I have a question about the prius c?

Chris...I've been driving my C for over 3 years now (135k miles). Honestly, I think the acceleration on the car is totally fine. If you want to race people, it's not the car for you. I've never felt unsafe passing (for example) when it's a "rational pass" (i.e. reasonable room to get around). I drive around 75-80 mph most of the time and still get great mileage. I don't find the power all that disappointing in my car at all. I'm 6'1" and I commute daily 66 miles (one way) and have had 0 issues with anything on the car. I live in California (i.e. High Gas Prices), and can usually go 3 days between fill-ups, commuting as I do. I spend about $50 to drive 132 miles 4 times a week (you can do the math). It's a 9.5 gallon tank, and I get between 400-450 miles out of one tank (with my fat tires on it).

My only complaint might be that I would set the traction-control alarm/light off on mildly aggressive moves. That was remedied with my wheel/tire upgrade (pictured). Now the traction control never lights up.

Forget about the EV mode. The C is not a plug in...and as such, doesn't have the big powerful electric motor or correspondingly higher battery capacity too get you much of anywhere...and you can't exceed 42mph in EV mode (assuming that the battery lasts long enough for you to accelerate up to 42 mph). If you give too much throttle it pops out of EV mode. I too was intrigued by the feature, but you might be able to use it moving through a parking lot or something (although I don't know why that would be practical either...), but you can't go far or fast in EV. If you DO run out of gas, the electric motor WILL keep you running up to 62 mph, but I don't think I made it one mile (on a full battery) in no-fuel mode. EV mode is definitely just a novelty about the car, and not practical to use.

The engine WILL shut off with the A/C running (I think the electric motor operates it...like if stopped in traffic, for example). Again, this is relatively short-lived because the battery alone in the C is just not big enough to sustain the car for long bouts with A/C running.

I've driven mine in the show once (as you see it). I'd say, with the factory tires being so tiny (they're made for mileage, not traction), that you should definitely consider upgrading to wider wheels (even if they're not taller) to get some wider (snow?) tires on it. I can't imagine that snow tires, the same size as the factory tires, would yield much better traction in snow OR on dry roads, for that matter. They're just too skinny for good traction.

 

welcome!
c is a nice car. yes, the a/c is electric, so the engine shuts off at stop lights etc.

find one to take a test drive, and see if it is everything you hope for.

keep in mind they are discontinuing it like the cr-z due to lack of sales.

 

It’s a slow car compared to what you can get these days, but it’s not that slow. Highway merges aren’t totally carefree but they also aren’t impossible. It’s faster than the cars I used to drive on the same on-ramps in the 90s. Just don’t be afraid to floor it.

They did a nice little refresh on this car for the 2018/2019 model years. Not sure about 2017? Fixed a number of little bugs and added some features too.

My wife takes ours on a 350 mile highway drag every week. I’ve done a few long highway cruises in it myself, no complaints. The car is clearly at its best in cities and on secondary rural highways, but it’ll zip down the interstate just fine.

Only the Prius Prime is capable of strict EV operation above ~40 MPH. The EV mode on the c is a joke; the battery is too small to do anything by itself. Doesn’t matter, it’s still big enough to be a successful hybrid.

If you’re paying $18 a week (looks like gas is $3.25 in Wenatchee) then switching to a c will run you around $14.50 for the same majestic freedom commute.

EDIT: adding: we bought a set of snow tires for ours. Makes an enormous improvement in the winter. It also helps if you learn about the car’s traction control and ABS braking systems BEFORE you are counting on them. Short version: it’s very good, but has some limits that aren’t obvious.

 

Dont get too hyped about the EV mode.

However, when letting your foot off the gas and no longer picking up speed, you can
"coast" in electric if your speed is under 45mph or so.
And you can generally maintain your speed of roughly 40mpg or so by
applying light pressure on the gas pedal and not kicking on the gas engine
pulse and glide is good to learn and put in your typical drive

Your mpg may drop a few in the winter months, but overall the "c" gets me 50 mpg roughly.

I have about 8 years of driving and owning 4 prius and I might be selfish (or foolish?)
BUT I think my "c" and Gen3 Prius does excellent in the snow with reg tires. I never had "snow" tires before
But I dont discredit snow tires.

As for freeway ramps....unless you are coming from a V6 or V8 hot rod lol dont worry too much.
Probably roughly similar to your cr z I would imagine
I floor it if/when necessary

 

The C only has one "mode". There is no EV mode. That button does virtually NOTHING above about 5 MPH.
The car decides when to use the battery. You have pretty much NO control over it.

It has been pretty easy for us to average between 40 and 50 MPG with our C's......but not on the highway at high speeds.
While it is fine for that occasionally, the gas mileage goes down quite a bit.

 

Just to add- pushing the EV button to save some gas only saves that gas until the next time you drive the car, because then the computer is going to burn some extra gas to recharge the battery.

Bottom line: They already thought about it for you. The automation actually works. You don’t need to push buttons or think about drive modes or strategy at all. Just get in, buckle up and drive.

 

The Priussy is not a PHEV, and you should only regard its traction battery as a place to store otherwise wasted energy - otherwise you're "not doing it right."
If you're driving efficiently, you'll never need the battery at all, but unfortunately we all have to share public roads and so things like braking and accelerating cannot be scheduled.

