I'm getting a somewhere around 48-49 MPG, even with the hills. I have no good way to calculate the MPG without hills because I live on top of one, so I'm going down and up a hill every time I leave the house. I completely agree that small vehicles have advantages. My trade in was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I also have a Sienna, so I completely get that parking in cities is annoying, and MPG on the bigger cars is a killer. Believe me, I remember filling up my Jeep on $4 gas. I like the size of the C. I like the all digital instruments. Noise doesn't bother me tremendously. The car's maneuvering seems plenty good for city driving. In all of those ways I'd call myself very happy with the car, and I'd say overall I'm 80-90% happy. I think I'd just like a somewhat more powerful drivetrain and maybe a bigger battery, maybe like a cross between the C and the Prime. A Prime C, if you will.
Either would be an upgrade from the C, I think. In a perfect world, with cost not a factor? I'd go with the Prime. Realistically for the price, I think the C is a really good value.
Well I admit, I'm not the one to talk to about drive train or power. I like my Honda Fit and feel it's perfectly valid to say it's "fun to drive" but it's NOT a powerful vehicle. It's nearly the very definition of "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow". It feels faster than it really is.... And my Prius? Well I never bought it with the expectation of great power. And actually? I found it to be more than adequate. At cruising speeds, it felt more like a 6 cylinder engine to me. And for my needs, acceleration was perfectly acceptable. I actually grew to like the HSD hybrid feeling of acceleration and driving, which IMO is different than a pure ICE. It's very smooth, quiet. If you have never owned a Hybrid, I think it takes a period of adjustment. You don't exactly have that feeling of instant neck snapping torque you get with an ICE. But that doesn't mean the vehicle isn't plenty powerful enough. I learned and came to enjoy it. Now my ICE Honda, sometimes feels unrefined.
I'm don't think it's precisely power that I want, at least in terms of a lot more horsepower. That would be related to the highway driving, but that's not the C's biggest issue for me. Cruising in the highway is pretty comfortable. The mileage could be better, but that's just grousing on my part. I'm more concerned by total torque. At low speed the torque is actually very good because of the electric motor, and I think the C has very good acceleration from a stop on flat ground as a result. My biggest complaint is that the C tends to be rather anemic up hills specifically, certainly above 12% grade or so (which was crazy-doesn't-exist when I lived in the Midwest, but is really common where I live now). I live at the top of a 14.5% grade hill with a stop light right at the very bottom, so everybody stops at the light and slams the gas down as soon as it goes green. Granted, I admit that this is basically the worst case scenario for any car. It just annoys me that pickup trucks behind me are basically trying to run me over as I get up the hill. I don't want this to sound like I'm complaining that the C isn't fun. It's not a muscle car, and I didn't buy it to be one. Nor did I even want one, exactly. It's got auto climate control, bright headlights, and it's easy to park. All of that is fun in my book. Maybe I'm not expressing myself well and I'm coming off more hostile than I intended.
Depends on your view of "upgrade". Size, yes. MPGs, debatable (I still want to wait for the real world Fuelly mileage before jumping to a conclusion). Looks, definitely not.
Yeah, I don't know if ANY 4 cylinder sub-compact hatchback is going to be too good in that particular scenario. 48-49 mpg is good IMO. I think you are just going to have to ignore the struggle on the hills.
He's right here...lol At the time, I figured I was saving myself a a lot of headache in buying an older car and putting money into repairs. I wanted something with a decent resale value, fuel economy, and I'd wanted a hybrid since I first test drove one. Of course, I see my mistakes now...and it's too late to fix them, so I'll deal with it and use the car as a trade-in on something I really want once it's paid off.
Is there a feature on the C that reads out the fuel economy numbers from the previous reset. I've only see an individual trip's data.
I'll be the one to point out that the regular Prius and the Prius C are not that different as far as power goes. A little more oomph maybe but it's a completely different car altogether. I'm coming up on nearly a year with my C and I don't regret the decision. It has it downfalls as all vehicles do but I feel the good qualities outweigh the negatives. As far as hills go, pretty much every vehicle I've owned has struggled with hills, and honestly more power doesn't feel like much on a steep incline. Just take it easy and you'll be just fine
I m on my second prius c...my first was a 2012 prius c level 2 that went 234000 miles b 4 i decided 2 retire it...i now own a 2017 prius c level 4 and m still thrilled....75 percent of my driving is at highway speeds...passing is fine with some planning, but I didn't want a mustang...except for 3 charcoal canisters and regular oil changes and tires, my 2012 was an excellent car....u want speed, buy a mustang, u want fuel economy and longevity, but a prius c....that is my 2 cents worth...
I love the Prius C and drive about 90% on highways/country roads. At first I thought the hills here would be a problem for fuel usage and grunt, but it's not so. I'm fortunate that there is not a great deal of traffic here, but when there is, I either put my foot down and the car responds wonderfully, or pull over and let them pass. When going over the main pass, the extra fuel used on the uphill side is saved coasting down the other side BTW my previous car was a Saab convertible, which I drove hard and fast. Now I've retired and have more time than money, and drive like a Prius driver - lol. (Last 10 fuel-ups at 4.2 l/100 km or 55.7 mpg (US).
I have no problem with the lack of power. Its something you get used to pretty quickly and adjust your driving habits. I do wish it was better sprung and had more sound deadening material. But I knew it lacked these going in. When I bought my C 5 years ago I had an 80 mile round trip commute, and was willing to sacrifice those comforts for the gas mileage. Was averaging 60 mpg, so it came through in spades. Its 115,000 miles later, and now I have an 8 mile round trip commute, so am thinking of maybe getting a Sonata hybrid. Its only rated at 44 mpg, but I have read reviews by drivers skilled in hybrid driving techniques getting into the mid 50s, and its much nicer in the ride and noise areas. It can also run on electric only at highway speeds, where the C tops out around 44-45 mph. And now that I am completely out of warranty, and could face an expensive battery replacement at any time, Hyundai's lifetime hybrid battery warranty is looking very attractive. But there are many other hybrid alternatives out there now that were not available in 2012, so who knows.
The full size Prius is certainly looking better than it ever did, but I have no problem with the Sonata's looks. I certainly wont miss the noisy Toyota CVT. And then there's that battery warranty making everything that much sweeter.....
I will say I’m definitely considering a 4 trim on my next Prius C. I’d like to have heated seats you know?
