"C" is out! Gen 3 is a maybe. v is crazy!

We recently prepared to work our way toward a final decision between Prius models and enjoyed an up close & personal examination and drive. The trip did not go as planned and a new direction may be in order.

After months of reading about the "C" I was ready to be wowed and hoped Kenny would be as well. Not so. It is small, although I knew that going in. When we looked at pricing between the C and a Gen 3, it made little sense not to consider the larger, more practical car, like we have now.

Although I'm perfectly fine with the Gen 3, Kenny doesn't much care for the center console, believing he'd feel "trapped". Okay, I can live with that, as I'd be the daily drive of this new Prius. Nevertheless we moved on to the "v" which I knew from having explored it at the auto show I was not keen on. Here, Kenny fell in love!

My problems include the fact the car is larger, heavier, under-powered and suffers shortness of mpg which in my mind is staggeringly bad for anything branded Prius! Although in theory I'm solid with something a bit larger (we do have a Giant Schnauzer to haul around), I am dead-set against 42 mpg, knowing also that Toyota is not likely to update this model until 2014. That is unless Ford forces their hand!

Within days of looking and driving and pondering, Ford made their formal announcement about the "new" C-Max which really isn't so new except that it is joining the US market complete with a tried, tested and proven hybrid system owing much of its development to Toyota's synergy system.

The last half-week has been spent digging deeply into the C-Max from a European perspective, where it has been in production for a number of years. Performance, design, comfort, fit, quality all appear to make the C-Max a SERIOUS match for the Prius v. Add to that, here in the US it will be a hybrid getting a combined city/highway mpg rating of 47 mpg!

My first choice is the Gen 3 Hatchback. If going larger is where we head, it most certainly will not be the current Prius v. We are supposed to get the first batch of Ford C-Max's just after Labor Day and we're scheduled to be called for a domestic up close & personal.

Given the "C" is out entirely, I"ll probably post elsewhere in the Forums, if for no other reason than to share what I find about the C-Max when compared to the v. Happy driving, everyone. Toyota certainly has and for some time will likely remain a leader in hybrid cars but perhaps we Americans are truly waking up and can be prepared to offer a domestic alternative. No matter how much we appreciate our current Prius, buying domestic would not be a bad thing!

Steve & Kenny

 

Ashley,

When it boils down to why we buy Prius', I think it is first, MPG, second a combination of reliability and the reputation Toyota has. You're right, the difference between 42 and 47 mpg isn't huge but when the math is done, it's still 5 more mpg and more miles per tank-full which is principally why we purchased our Prius in the first place!

I'm not a xenophobe; I'll buy from whomever is making the car which get the better mpg, coupled with reliability. That said, I'd be delighted to keep our US Auto manufacturers busy building cars which will ultimately compete globally with cars that make sense. Chevrolet seems a bit more focused on pure-electric, Ford has placed and continues to place hundreds of millions into research on battery / hybrid technology.

As to my continuing comparison, the Prius-hatch sits at the bottom for cargo space. The Pruis V sits at the top. The C-max sits comfortably in between. Add to that it's getting closer to 50 mpg. Add to that it's a bit more stylish both inside and out. Add to that Ford has options Toyota simply doesn't offer and the car can be had for LESS than the V.

Next, if one takes a hard look at the reviews done on the C-Max in the UK, one finds that the platform overall is a major hit, tried, tested and proven. Couple that with the Ford hybrid system (based on Toyota's Synergy-drive) which has been more extensively tested than the Prius (just pulled a hybrid-powered taxi off the streets of San Francisco after some 250,000 miles to have the engine analyzed) and I am more than willing to give Ford a shot.

In the end, we seek high mileage, reliability, style, comfort and space.

Steve

 

Jayhawk,

You're spot-on about the extra horse-power. It makes perfect sense to me that the under-powered V would consume more fuel and that simply doesn't add up to sense in my book. I personally think they took shortcuts with the V. It is a hatchback on steroids but lacking the power to get the job done correctly.

Mine you, I'm not convinced bigger is better but I do think if we can grow the car a bit and not loose on the mileage appreciable, the C-Max may be the ticket!

Steve

 

Libmanj,

If I were to suspect what the mileage will be, I would lean slightly higher but time will tell. Regardless, I agree, the V is butt-ugly! And under-powered. And the mileage, although only 5 mpg less, is nevertheless 5 mpg less!

We look forward to seeing the C-Max up close.

Someone also wondered about Ford's commitment to hybrid technology; with not so much homework you'll find they're spending tens of millions in the development of hybrid technology. They have 500+ patents for hybrid technology. In the early stages, they licensed the Synergy-drive system from Toyota to develop their own. They have tested whole fleets of taxis, committed to their hybrid system and have show reliability at beyond 200,000 miles. In short, the folks from blue-oval have probably done their homework!

Steve

 

Cwerdna,

Thanks for the information and perhaps I'd be willing to retract any disparaging remarks about the Prius V mileage except for... the mileage! Good feedback aside, most of us realize rated mileage is sourced not from "real world" highway and city driving but from dyno testing in what amounts to a laboratory. This puts us back in the same spot we started, the V suffers in mpg. Ultimately, the difference is the difference and squeezing more miles per gallon does count.

At this stage, I think the competition in pure-electric and hybrid vehicles will become more serious, which is good because honestly, I think Toyota got a bit lax with the V. As Ford has done with the C-Max, perhaps a slightly larger engine is needed to more effectively and efficiently get the V up to speed and squeeze a few more miles per gallon out of the platform.

I should point out, mpg is only one factor I have examined. Styling is another area I'd like to consider as well. Although both Kenny and I are vastly more practical when it comes to what a car looks like, the cavernous "butt" on the V certainly doesn't earn points for style whereas the slightly smaller C-max is a bit more stylish and darn-it there is that pesky additional 5 mpg and nicer options and the aforementioned tests in the UK and Europe which give the platform such high praise...

In the end, the Prius Lift-back is certainly in the running and we're committed Prius fans. I love to see mileage in the high 40's to low 50's! I'll be certain to share some of my thoughts on the C-Max once the rascal comes out and we've had a chance to not only see and drive one but after others have purchased and begin to report their "real world" mileage. I will also dive further into the V forum to learn more about what current owners have to say.

Ta-da!

Steve