Is the Prius C the right car for me?

That depends. If your 65 mile commute is on a 55MPH highway then maybe, if its on an interstate and you drive 70MPH then you would be better off in a 2010+ liftback. I would not expect 50MPG out of the C on the highway, in fact many people who do a lot of hwy driving are getting lower 40's for MPG.

In my 2010 liftback I would get 55MPG on a 150 mile trip, in my 2012 C the same trip driven more conservatively and I am getting 43 for that trip, same speed, same average temps, same variables even same model of tires.

 

I personally only like the regular style Prius.
I think the Prius C is a good car if you are on a budget and cannot afford or don't want to spend the money on a new 3rd generation Prius.
Fuel economy is going to be a tad better for both average and highway driving on the 3rd generation.

Prius C is a smaller car, I would think leg room wouldn't be any better.

The last 3 below would be the same for both cars

4. Reliable, cannot afford down time in the shop
5. Cheap maintenance and repair
6. Safety

When you say "How about the Elantra, Civic or Focus?" do you mean the hybrid version?
If not, they are all good economical cars for the price.
It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on a car.

 

I drive 74 miles to work. So far, the highest MPG I got so far is 63 with no traffic driving about 55-60 MPH. I was in rush one time driving high speed and the car was still able to make 51 MPG. Here's a picture showing how fast I went (avg ~70 MPH), traffic condition in term of speed, and elevation of my commute.

 

Math would suggest that your average speed was 49MPH.

 

I do about 80% highway driving and average 50mpg. I've only had the car about a month and every time I fill up I get slightly better mileage. I also drive more for safety than fuel economy- if I tried to go even 60 on the LA freeways when there isn't traffic I would be KILLED. The car does great, even when I'm not babying it. It gets great safety ratings and Toyotas are generally reliable. I bought an extended warranty (seven years), which some people on this forum will laugh at but my previous car (also a "reliable" civic) needed both the fuel injector replaced and a new catalytic converter in the seven years I owned it. Toyota will give me a rental for free if my car is in the shop at any point during the warranty period. Worth it to me. I'm saving about $150 a month on gas so far, even though my previous car got "good" gas mileage.

 

I should say I drove ~70 MPH most of the time on highway.
Your math is right if using numbers on the display, but it calculates from the moment you start the car until to turn off the car. That's why I show the image so others can try to figure the whole picture.

 

My 6' tall husband and brother both found it comfortable but the only way you'll know if you like it is if you test drive one.

 

The C is a great car - but if you want better gas mileage I would go with the liftback. Having come from a liftback I am EXTREMELY dissapointed in the drivetrain in the Prius C. I like the C for aesthetics but prefer the fuel economy and performance of the liftback hands down. For 23K you could probably get a brand new liftback and you would get better performance and much better MPG at 70-75MPH

 

What is the MPG on your return trip - the graph shows what appears to be a significant elevation drop at the start of your trip which would certainly up the MPG. I just am having a hard time believing some of the super high MPG figures that I see. I get 42MPG at 70MPH and I honestly have to work hard to get 50MPG on most trips. In my liftback I really had to drive like a jack@$$ to get below 50.

 

I can make about ~55-58 MPG on both trips. Of course I am doing a lot pulse and glide. The image I posted is ONLY showing my commute to work, not weekend leisure driving which I think I can only make ~45-50 MPG.

I think the distance and terrain play big roles in the MPG performance. I went to a restaurant which was about ~30 miles from my home, I was driving ~60-65 miles on highway and I could only get ~45 MPG.

 

I like the Prius C more than both those cars (Civic & Elantra) and you will get better gas mileage.

See if you can rent one (Prius C) for a day or two at a Toyota dealership and see if it will be comfortable enough for you.
This is what I did before I bought my first Prius.

 

The C will fit the bill in every way. I'm as tall as you and a bit wider and I have no problems.

However, the C is not highway-centric. Unless you have slower roads to/from the highway portion you may struggle to get over 50mpgs on a commute. Maybe. We always have ways get a few more mpgs.

It's worth a look at the liftback. Trade cars with the wife for a week and see what you can get out of it. Report back and we'll run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it. Have plenty of chocolate ready for the negotiations with the wife...

 

I also drive 80%+ freeway. I've adjusted my driving to 55 mph and occasionally slower. I get over 60 mpg per tank. Driving 65 mph, I've gotten well above 50 mpg. Others have had different experiences.

It's just a matter if you're willing to change your driving style somewhat. Personally, I didn't think I'd get used to people passing me, but I did. It was kind of a culture shock- it's a whole different world over in the right lane.

 

I'm 6'3 200lbs. I fit fine. You'll need to put the seat all the way back though. It has good head room. It does not feel cramped. As for cheap maintenance\repair, I'm a bit worried about the electronics failing after warranty period is over. That will be expensive. Apparently, the multi-display screen costs ~$4500.

 

When I drove the Prius c, I had no issues with headroom and legroom, but elbow room was poor - no space between my left thigh and the armrest. It felt claustrophic to me, so I bought the larger Prius. Try before you buy.

 

Although if the head unit does fail - you could simply replace it with an aftermarket unit that does twice as much and does it better and would cost about $500.

 

I have a 600 mile weekly average run. Half interstate and half city. How can you beat ~45 MPG average. Thats just great. An then you have city mileage at ~52-55 average. Definatly good mileage. I don't know of another car that does that. And all for ~20K. Unheard of.

 

I was referring to the multi-information display that shows your mpg, odometer, etc. If I could get that for $500 that's awesome.