pet friendly car prius c1 vs honda fit base automatic

I just traded in my '08 Honda Fit for my Prius. I LOVED the Fit, but always felt the mileage should be better for a small car. I consistently got @32mpg with mixed driving. Before signing for the Prius I learned that the Fit is coming out with a hybrid next

 

Ok, that was weird, it didn't print my whole text! "....hybrid next fall. I considered waiting but the mileage of the Prius won me over.

 

I couldn't tell you about the batteries, but I can tell you besides everything else that is amazing about this car--great MPG, great price, great resale, tons of technology, reliable, quiet, sleek looking, I can go on and on, after all it is a Prius-- it's been a great car for our dogs as well. We have two large dogs, one is 80 lbs and the other is 90 lbs. With the seats down, they can lay down comfortably or stand and stick their heads out the rear windows. With the low height of the car, jumping in and out of the back for them is not a problem, just make sure you get a bumper cover or put down a blanket every time. Other than that, our dogs have short hair and don't shed much so clean up is a cinch. Ill be honest we also have an SUV dedicated to road trips with the beasts, but the little C has really surprised us and we are taking the SUV less and less, especially on the longer trips. If you plan on traveling with the dogs, there will not be a whole lot of room left in the back for luggage and other stuff. We are considering investing in a removable roof mounted soft bag for our extra gear. Good luck with your decision and if your budget allows, try and bump up to at least a C2, the few little extras are worth it; not that the C1 isn't a great car.

 

Hybrid components warranty is longer in CARB states - states that adhere to California's emissions standards:

• HowStuffWorks "CARB"
• California Air Resources Board - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• United States emission standards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I have a 2009 liftback. I have two medium sized dogs, a boxer and a pit mix. I just went on a 1,000 mile trip with them. I used to leash them in the back using the tie downs to connect the leashs. This worked fine except for one problem- hair. After a trip with the dogs there would be doghair everywhere in the car. This always required a vacuum job. So I got a canvas crate which works well. This keeps them snug and confined and greatly reduces the hair. As long as dogs are happy in the crate I like the canvas one compared to a steel one. For example a dog could try to chew it's way out of the canvas if it wasn't happy in the crate. On my car the intake to the hybrid battery fan is near the right rear seat. I installed a filter for this fan using instructions from this site. There have been reports of expensive repairs because of too much hair getting into the battery fan. These procedures work for me and I'm sure other people have devised other solutions that work also. Happy traveling.