I just wanted to post on this forum, since this is were i researched this car for about a year before even stepping on foot to a car dealership. After I read hundreds of post, and googling winter driving for Prius C. I have to say I'm moderately happy with its performance. I wanted to comment on my experience here to let other people know.. that might be wanting to buy a Prius C. I live In Iowa, so far we have had 3 winter storms blow thru my area since I have owned this car. I have owned it for only 3 weeks now, and have not added snow tires, since it's March and I'm praying spring weather is just around the corner. Right when my Prius C arrived at the dealership (dealer trade) we had a blizzard. Well that's a strong word.. it was a NWS Blizzard.. but a heavy wet snow the snow plows easily cleared off the roadway and the wind was not blowing anything around. The day after I picked it up road conditions were excellent (dry or wet pavement) handled great! The next bad weather driving I did was a trip I had to make.. about 250 miles round trip. I made the decision to take back roads.. (well paved roads that are not on D.O.T. priority lists). I would say the roads were covered with ice/slush mix on all the roadway except one tire track with a little snow on top. With an added front & side cross wind at 40 mph wind gusts. This made handling a little rough. In my old car I could easily have gone up to 55mph and not have had a worry in the world.. The Prius C was more at 40-ish MPH speed without worries. I felt that the car was being pushed a bit due to the wind, the speed of the car, and the lack of traction. I do have to admit no snow tires were on the car and I'm sure the handling would be improved, and that it was a brand new car.. so I still was getting use to him. Take that with a grain of salt. The next bad weather driving was not a snowy say but more of a day when you would be driving down some clear open road with wind around 25 MPH.. Then you get to a house, grove of trees, or any other object that would cover snow on the road. The Prius C handled great in those conditions. I do slow down a bit, but didn't have a problem at all. Tomorrow is another test for my little car.. a 60% chance of ice. I'm sure I'll have another blog post for you then.
Yikes....! I would be petrified to go half that speed. I realize that we have 6 months of winter here but I'm also used to just slipping easily (then again I've never used snow tires) On the other hand, going 40-ish means you have great fuel economy, I bet you got 50+ mpg.
Ive been a courier in the twin cities metro area for over 20 years. I drive pretty much non stop on city streets and highways 10 hours a day, Of all the vehicles I have owned, the Prius C has been the best snow car, and this winter has been a bad one. Using the tires that came with it, bought it new September 2013. My next concern is if it can withstand 65-70k a year. I drive 250-350k before i look to replace. Loving the $$ I'm saving on gas, was averaging $28-$34 a day with the Corolla, spending $14-$20 a day with the Prius C 2 iPad ? HD
