Potential New Owner here

Hello, I switched from an Audi Avant A4. I have not been disappointed. I'm older at 68, so performance driving has finally gotten old to me. I don't miss the heated seats and have found the C to be all I want plus. I have good snow tires on my C here in mid-Michigan. The county I live in is noted for not plowing and when it does they do a lousy job. I have had no problems getting around with my C, in fact it's better than the wife's Volvo V5 which also has good snow tires. At my age I've owned a lot of cars. The C is probably my favorite with the exception of a Citroen 2CV I once had. I liked it better, but, only because of the fun I had in it as a youth (old men and their memories). I won't go into details as this is a public forum.
I really think the C is a superior product. Superior MPGs and a comfortable, dependable car.

 

I love my Prius C, the only complaints I have are the seat cushions are a little short for my long legs and the wind-noise at highway speeds. But these are pretty minor issues considering this car's price-point. I haven't had any problems with the lack of power.

 

Welcome. As a former AutoX racer, Leo, and current motorcycle rider who has had a lot of vehicles I say test drive to be sure it suits you but I love it. For what it is my expectation was spot on and I love the tech in it also,, it's fun to drive. Lots of cool cheap mods options too so be sure to check out that section too. Also see my first posts and my intro thread as well with my short term owner review. Best of luck to you!

EDIT: HERE is link to my thread in case you would like to read a bit more.

 

I have owned many cars over the years, and the ones I love most I keep forever. This one is a keeper. Its not fancy, but its not cheap, it rides great, its quite, it has just enough power, and it returns with 50 to 70 plus MPG. You can't go wrong.

 

I lower my seat all the way down and push it all the way back, while it's not as long as E-Class but definitely more leg room than C-Class.

There are quite a few threads about this topic but I'm lazy to link them now.

 

Welcome. You've come to the right place with your questions; C forum members are a straight-talkin' bunch.
I can’t help with your seat question, though. I have a US trim 2. The seat fabric doesn’t appear to be glued to foam, but I couldn’t find an easy way to get under the fabric to add lumbar support so I use a small pillow. FWIW, I have been comfortable on several 400 mile interstate trips. (I’m 6’2” (1.88m))

Of course you'll want to drive a C. Twice or thrice more if you already have.
It's (much?) weaker and less refined than a Gen III. Shortly after the C launch it was near the top of the "would you buy that hybrid again?" list, but it has slipped considerably in that regard. In other words, the C's honeymoon is over. It's not for everyone. Two forum members loved their C's briefly but switched to an Abarth and a Fit. The latter by buying his old car back. Those were young guys. When I was a young guy, my track car was a breathed-on 2002tii. I don't know if I could’ve switched from that to the C. I went through a series of weak family cars first.

But enough with the cold water - this is not a negative review. I adore my C. Let me count the ways:
I plan to keep the C for at least 120k miles. I believe it will be the cheapest car to run over that distance.
The C has no fuel economy competition at its price-point, while the Gen III must compete with diesels.
The steering, brakes, handling are all OK. I get it – money went into the power train for the purpose of saving fuel. Full stop.

With Mich. Xi3 tires it’s *great* in snow. Our other cars are AWD/4WD SUVs but I have no qualms about taking the C anywhere anytime.
I’ve seen the Traction control light flicker, but it hasn’t hindered my progress up bumpy, snow-covered hills.

I got my C in November in Massachusetts. Yeah, it’s been cold here, too. Fuelly says I’ve averaged 53mpg (4.39 L/100km). (It improved significantly after break-in.)
YMMV because – especially in the cold – economy is *really* inversely proportional to speed.
As a result I often use Google maps to find more direct (and scenic) slow roads. Don’t know if that would suit you. Maybe it won’t matter as much when temps rise.
I look for ways to save gas with our other cars (Pulse and Glide a little, coasting wherever possible, high tire pressures) but it just doesn’t add up to much.
I try to be courteous, so if there’s someone behind me I’ll hold 5 – 9 mph over the limit. But when driving alone the C is capable of insane gas mileage.
Even with temps in the 20s(F, or – single digits C) when I’m lucky enough to be dropping altitude (~1000’ or 300m) I have achieved over 75 mpg (actual) for a 50 mile trip.
As a fellow tech geek, I added an Ultra-Gauge to make it easier to learn how a Prius can squeeze extra miles.
P&G around town of course, but on the highway – if you have some hills to play with – Super Highway Mode and Warp Stealth have bumped my highway mpg by 10% and I’m still learning.
As a car guy/geek this is what I find compelling about the C – if you choose to you can participate *with the car* in lots of local maximizations.
It’s a completely different type of performance driving.
Maybe a C will suit you. If so, this forum is a great place to learn about it.

