas pedal goes all the way to the floor, though you'd be hard pressed to find many that ever do that. I do. If you have any questions about it, just ask.

 

I do, this car will outrun a lot of cars from 0-30, but it's that last 30-60 that really is a bog...

But I have never found a time where I had to floor it. I've only done it when I want to.

 

All the power an adult could need, just not all the power a boy could want.

 

+1
The Gen 3 engine is 98 horsepower, the same basic engine in non-Atkinson form puts out in the neighborhood of 140 hp at 6,000 rpm and higher compared to the Prius ~5200 rpm max. The Prius engine doesn't produce enough power to hurt itself, it just whines like its being abused when asked to do some real work.

 

Probably not any worse than the mountains in North Georgia... unless you are deep in Rocky territory.

 

What makes the Grapevine a little hard on low powered cars is that it's a fair grade for many miles with traffic typically moving at 70mph+ so it's sustained high power output.

 

Sounds a little like the Smokeys or the Apps.

 

Yep, I'm somewhat familiar with it. Driven to/from So Cal bunch of times.

Now that I think about it more, how long do you plan to keep the car? On earlier Priuses (Gen 2 and earlier), there seems to be a correlation between early/earlier hybrid battery failure and either high temperatures or significant hills as a regular part of a commute. The Prius c's HV battery is only warranted for 8 years/100K miles.

The regular Prius (liftback) and Camry Hybrid in CA and CARB states has a 10 year/150K mile warranty on the HV battery.

If you think you'll keep the car past 8 years/100K miles, might be better not getting the c.

Re: my earlier points, see 2005 Prius 241,000 Miles Hybrid Battery Replacement Story | PriusChat and a theory at 2005 Prius 241,000 Miles Hybrid Battery Replacement Story | PriusChat.

 

If you do most of your miles at speed the Gen 3 hatchback might give you better mileage than the c.
Doesn't the c get the CARB warranty on the battery? If not, get the hatchback for that, too.

 

No. See http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-13PriusC/pdf/2013_Toyota_Prius%20c_WMG_lr.pdf vs http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-13Prius/pdf/2013_Toyota_Prius_WMG.pdf.

One can look at the rest of the warranty booklets via Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Technical Manuals.

Nope. I haven't checked all the Lexus hybrids but when I last checked the CT, it didn't get the 10 year/150K warranty, which is disappointing.

 

I have never had issues. I live and drive in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. (Look it up on Google Map) it is quite mountainous and climbs the mountains well.

 

The grapevine has pretty painful to go up in the c. I had to keep the pedal to the floor for most of it in order to maintain 60 in the slow lane.