I am new here and first let me start off saying I have a fully paid off 2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V with 27k miles (nice mileage, right?) that I would like to trade in toward a Prius C4. Currently, it gets around 26mpg and I use 93 octane and fill up once a week for about $40 a week (about $160 a month) for work etc and would like to be able to go back to a 87 octane car and maybe fill up once every two weeks. Based on my current car, would I really save a lot on gas with a Prius C? Now let me get to the body style issue I used as a title. So after reading A LOT of reviews, posts here, and around the internet, it seems the reason why the Prius C gets two miles worse on the highway then the standard Prius is because the body style of the C is such that at higher speeds, it's like dragging a parachute around! Inferior body style? With that in mind, has there been any talk about a redesign for the Prius C for 2013 model to "fix" the drag issue? Or maybe offer a 2-Door design? I really like the look of the Volkswagen Golf and don't need four doors. So I really would prefer a two door option for the Prius C. Think it would happen in the future?
The coefficient of drag (Cd) of the C isn't particularly bad until you compare it to a regular Gen 3 Prius. The main reason it's not as good as a Gen 3 is that it needs to be somewhat box shape to have a useful amount of interior volume and it is a shorter car which makes getting as low a Cd as a regular Gen 3 all but impossible.
Compared to the SE-R, you're still going to save a ton on gas money, especially since the C-model burns 87. You're only knocking down about 9K a year. 2-MPG? Not worth worrying about, IMHO. Of course, you're going to have to pay some for the newer car, and there are going to be ergonomic differences between the Sentra and the C-type as well as performance delta's that you're also going to have to contend with. If you're cool with all of those, then the 2-MPG difference between the C and the G is nothing. They just started selling the C-model in the US. My guess is that the re-design is years away, and it will not change the body shape that much. There's just not that many ways you can radically change the shape of something the size of a Yaris (or C-type.) UNLESS....... The folks in Aichi decide to actually deploy a two-seat roadster... Good Luck!
Thanks for the input from both of you. So what I guess what it comes down to now is taking a test drive, then deciding to go with the Prius C 2 or Prius C 4. I would still stick with the 15" rims as I hear the ride is worse and less mpg with the 16" rims and for sure get the sunroof. But is the C4 really worth the extra 5k over the C2 for what you get?
You are the only one who can answer the worth of a C2 vs a C4. Take the list of differences and decide how much they are worth to you. Don't forget to consider that if you keep the car for long time you might be spending over 3,000 hours in it which might make something you just sort of want seem worth while. My big problem with package deals like C2 toC3 to C4 is that the $5000 is most likely paying for some extras that you don't care about.
Aerodynamically the ideal shape is a teardrop. The liftback has a good imitation of a teardrop, but the v needs cargo room and the c is too short unless you quit having back seats. (CR-X?) Honda CR-X - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Drag coefficient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Automobile drag coefficient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
the reason why the Prius in general does worse on highway is the fact the hybrid system is much more suited for city driving... look at the V and the Liftback... EPA highway estimates are going to be worse than the city mileage estimates.. it's not a factor of aerodynamics really.. as the cd of the C isn't that much worse than the regular liftback.. it's the hybrid system itself... what information you are getting about the car having a lot of drag which causes poor MPGs.. is completely incorrect.. though there is a very small part of it that is true... it's not the main reason.
The Prius c's body style doesn't have to be fixed. A shorter car will generally yield a poorer cd, but, understanding that, the c does have pretty good aerodynamics for it's size. Toyota could make it more "aero", but then it would probably lose most of its utility and it's ability to hold 4 passengers in relative comfort. So some compromises do have to be made in the design process with the real world in mind. The real conundrum you face is whether the Prius c would pay you an advantage if it replaces your Sentra. The Prius can achieve between 50 and 60+ MPG depending on how and where it's driven. On my test drive, we started with a very low indicated MPG figure and by around 10 miles it was up around 57 MPG. Then my son took over and drove the same 10 mile loop, ending up with an indicated 68 MPG. My wife also rode in the car, so we had a total of 3 people in the c during the 30 miles we put on it. We were not hypermiling, and the drive took us through a mix of urban and suburban areas. MPG will drop some in highway driving, but if you keep it sane, it should return 50 MPG or so. Not bad at all. So you are going to have to figure out the payment amount vs. your gasoline savings (say around 55 MPG compared to your Sentra's 26 MPG) to see if the Prius c allows you to save money overall. If I ever sell my car, I'll be going down to the Toyota dealer to order a c. This car fits my needs and I would really love getting that kind of mileage from each gallon of gasoline. I would be going from a competent little car that averages about 36-38 MPG to a car that would probably end up averaging around 55 MPG. Tough decisions.
If you want a C4 with a sunroof it as far as I've seen only comes with 16s as a package so you would have to special order it. SGH-T989 ? 2
From what I've read about the cd of the c, I figure mpg would fall apart at 70 mph.. But, it seems to hang in there at 50 mpg, while at 70 mph.. Xringer's Prius C - Page 5 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com Plus, my wife and daughter took our c2 for a 437 mile road trip to VT and noticed 50 mpg displayed at highway speeds (60-70 mph) on the way out and back. They did a little slow driving in the towns (& hit some hills in Burlington VT) which is why the average shows 51 mph. At no time was there any attempt at hypermiling. They were in a hurry... ~~~ So, I have to ask, how many hybrids can get 50 mpg at 70 mph on a long highway trip? It sure makes me think the aerodynamics are pretty dang good..
Does anyone know if the MPG is that different when using 16" rims vs the 15" rims? Also, I have read that the ride is much smoother on the 15" rims then the 16" rims. Is that true?
I test drove one with 15s and one with 16s and there was a little harsher ride but not enough of a difference to stop me from getting the 16s. Try both and go with whichever suits you. The MPG difference isn't enough to worry about. SGH-T989 ? 2