 

Good one. I encourage you to try that one next time you get stopped for speeding. "Yes officer, I know I was breaking the law but I was doing it to be courteous to the drivers behind me." Bet he'll get a good laugh while he writes out your ticket!

 

Has a cop ever written a ticket on a Prius? It seems to me that the very fact that it is a Prius would get tossed out of any traffic court and be a source of laughter to the rest of the cops at the station.

 

"Yes officer, I know I was breaking the law but I was doing it to be courteous to the drivers behind me." Bet he'll get a good laugh while he writes out your ticket!

Off topic, but actual speed "limits" vary by location and conditions of course. In most (not all) of New England the de-facto limit is 9 over the posted limit. Your limit may vary.

 

Traded in my Mazda 3 for one of these. That car was fast and I drove it aggressively. Got tired of driving from one gas station to the next though in spite of it being the best car I've ever owned. Prius C is well relaxing, it encourages relaxed driving with cash back incentives. I like getting over twice the mileage and parking it is way easier. It is noisy and lacks the handling and zoom appeal of the Mazda,but so what, most of my life is gridlock and limited parking and for that the Prius is superb. It's way better than a Honda CRZ and handles better than a full size Prius. I promise you, gas will only go up in price and who cares how fast it goes if you can't afford the fuel to get it there. So again, the Prius wins. It's also such a brilliant design, I just want to bake the Toyota engineers an organic carrot cake in appreciation. As a dedicated motorcyclist, the irony is, the Prius delivers better gas mileage than the motorcycles I own, even with more cylinders and more wheels.

 

Seems a lot of "car guys" made the leap. I've always owned niche vehicles and traded often. Just got too expensive to keep up with.
Anyway... Prius is an OK car, great if you're only factor is fuel mileage. I have added some upscale items, new wheels & tires, and a bit of chrome trim to dress it up a bit. It now looks pretty good. Consider changing out the stock tires (and probably wheels as not much fits on a 5" wheel). This helped the handling and quieted some road noise. The LRR tire I chose did not effect my fuel mileage.
All in all, its an econobox with awesome fuel mileage, and equipped right, can make a satisfying ride...

 

I like your wheels - what are they?
Thanks.

 

MB Twist from discounttiredirect

 

I love my Prius C 4!! Sold my C6 corvette to get this car. From a 2003 S-10 extreme that was my daily driver getting 18mpg to 48 mpg now, it's a no brainer!! I still have my truck for home depot or lowes stuff. I chose to get it loaded with everything just for the simple fact I plan on keep this car till I retire. I really enjoy it a lot be it that it's not the fastest thing in the world. But it gets the job done,MPG!!! also it looks pretty dare I say the word "CUTE"!! It's ticks most of the boxes that I was looking for and was $3k cheaper than the Prius depending on what model you got. It's nice going to the gas station every other weekend compared to every weekend in my s-10. If MPG is your number one criteria then get one! Best bang for your $$$.

 

The Prius C is a great car for the price. It is no wonder why I keep seeing more and more on the road.

 

Just get it. Dooooo it. You know you want to and you know you will love it. Trust me. I love my Prius. My wife wasn't really into the Prius but even she loves it. My dad was all weird about me getting a Prius and after I had him sit in it he talked at selling his Malibu for one. It just has this power to win you over. I enjoy every excuse to drive to the store, get the mail, run errands, etc. I feel like I am 17 again and just got the keys to the family car...

 

I was commuting in an '03 SRT-4 and buying premium gas to get 23mpg on my way to work and back. I had enough, looked at the most fuel friendly cars and wound up in a Prius C4. It might not beat you at the stop light, but it can win when passing all of the gas pumps. I still have the SRT, which I will probably never part with, but this car is almost as cheap or cheaper at the pump as my old Geo Metro '91, (back in '91 gas was like a buck!) That little thing was very underpowered, (1 liter motor - same size as my Kawasaki) It took me across the country a few times, went through 3 head gaskets and wheel bearing sets but it managed to pull off an average of 50mpg most of the time. It took a bus to rear end it for me to get rid of it... and even then I sold it to a "friend" for $500 and he still drives it today after pulling the unibody frame out with a pole and a 2 come-a-longs lol.

 

I thought I was the only one that made those excuses to drive it.