About to purchase Pruis C, having some concerns

The C will be slower, but the handling isn't bad, so you shouldn't be too disappointed. Worst case, if the handling is bad, get the rear sway bar kit and it improves handling drastically. $300ish. Talk to Garm.

 

Have you seen the new 2014 mazda 3? 40 mpg with the smaller 2.0 engine. A beautiful refined looking car.
If you like the pick up and speed of the 2.5 you might not like the C's slower take off speed and slower hill climbing ability. The C does not have IMO the best looks compared to the new Mazda 3.

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If you have been following the forum you will find most folks don't mind the HP down grade on the C when they go to the pump and only put in 8.5 gallons after 450+ miles. The C works great as a commuter car and if you get a 3 or 4 you get all the bells and whistles. I went from a civic lx and don't miss it at all. I drive close to 100 miles a day in it.
Very comfortable.

 

The C is a very slow car. Painfully slow at times, especially when climbing hills. It will be a big change from Mazda 3. Test drive it on a slopped on ramp and accelerate at highway speed uphill. I find the trick is to ignore the eco meter and the engine sound, but it's still a slow car regardless.

 

The C is a city car. Most people buy it to save fuel at a lower cost of ownership.
It's an entry level hybrid. It's small, it lacks power, the seats aren't very comfortable,
it has excessive road noise inside the cabin and you'll feel like everyone is parked on
your rear bumper in traffic.

It's a compromise to get better MPG. It actually gets worse MPG on the highway than a regular Prius.
They market this car as a city car. That's it's niche and it works great for that segment.
If you're traveling freeway a lot, you might wanna look into other possibilities.
I had to get out of mine after 90 days.

IMO, it's not meant for commuting. Outside of city traffic duties, is not that great.

 

Very happy with my '13 Prius C. I do anywhere from 50 to 70 miles per day; and couldn't be happier with the ride.

I don't echo some of what others have said here. I have no problems with pickup; and even though I'm not in a "mountainous state," there are plenty of hills that I do have to climb every day…and I do fine. I switch off Eco mode & there's a noticeable (to me) power boost that helps.

On my current tank I'm getting 57MPG. And this is with a solid mix of freeway/expressway driving and city driving. Construction around here is driving me insane, so I've been getting on the expressways near me…and on a recent 31-mile trip on the interstates, I got 52MPG. This is above the estimates I'd read about in terms of freeway mileage.

Does the Prius C 2 I drive "feel like a sports car?" No. I don't need it to be. Having a Prius has changed the way I drive, for the better. It handles better than any other car I've owned, be it a relic or brand new. There is enough power for me when I need it.

Sure, at times I miss a V6 engine I had previously. I've come to realize that 9 out of 10 times I miss it, it's in a situation where I'd become an "aggressive driver." Am glad those days are gone. And I still arrive on time without driving like an idiot, which I admit I did at times.

For a small hatch, the Prius handles extremely well for me. It's not "powerful," but has enough to do what I need the car to do when I need it. And spending the little money I do these days for fuel is a very welcome trade off. I look forward to driving these days, whereas before with other cars it was a chore.

 

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a hybrid, much less an automatic, but it was replacing my wife's car and I want her to be happy.
I liked the looks of the C better and encouraged her to try it when we test drove the Prius.
It was frustratingly slow and just a chore to drive.
That test drive actually sold us on the regular Prius.
After driving the C we got back in the standard Prius and it felt thrilling in comparison.
Its been 5 months and we have really enjoyed it, especially the gas savings.
I just wish I could put some bigger wheels and tires on it without ruining the fuel economy.

 

Sigh, are we being too honest? In any other car forum, it's always "Don't worry about it, best car ever... ", we are all "It's a slow car". "Not meant for commuting".

For what's worth, I find the Prius C performance perfectly acceptable. It's also great for commuting. MPG is lower on the highway, but still high comparing to other cars. On one road trip I got 67MPG with about 90% highway and cruise control all the way. I think 50ish is very doable as long as you don't go too fast. I never find the noise intruding and it's indeed quieter than the Civic based on Edmunds' numbers.

It's not for everybody, but make sure you give it a chance by testing it out.

 

I've never had a single problem with acceleration... ever. My other car is a '66 Chevelle with a v8. Will the C outrun it? No, but it could do a cross country trip quicker. I've never had a problem with comfort either. Just make sure the seats are where you like them and it'll be no sweat. They adjust about a million different ways. The C is less than .5 seconds slower to 60 than the standard Prius, so the 0-60 would not be noticeable, however, if you have it in ECO mode and don't full throttle it, you will notice it.

 

Not meant for commuting?

It is an ultimate commuter car whether you take highway or backroads. It climbs hills just fine, gets great mileage, is plenty comfortable, and gets you from point A to B. It was a serious stress reducer as well for me.

Now if you are planning to be running late for work every day and need to speed and act like an idiot darting in and out of lanes on the highway, this car is not for you. Seriously, it is so much more relaxing to sit in one lane and not worry about beating everyone else.

 

Yep! It's a city car. It's not designed for commuting. You can use it as a commuter, but it's intended
use is for local city traffic. Driving like a nut has nothing to do with the cars ability as a commuter.
You're just rationalizing it that way. If it works for you, then more power to you. It didn't for me.

 

I commute for an hour in the city... I rack up 24k miles... "commuting"

 

I am close to finishing my first year driving my Prius C2. Drove approx. 20,000 miles. My mix is 25% city and 75% highway. My overall average fuel economy is 54 mpg.

This car meets my requirements because a: I am old, b: and I am cheap,
and most importantly c: I am not in a particular rush to get anywhere.

The only thing that gets on my nerves is road noise. I solve that problem by turning up the radio. Overall I am very happy with the car.

 

The car will do over 100 mph. The car will do 70 in a 55, but you shouldn't let it.

 

it can go 90+ comfortably. just depends on how you want to drive.

You should test drive it again, spend some more time behind the wheel because "power/speed" is really subjective and everyone has a different opinion on this.

 

It has 99 bhp., so it's very capable of keeping up on the freeways It's just a compromise between
a Prius Liftback or a standard high mileage vehicle. You'll save gas with it, but running it hard isn't
the design intent. Running it hard will eliminate any benefit of having it as a hybrid. If you want decent
mileage and want to run with the pack, just get a cheaper non hybrid Chevy, Ford, Toyota or Honda.

If you buy a Civic for 18K you can burn fuel for 3 years or better and come out the same as you would
buying a hybrid and expecting it to be driven with the crowd. You negate the advantage by driving it hard. It's a shift of wealth. Buying a hybrid is more expensive at time of purchase. Buying a standard
non hybrid is cheaper at purchase and you'll spend the difference at the pump over time. Do the Math!

 

There is no such thing as a cheaper non-hybrid version of Chevy or Ford... give them 5 years... they'll be more expensive. Besides, even if you only drive in the city 10% of the time. 53 mpgs that 10% vs 35 mpgs will ad up quickly.

 

You can buy a Honda Civic for 15K all day long and they get 40 mpg. It's a better car.
The Prius C is the lowest grade econobox on the planet and it shows as soon as you open the door.
Low grade, hard plastics everywhere. No insulation with the loudest cabin of any car I've ever driven.
As a technician, I drive a lot of cars. The Prius C is the cheapest car made with an expensive drivetrain.

 

40mpg what? Hwy? or City? If city, that's cool. What features do you get for that 15k? Is it comparable to a C1 for 19k? If so, he'll still save money in the C.

Have you ever driven a Nissan Versa standard shift with roll up windows? That has got to be the lowest grade econobox. Remember, there's always worse.