The REAL thriftiness of the C-type is the fact that it's fairly inexpensive(*) and it's proven to be very VERY reliable.
Of course you'd have to keep the car for a fairly long time to realize any savings and if you think that you'll be upgrading to a PHEV or a BEV before you realize those savings then you'll be better off keeping the 2011 for a while longer.

(*) for a hybrid.
Remember.....they're almost as expensive as the adult-sized Prius, and WAAAAAAAAY more expensive than some other subcompacts.
Depending on your local gas prices and driving patterns if might be much cheaper to consider a non-hybrid while we all wait for inexpensive BEVs.
Also, in some places where gas is expensive, taxes, registration and insurance are also expensive.
Do not forget to include those factors in whatever spreadsheet that you're mentally preparing to cost-justify a new or newer car.

Good Luck!

 

I average about 55+- in my c with 90% high way driving but I drive at 60-65. Our other gen 2 prius has alot more city and a heavier foot driver and it manages 45+-with more city driving on it. Our 07 has been very reliable and it part in why I got a C when my old DD was ready to drop. If you can find a decent C for a good deal it really execels at lower city speeds. But if you already have a good working car the mpg increase may take quite some time to be worth getting a new car.

 

In my C, I have not been able to find a useful purpose for the EV button......because too many things take it OUT of EV mode within a few hundred feet of starting out......and once out, it STAYS out.

 

Neither me too.

....other than a bullet point in a sales brochure or perhaps to try to move an already warmed up Priussy a few feet without starting the ICE.....EV mode is valueless, IMO.

 

I've gone about 200 miles and it reads 38.5 mpg.

 

That little tidbit is pretty useless unless.............
We know what kind of driving it was
AND
Which MPG number you are looking at.
The C has at least 3, maybe 4 different ones.

IF it is the display that resets every time you start the car, then you must have been driving REALLY hard or you are seriously in need of a maintenance check. I don't remember EVER going more than 20 miles and not having it at least a bit above 50.
But my C seldom gets above 50 MPH.

 

The mpg number is on the main screen (no scrolling through).

The maintenance is what I am worried about. I just got the car (city miles with some hills; very soft driving). The car was supposedly checked, cleaned, etc. When I picked the car up it had the tire light on and then an error message came up on the screen before I even went 50 miles (the fan filter screen was full of a half inch of lint). I just wondered if I needed to Finish a full tank before I got higher mpg numbers.

 

I'm driving a 2016 as well and I get around 50. (as you can see from the fuelly.com display below). Since you just got the vehicle, your still learning and it'll improve. If you'd like a bit of help, cycle through that display until you come to the ECO score display. That's what I used and recommend as a "Prius Trainer". lol

In about a month of driving and watching that display, along with the mpg display on your radio, you'll find that you can get those mpg's without even trying. You'll find the 'sweet spot' where the mpg's are the highest, and what will drive them down as well. Might laugh at this, but a big hit to mpg's will be low tire pressure so keep an eye on that too. Experiment with the ECO button by the E-brake handle. I use that in the summer when I'm using the A/C. But in the winter, that ECO button being on will keep your car running even while stopped for only a couple minutes while at a light in order to keep you warm.

Good catch btw on that battery cooling fan.

 

What exactly do you consider "the main screen" ?
And to see current MPG data, you have to RESET the mileage monitor that you are looking at.

Each trip ODO has it's own MPG number which does NOT automatically reset but can be reset by hand.

There is a "since started" number too, which DOES automatically reset for each trip.

I don't think there is a long term non-resetable number.......since that would be pretty useless.

And NO, how full or empty the tank is has no bearing on gas mileage numbers.

 

Wait.....what ??
That sounds backwards to me.
I don't use the heat much but have never noticed that.......and that action is not "economical".
If it is VERY cold, the engine might run more to keep IT warm......but I doubt that the ECO button has any bearing on that.

 

lol, was wondering the same.
I was gonna just do my at home tests to see if mpg changed, as i keep the eco on at all times.

There is a mention of the eco in the manual, but without looking it up I still believe it has something
to do with the climate control and AC temp settings.?.

 

From the 2014 "c" manual:
p. 176
■ Selecting Eco drive mode Suitable for enhancing the fuel economy, because the torque corresponding to the accelerator pedal depression amount can be generated more smoothly than it is in normal conditions and the operation of the air conditioning system (heating/cooling) will be minimized.
p.177
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode Eco drive mode controls the heating/cooling operations and fan speed of the air conditioning system to enhance fuel efficiency. (P. 244) To improve air conditioning performance, adjust the temperature setting or fan speed, or turn off Eco drive mode.
p.244
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode In Eco drive mode, the air conditioning system is controlled as follows to prioritize fuel efficiency: ●Heating/cooling capacity is restricted. ●Outside/recirculated air mode may automatically switch depending on the temperature setting or the inside temperature. ●Fan speed restricted when automatic mode is selected To improve air conditioning performance, perform the following operations: ●Adjust the fan speed or the temperature setting ●Turn off Eco drive mode

*hmm...the only thing I get from that jumble is possibly why my recirc auto switches off.