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New Prius C owner switching from SUV!

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by cornflakes, Mar 30, 2012.

  1. cornflakes

    cornflakes Junior Member

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    Hi everyone, just wanted to say hello and thank everyone who's been posting about their experiences with the Prius C! It was very helpful in educating myself about the car before I went to the dealer to test drive it!

    I bought my Summer Rain Prius C 3 last night, and so far, I'm very happy with it. Granted it's been less than 24 hours, but knowing that I can expect to go to the gas pump less is very exciting! I'm already getting an average of 46 MPG.

    One of my biggest concerns was how the car drives compared to my SUV (a Honda Pilot). I used to be the "king of the road", big bulky car, lots of power, I can maneuver around the freeways very easily. While the Prius C definitely doesn't have the power of my SUV, I'm finding that getting onto the freeway isn't terrible, especially uphill onramps. Once it gets up to speed, on the freeway it's pretty zippy even in ECO mode.

    I haven't adapted my driving habits yet, and already average 46 MPG. I can only imagine that number will go up once I drive a little more conservatively.

    So far I'm very happy and I'm looking forward to learning more about the Prius C and sharing experiences with everyone here! :rockon:
     
    #1 cornflakes, Mar 30, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  2. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    Welcome to PC. Now you have to find out what to do with all the gas money you save. :p
     
    #2 Michgal007, Mar 30, 2012
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Welcome! You'll be thrilled when you fill up and look at the distance you went compared to how much the same distance would've cost on your Pilot.
     
    #3 cwerdna, Mar 30, 2012
  4. moezer2112

    moezer2112 Futurist

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    In your case it definitely sounds like it would be fun to plug in the mpg from your SUV into the prius c's display and keep track of the money saved. watch out though, a big difference in driving a little car is that people will start pulling out in front of you.
     
    #4 moezer2112, Mar 30, 2012
  5. formula

    formula Member

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    welcome. setup the "Saving Record" and you will be happy when you see how much money you saved each month. :)

    the best MPG I got on a flat road 35mph 7 mile strip is 79 MPG. OMG.
     
    #5 formula, Mar 31, 2012
  6. B. Roberts

    B. Roberts Hypah Milah! Ayuh.

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    Congratulations! That's a change and a half... Pilot to Prius c... but not bad at all. Excellent, even.

    Your MPGs will move up the scale. It doesn't take too much time to learn how to get the most out of a Prius. And it's really cool not spending huge amounts of money on fuel.

    Enjoy, and let us know what you think about your c once in a while. We're all learning about them on this site.
     
    #6 B. Roberts, Mar 31, 2012
  7. p00kienrayray

    p00kienrayray Active Member

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    :welcome:
    Glad to see an SUV turned Prius driver! I see too many drivers on the road commuting solo in an SUV with no passengers or cargo (I used to be one of them :p).
     
    #7 p00kienrayray, Mar 31, 2012
  8. formula

    formula Member

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    too many of them on the road. I just don't understand the point of doing this.

    one person in a full size SUV. no cargo or passenger. lol

    it feels safer to drive a bigger vehicle? maybe?:rockon:
     
    #8 formula, Mar 31, 2012
  9. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Welcome to PriusChat and Prius ownership. :welcome:

    As for some of the previous replies and the quote above, I would say that your biggest concern should be SUV drivers being "king of the road" before they too switch over.
     
    #9 TonyPSchaefer, Mar 31, 2012
  10. NYPrius1

    NYPrius1 Active Member

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    Welcome to PC!~ Best Of Luck with Your New Ride.
     
    #10 NYPrius1, Mar 31, 2012
  11. priusninja

    priusninja 2012 Prius C III, Moonglow

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    I had been driving a CR V, getting 26 mpg, loving my prius c, 56.7 mpg so far.
     
    #11 priusninja, Mar 31, 2012
  12. cornflakes

    cornflakes Junior Member

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    Thanks for the warm welcome! Definitely a VERY big change going from an SUV to a compact Prius! But like others mentioned, you're right, I was driving around in a big 8-passenger SUV by myself. I used to require the cargo space due to my work, but now that I've stopped needing to transport big boxes around, I don't need such a big car anymore.

    Yes I've set up the savings calculator because the gas savings is my biggest motivator... My SUV was getting 18MPG, and I'm hoping I can average 3x better than that (54... a little over the rated 50 MPG). That's my goal.

    The salesperson said that after the engine breaks in (about 1,000 miles), supposedly you get better MPG. Is this true? Or is he saying that to stop from complaining to him about the MPG, and by the time we hit 1,000 we've gotten used to it and don't even bother?
     
    #12 cornflakes, Mar 31, 2012
  13. B. Roberts

    B. Roberts Hypah Milah! Ayuh.

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    Your MPG will get better after the break in period. Learn to drive it well and you'll easily get more than EPA estimated MPG. Enjoy the car while you acquire the skill to get the best out of it.

    Keep us posted.
     
    #13 B. Roberts, Apr 2, 2012
  14. russelljackson

    russelljackson Junior Member

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    I'm also coming from a 12MPG SUV beast, picked up our c Saturday. We were driving yesterday when my wife said, "How do you know how much gas you have left?" I said, "There's a fuel gauge right there." She said, "I saw that, but it hasn't moved yet." Funny, we're used to watching the gauge go down as we drive...

    It's amazing to me how well this little car coasts. When you let off the gas in my Jeep, it almost stops. No pulse and glide there, more like pulse and pulse some more. :)
     
    #14 russelljackson, Apr 2, 2012
  15. cornflakes

    cornflakes Junior Member

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    You too should plug in your 12 mpg into the eco savings screen and calculate how much gas you save! It makes me smile every time I turn the car off and it tells me how much money I saved.

    Of course for the first few days I plugged in accidentally that gas costs $2.39/gallon (I wish!). I drove out to my parents about 35 miles away and it said I saved 2 bucks. I was scratching my head wondering why I saved so little money, then I realized I set it wrong!
     
    #15 cornflakes, Apr 2, 2012
  16. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    There's a story that the Prius vehicles learn the driver's style and literally adjusts to the driver. I want to say that it's documented somewhere but I can't find it right now. Anyway, yes. The engine will break in for about 1,000 miles, you'll get better at driving it and the car will learn your driving habits. All-in-all, your mileage will go up.
     
    #16 TonyPSchaefer, Apr 2, 2012
  17. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    I believe most cars adjust to the driver. The ability may actually be there to cope with different fuels or to protect the car from the driver.

    But don't forget the tires.

    Tires wear and become more efficient.
     
    #17 ItsNotAboutTheMoney, Apr 2, 2012
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