Does the c have enough horsepower?

These cars are rated in MPG, not HP.

 

I've only briefly test driven the Prius c (not on the highway) and the power for the areas where I drove it (city traffic) was more than adequate. That said, it's not a speed demon per 2012 Toyota Prius C Four Full Test

If you're concerned about having enough power, you should consider the regular Prius (aka liftback) or the '12 HyCam. See https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/01/fuel-economy-vs-performance/index.htm.

 

After driving mine around for a while tonight, I found that most of the time I could be mindful of staying in the "fuel economy" zone but if I wanted to whip out in traffic and merge in front of someone, it did that just fine- it just lowered the gas mileage I got when I did that. When I was able to get back to cruising, the mpg rebounded nicely.

 

Go and try one out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised! H

 

+1 to what everyone is saying.

I have no trouble on the freeway. The car is responsive - the electric motor seems to give a real boost when passing. Merging is like any other 4 cylinder auto - gotta pick you spot to go. That said - the C is much more responsive than the Chevy and Geo Prizm autos I've been driving and not far behind our 2007 Fit Sport (auto).

Take one out for a test drive - as others have mentioned - you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

I drove my c on the highway to day to answer your question simply yes it does. to me highway speeds are 55-60 to some of you its 70 mph lol
it gets loud and sounds like its working hard with the cvt but it gets up to speed quickly.
def take one for a test drive and see i still managed to get 52 mpg with that trip and a overall mpg of 48

 

I've driven on LIE for a few times (with the "c"). I had no issues merging into highway and pulled ahead of those big trucks. For those aggressive drivers, you would have a problem with any cars. I usually ignored them. Sure, I could use a few more HP at times. It's perfectly safe driving the "c" on LIE as long as you can stay away from those trucks. I'm always afraid that they wouldn't be able to see the "c" 'cause it's so small. The "c" will be a great choice on LIE, especially you can drive it on the HOV. Good luck!

 

I think it is under powered. The car is best at 35 mph. It really struggles to get up to highway speed. But then I have driven cars with well over 650 HP. I bought it for MPG not MPH. I just bought a Totota Racing Development license plate frame to give all those who get stuck behind me a good laugh. I am also going to weld on a 4 inch NASCAR tailpipe tip just because. Have fun and enjoy the ride.

 

The C, and all the Prii, have plenty of power to deal with the freeways. The standard liftgate Prius is a little more optimized for freeway driving in terms of MPGs and a bigger engine, so if that's the bulk of your commute it's worth looking at, but the C will do just fine!

 

Uh....no.
Not for me personally.
However (comma!) if you're interested in fuel efficiency, then you're going to have to deal with a car that doesn't "have enough horsepower"...for me. The good news is that it might have more than enough….for you. Actually…..it probably has more than enough grunt for both of us.
I don't have any stick time in a C-type, but from the reviews that I'm reading it certainly has enough horsepower for basic transportation purposes! You don’t need a calendar to measure its zero to 60 dash time, and you don’t have to make an appointment to merge onto an interstate. In fact….it’s DOT rated for interstate duty. In FACT…it’s probably faster than my pickup truck, since my truck is speed limited to 90-something MPH (from what I’ve read… )
You're not going have any trouble reaching and attaining interstate speeds, and you're not going to have any trouble negotiating any hills that you’re likely to encounter on paved roads, carrying passengers will not be a problem, nor even hauling a bike or luggage carrier bolted to the roof or backside.
In other words…it’s going to be really good at what it does.

If you want to tow...get a sedan rated to do so.
If you want to tow a lot...get a truck.
If you want blistering performance and reasonable fuel economy….get a sport bike! BUT(!!) get the right one! My V-Rod only gets 35-40MPG, and it turns like a toad.
If you want to drive a sporty car.....test drive a C. If it isn't "sporty" enough....try something else!
Asking whether or not a C-model "has enough horsepower" is a lot like asking whether or not a Corvette gets good gas mileage.
In some circles....it does indeed! Just remember.....you have to burn 93-octane in a Vette.
Some other people think it gets appalling mileage.

Like power....YMMV!

