Would a Prius C be suitable..?

I can't speak to all of your considerations, but I can say this. I also live in a hilly area and drive primarily rural roads. The gas mileage is terrific. If I drive around town I also get very nice gas mileage. I don't know about ice and snow (we don't get any of that where I live). It sounds like a good fit to me.

 

I live in New England. I haven't had the C long enough to drive during the winter, but due to troubles I've had in the snow, I simply don't drive until the roads are plowed following a storm. It is cheaper to take a few days off work in the winter in exchange for not needing a 4 wheel drive SUV.

 

I also live in New England and haven't had the car in winter, but I've driven it all the way up to New Hampshire to the white mountains and it handled great on all roads (interstate/town/rural)! this is also my first car ever (2013 C2) and I LOVE it! I'm not a particularly careful driver with regards to fuel efficiency and I still get great MPG, plus it's a very nice car to look at, you know?

 

One thing to remember is that unless you drive a regular hybrid like a Prius for more than 5-6 miles, the gas mileage will not be much better than a Corrolla or Civic or Fit! (unless its a plug in)

If you will be in town going stop and go for 10-30 minutes, a Prius is a good car.

Personally, I would buy a 2-4 year old used car.

That way your insurance is cheaper, the payments (or cost if you pay cash) will be a lot less.

Then in 2-3 years if you do not like the car, you can sell it and not take the depreciation hit of a brand new car.
FWIW.

 

PostVeg: I'd say go for it. My driving style is similar to yours, and I love my C. Winter driving hasn't been a problem, and I don't miss my old Subaru's 4WD, except when I want to mess around in an empty parking lot. The Scion FR-S is a more thrilling car to drive, but there isn't a practical reason why you *need* to go 0-60 in less than ten seconds. In fact, I'd argue that 4WD and >100HP are things that are more likely to get you into trouble than out of trouble.

Mine's getting 60 mpg despite my 8 mile commute. With an unmodified Yaris, I wouldn't be getting close to that with the way I drive. Yeah, the Prius' warm up cycle burns a lot of fuel, but the regenerative braking is still very useful, and you can't complain about the efficient engine.

 

I don't use snow tires. Neither do my folks. Just go slow. Better yet, stay off the road if the weather sucks. Just because you know how to drive doesn't mean someone else won't slide into you or cause an accident in front of you. If students are risking their lives on the roads because of snow then your campus shouldn't be holding classes because that just screws over the longer-distance, harder-trying students. (I went through those experiences while an undergrad. We lived in the boondocks and it sucked.) Prius c also has traction control, so you don't have to worry about 2wd vs. 4wd; the hybrid's computer takes care of that as well.

My first car was a used SUV. Each year I spent no more than $1000 in fuel, which is not too much and, at the time, was the cost of only 3 months worth of loan payments.

If you're a "broke college student," then get a used car.

Here's another reason to go used: As a college student you're probably overwhelmed with "a million and one" things to do between classes, homework, and "work" work (if you have the time to do all of that). So, you'll probably feel rushed at times, and it'll happen worst on a rainy day where you have an umbrella in one hand and your keys and coffee in the other, your pack may get soaked and you rush to throw it in your car, then you get in and if you have a coffee it could splash over and make a mess and now you have wet napkins and coffee smell in your car and a wet seat and umbrella... you get the idea... if the car was "brand new" you'd feel awful about ruining the newness, but if it's already used, then, it's not so bad since the interior has already been through all that.