The article had a ton of very good things to say about the C. Based on the headline of the article on their front page the emphasis was whether Toyota had built a fun to drive Prius as had been purported. Nothing wrong with that. Saying that drivers who place the fun to drive factor ahead of MPG would probably opt for the Fiesta or a Mini is not a damnation of the C. Taking umbrage at those statements seems a little defensive or fan-boyish. ron
Dear ron. My objection is to the typical auto reviewer going for the "If the driver only goes for fun, he would choose Ford or Mini" moniker without explaining - why he thinks that anyone would do so or - why those cars are more fun to drive and - why this is interesting in the demographic group that the cars are aimed at. I'm not disagreeing with the review and will reserve my judgement until I have driven the car. The review could have said the Prius is the best thing since seed free bananas: It doesn't matter! I suppose my dislike for this root back to all reviews in history that have ever pitted an Alfa or Maserati versus anything have let the Italian darling win because of the subjective idea of 'soul'. I want a car reviewer to be well spoken enough to tell his audience why one car is more fun to drive than another. If that makes me a fanboy, ron, then so be it.
Highway = between 60-63 mph, I get between 39-41mpg, from house to work. No A/C., includes some hyper-milling technique.(thats what it says in the maintenance minder) City = with wife, 30-34mpg, No A/C *Pick-up my aunt from the airport with her 2 daughters ages 15 and 19, moderate built, turned A/C on --- got 27-33 (highway-city)=(airport-hotel) (14 mile trip)* For me the only time I can get a good mpg form my Honda Fit with manual transmission is on the highway, driving between 60-65 mph, above that i get a not so good mpg. -$30 is full tank of gas, i always use premium shell fuel -change the factory air filter with aftermarket one -change the factory battery w/ a more lightweight braille battery -used eneoes 0w-20 fully synthetic oil
let me rephrase it - whats your tank average? My GS350 AWD got 25-28 MPG at 100mph on the highway. It got 30-35 mpg at 35 mph. My tank averages over the month were 15 MPG.
"Fun to drive" Seems hard to define and each person has their measuring stick. I find the Prius fun to drive. I like the competition it creates for me to get better with it and use the technology. I find it more fun to drive then the BMW 335 coupe it replaced where it was difficult to exercise it's attributes and maintain my license. I also drive a BMW Z4. It is fun in a different way then either the 335 coupe was or the Prius is. There will always be another car that is faster and newer.
my real concern about the C is it better come up w/those 53mpg that it says it will. If it does that then in a certain way that will be a Fun-to-Drive car for me. One of the reviews says its handling is great, that's a plus for the C
Good review. If the "under $19k MSRP" one really doesn't have power windows, locks, AC, it's not under $19k at all. Those are really as essential in 2012 as a steering wheel IMO and the opinion of probably 99% of the public. Sounds a little like Nissan's Versa under $12k trick but it barely comes with an engine. I struggle with this problem in my other car, one with literally twice the horsepower as the Prius. But no mistake about it, despite twice the horsepower, it's approximately 100X more fun to drive. The second article that spent time on the noise of the c when floored nailed my exact sentiment on my Prius. When I floor it it is almost screaming at me to give it a break, it's quite a terrible sound of desperation as those 4 cylinders try mightily to propel the car. But, to others' points, the c is not about fun to drive at all nor ever was or could be and that's ok as long as nobody thinks it's going to be like driving a miata.
"Fun to drive" is very subjective. As phenoyz notes, getting 55+ mpg is fun to me. Also, while these things might not have 150+ hp, it isn't as if they are Geo Metros. When you need it, these cars give you what you need. I like how my Insight will turn pretty sharply and can easily keep up with heavy city traffic at 70 mph.
Off-Topic I'll admit, so excuse me. But I just wanted to comment on the "Hard Plastic Dash" portion of the Prius C equation. I currently own a Honda Fit. Before I bought it, and even as I was buying it, I thought I would hate the hard plastic dash. I was use to a more upscale, softer touch dash in my Old Accord and vehicles I had owned earlier. My opinion? I LOVE the hard plastic. I know I'm comparing Fit to unknown Prius C...but IMO hard plastic dash's are great. Easy to take care of, and easy to keep looking good. Basically? Some detailer spray, or 303 aerospace protectant occasionally...wipe on wipe off..and inbetween I carry a swiffer sweeper insert in my glove box..and I can easily keep my dash looking pristine with minimal effort. So hearing that the Prius C has lot's of hard plastics in the dash? Doesn't turn me off at all. IMO looks good, easy to keep looking good? What more do I want in a dash? Maybe I'm just blinded by the utilitarian splendor of economy....but I really don't perceive a hard plastic dash as a negative. As long as Toyota has assembled it with a minimum of squeaks and rattles, I'm good with it.
I stopped in at my local Toyota dealer today. A salesman approached me and I asked him when the Prius C was going to come in. He didn't know what I was talking about. Another salesman came over and told him "you should not have missed the meeting last week when we talked about the Prius C". Anyways, the more I read about the Prius C I like it and may have to take a good hard look at it. I don't want all the bells and whistles but I do want cruise control. My current car is nearing the 10 year mark and we already have a 2010 Prius, my wifes, which we still enjoy driving even after nearly 67,000 miles. Also here in Oregon battery warranty is 150,000 miles which is comforting to know. I'll just wait a few more weeks and test drive one when they come in. al
I hear you. Cheap hard plastic is both light, reduces the price and in the case of many Toyotas: easier to recycle. As long as the steering wheel and gear stick are nice to touch and everything else can be operated while wearing gloves, then the materials have passed my evaluation. I wonder who started this global appreciation of soft plastics on 'surfaces that you never touch' in auto journalism? I think I have ranted enough about auto journalism in this thread, but it is an interesting topic to discuss.
You are absolutely right. It is about weight, cost, and in the case of softex, it is about 1/2 the weight of leather. Toyota Prius c Technical Presentation - Bob Carter - YouTube
well i think their new hard plastics look good... as to the modern journalism, well when VW Jetta has worse door plastics than new Yaris, and then Yaris gets blasted for it and Jetta doesnt, it seems to me that currently there is this media perception/bias where Japanese cars have cheap plastics and they should be plasted for it.
Another Video Review! 2012 Toyota Prius c HD Video Review Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 http://drivencarreviews.com/2012/02/2012-toyota-prius-c-hd-video-review/
2012 Toyota Prius c Video Review David Lee, University of Toyota Product Administrator, talks to TACH's Mark Fulmer about the new smaller Prius hybrid. TheAutoChannel.com has complete specs, pricing and reviews.
Kinda like the silver. It masks and makes the massive tail light assemblies blend in a bit. Never have been a fan of the chromey Altezza light look... ron