 

Good one!
I usually avoid frames but I'll have to remember this if I get a c!

 

The power is there as long as you're willing to sacrifice mpg for it. It's that simple.

 

I live on Long Island and commute every day on the LIE from Exit 43 to Exit 59. I've owned the car two weeks and haven't had a problem getting up to speed when needed. On that daily trip I average 53MPG. If you try to keep pace with the many morons on the LIE who speed up to 80 then slow down to 65 then gun it back up to 80 again your only going to see 47-49 MPG.

Overall, after switching to the Prius C my drive is a steady 65 to 70MPH and it's a lot more relaxing. I used to be one of those morons...and now I relize how ridicules it is to drive around in a gas guzzling luxury car/SUV. Plus don't forget the value of the clean pass!

The other question is whether a car is transportation or a status symbol for you. Living on Long Island it's difficult to pull yourself away from that "keeping up with the Jones's" mentality. But the "Jones" won't tell you there neck deep in credit card debt and they'd kill to see the extra $200-$400 bucks per month in their pocket. (Savings on payments and Gas compared to a "premium" car)

If you buy the Prius C you kind of detach yourself from that rat race and just laugh when you see everyone else rushing to their local gas station pumping money down the drain because they need to drive around in these monster-sized SUVs or "high status" luxury vehicles. Does it make sense to drive around with 14-15 MPG all year for that one day when Long Island see's a blizzard and the roads are closed for a few hours. Plus you can always raid the grocery store the day before, the Prius C has a lot of cargo capacity for a car in it's class. You can easily pack in 10 gallons of milk, three dozen eggs, two 5-pound bags of flour and a local day laborer to shovel you out the next morning, all right in back seat of the car. You'd be surprised, never had a problem leaving Costco yet.

As for the status factor, you get a few looks here and there, but you have to laugh. It's a real eye opener to see how materialistic and simple minded people can be, how their car is bringing them all this instant glory.

So overall, yes I believe it has enough to merge safely for highway speeds.

 

Well said!

 

NC138 is an example of what happens to many Prius owners after they buy the car. Their driving habits tend to change a bit. Mine have. I still drive over the speed limit, but now maybe only 10-12 rather than the 20 mph over I used to (so I still have the radar detector up there).

It's that damn dash display showing you how every little movement of your right foot effects your gas mileage. It's like a constant challenge to drive more efficiently. You can ignore it, of course. But it's still there, reminding you why you bought the car - to save on gas.

I think it's this effect that may cause non Prius owners to think the Prius may be underpowered. Whenever they see one on the road, it's usually being driven in a calm smooth manner, keeping up with the traffic, but rarely leading the pack or darting in and out of holes to gain a few feet in the rush hour madness. In city driving, most Prius drivers start slowly and stop gradually. It all lends to that illusion of lack of power.

I'm approaching 3500 miles on my C, a little over half those miles at highway speeds. I have never felt there wasn't enough power for my needs, both merging onto the highway, or suddenly needing to pass at 65mph. I'm coming from a 4 cyl Accord, so it's all relative based on what you're used to, and the transmission does take some getting used to. When you floor it, it's gas engine will roar for few seconds while the transmission apportions the power, and because it's a CV type of tranny, there will be none of that seat of the pants surge you get from a normal automatic or from down shifting a manual, but the power is there, it's just applied more smoothly and gradually.

Find a dealer who will let you test drive one alone, and give it a real workout.

 

Agree w/all the above points.

I used to have a 287 hp 04 Nissan 350Z alongside my Prius. I sold my 255 hp 02 Nissan Maxima right after I got the Prius. At the time I had the Z and my Maxima, I thought that I could never ever buy another car w/<200 hp. Now, I'm driving a 110 hp one.

As I posted earlier, the Prius c is slower than the liftback. CR hasn't tested the Prius c yet, but the numbers for the liftback at Car Acceleration: Consumer Reports and Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance along with Best & worst cars review, best & worst acceleration should help. The Prius liftback isn't a quick car, by today's standards and the c is even slower.

Whether it's "adequate" to the OP is something I think he'll need to determine himself.

 

All the power any adult could need, but NOT all the power your inner child could want.