So, I've been thinking of moving on from my Prius C, just after 1 year stint. It's a great commuter car. I really appreciate the economy of averaging 54 MPG without really trying and the engagement aspect. It's darn slow climbing up the speed but handles and rides reasonably confident with tons of driver engagement. You actually feel the road via the steering and the lack of mass is a good feeling. But, I think I'm ready for more stability and maybe more comfort for distance driving. Though I want to stay away from over sized bloated new boxes... Test drove a new Camry hybrid - wow, it was the numbest drive ever... couldn't feel anything and it displayed 11 MPG on display... New Corolla - same platform as my 13 unit... not stable on highways. New Nissan Altimas - read too many unreliability issues. New Fords - Mustang, Focus, Fusion - super cheap but reliability, the lack of... kills them for me. New Honda accords - too big, ugly, uncomfy seats, awesome engine... not much dealer discounts and yeah ugly... Maybe another Prius lift back... I used to drive 2011 model... it was OK but averaged only 42 MPG and didn't like the interior setup too much... I'll check out the upcoming 16 Prius update, I guess...
Enjoy your search for a new car. Test drive everything that you are remotely considering for an extended drive... Let us know what you decide..
Try looking at Mazda 3 lift back, or Mazda 6 sedan, or consider an Avalon, with year end deals not as expensive as you might think, it's a good road car IMHO.
Is the Volt on your radar? Zero gas for short to medium trips, close to hybrid gas mileage for the longer ones, and owners seem to be pretty enthusiastic.
Try a Lexus Es350 Hybrid, comfort, reliable, not sure of the drive. Not sure of the price range you would like to stay under.
hmmm... you know I came from 2011 135i vert... it was sexy looking for sure ! I did think about a bimmer again though.
i also had my sights on checking out the new Audi A4 as well...not too big a fan of the new interior design, but it should be worth a test drive.
My C4 will be my daughter's car when she got the driver license. I moved to Mercedes - Benz Van Metris, a new line in US, and love it. It's a different love. From a sub - compact to a van, even bigger than Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, it's spacious inside with 8 - passengers. Its' a different class. With quite a lot longer wheelbase than the other minivans it's driving so smoothly like a car and handling like one. Like all of you know the feel of german made Mercedes - Benz. The power of a little 2.0 liter 4 - cylinder engine Turbo is quite impressive. But when alone I use the C. I miss the MPG from over 60 MPG lifetime to only 19 MPG for the Mercedes. I miss the "game" behind the wheel trying to get a better MPG. I miss the start from a red lights of the C. My Benz also has option to stop the engine at red lights but when the lights turn green I release the brake to gas pedal it starts the engine to move not quietly like my C. If you have other vehicle not hybrid with Eco Start/Stop feature you know what I'm talking about. One thing need to mention: they don't tailgate my van even though I'm driving the same like my C.
If you have an outlet, check out the new Volt. At 43mpg you won't lose too much gas mileage vs the C's 50mpg, but you'll gain from a much better driving experience with the enjoyability of the all electric 53 miles.
