Drive Experience

Haven't test driven one myself but as far as the braking goes, all the reviews I've seen have generally provided good comments on them, at least from a stopping distance standpoint. The distance specs look good. The ride seems tuned to provide a bit more of a "drivers" (firm) experience than the most comfortable, cushy (boaty) ride. I think a lot of the more driver oriented reviews probably overstate the issues and much of it just depends on how you usually drive and what you personally value in driving...


ron

 

Hi! These are all great questions. I've had my c less than a week, and it's the first hybrid I've owned, so maybe I can help some. You should definitely find one to test drive though. I drove both the c and the Gen III, and they felt very different to me. I picked the c because of price point, but it was a tough decision between the two. FYI, I'm 6'3" and I commute about 20 miles one way on back roads and so far I've only used Normal mode, not ECO.

I normally drive a Jeep Wrangler, and I haven't really noticed that much difference in general. The acceleration is slower, but if you get on it, it will respond. I usually do what traffic dictates. If I'm by myself on the road, I try to get to speed slowly to save gas, but when people are all over me, I get to speed quicker. Once at normal speed (40-60 for me), the c really shines. It coasts so well, I really have to apply very little power to maintain speed. I haven't noticed much difference at all in the brakes, they seem fine to me, not unresponsive at all. The ride is fine for me, not like a sedan, but better than my Jeep. The turn radius is another plus, I can turn on a dime. My wife loves that coming from a large SUV. So much easier to turn, uturn and park places.

Can't help you on the winter driving, not much of that here in Atlanta!

Hope this helps some. Def try to find one to drive though. All in all, I love the little c, it's fun to drive, and we seem to be getting amazing mileage. Still working on the first tank, so I haven't been able to really check the mileage yet, but it's looking great so far.

 

This is my first hybrid, so i was in a similar situation. here's my experience thus far. acceleration from a standstill is... slow. light turns green and you bury the pedal and..... a pause, the engine kicks on, and then you start accelerating... briskly. not walking, not running, but jogging.... you get the feeling that the engine/motor can go faster, but it was simply programmed to not let you. having said that, for city driving, stop light to stop light. once you get going the acceleration is more than adequate.

for highway on ramps, if its really short and you're starting from a stop, merging into 80 mph traffic flow, then perhaps you may have a problem. otherwise it feels fine. on the highway, it also feels fine. passing is possible, but it'll take longer to do than a more powerful car. just recently i was going about 50 in the middle lane. i see a jeep grand cherokee coming up fast behind me. he goes to the left lane for the pass. i step on it to see what the car can do. it keeps up , with the jeep inching away. at 65 mph i lift off and away he goes. so there ya go, it can keep up, with an SUV trying to pass...

the regen brakes take getting used to. you can feel when it transitions from regen to friction brakes. if you anticipate you can brake lightly and early and it will brake only on regen. regen itself feels mushy. at first i didnt brake as early and it always felt inadequate. i would then press harder and the friction brakes would come on hard. so are the brakes responsive? yes and no. the friction brakes are as responsive as a regular car, the regen brakes takes getting used to. imo you definitely have to change the way you drive. sounds scary but that just means brake lightly and early, and enjoy the kinetic energy being recaptured

rough ride? yeah a little rough. i have the 15" wheels. it aint no lexus. but then again its way better than my other car, an Evo :rockon:

with the 15" wheels, u turns are a cinch. 31' turn radius...

 

I'm sure he really appreciated that

I've definitely found the brakes take some getting used to. I'm still getting used to them. It can feel slightly unresponsive sometimes, but I think with some practice, it'll be fine. I had to make a hard stop a few days ago, and I didn't hit anyone, so they do work!

One thing that might make it feel slower at first, even when it isn't, is purely psychological: I was so used to hearing/feeling the engine revving up and changing gears during acceleration, that without that reminder, it can feel like you aren't accelerating. But if you just look at the speedometer, you can see you're accelerating just fine.

I've never driven a liftback Prius, only the c, so I can't say how they compare, really. But at least driving a Prius (if you can find one) will give you a base idea of whether you like the feel of driving a hybrid with CVT.

 

In my experience (having owned both a Honda Fit and a 1st gen Insight), I can definitely say that my Prius c (my first Toyota) rides well! I would say that its handling is on par with the Insight -- very secure and nimble. While I liked my Fit a lot, it felt "pitchy" at points. Acceleration is good (0-30 in roughly 3.5 sec), but it can take a little longer to get up to cruising speed. Once at speed, I've found that my Prius c generally takes a very light touch to maintain momentum. It does coast very well! I generally reserve Eco mode for cruising at speed.

I'm still adjusting to the brakes. I would say that they are "soft" -- a factor that encourages me to brake sooner than I did in the past. The ABS brakes are appreciated!

U-turns are very doable, with a good turning radius!

The ride itself is smooth, and can be slightly busy (somewhat dependent on your tire pressures). I haven't had much interference from crosswinds or passing vehicles thus far.

The seats are very comfortable and firm -- both front and back. I have more back support than I did in either my Insight or my Fit. During an hour's drive, one friend commented that he wasn't experiencing the lower back pain to which he had been accustomed -- and he was impressed ...

In short, I'm really pleased with my Prius c!

Also, I commute roughly 60 miles a day ...

Richard

 

Only drove the c one time so far and found it to be a lot better car than I thought it would be. So I can say that my expectations were exceeded. Braking and acceleration were fine. The regen braking and friction braking were seamless. Our drive was conducted in excellent Spring weather, mild temperatures and dry road conditions. It was still officially Winter, but then again we missed out on much of Winter this year. Not complaining, but the skiing could have been way better. So I might be complaining some.

I will probably buy a c sometime this Summer. The mileage numbers for the kind of driving that I normally do here in Maine should work out great. During a two driver test of the c covering about 12-14 miles, we ended up with around 67-69 MPG indicated. That was urban/suburban driving. I did not get a chance to push it out on a limited access highway.

Your commute is 70 miles one way on Interstate type roads at a good clip. Not only should you try out the c, but also the Liftback. We've found our Prius a very capable Interstate driver. We've owned a a Prius since 2005... and recently traded it in for a Gen III. The car is great on the highway at Interstate speeds and very comfortable to travel or commute in.

Winter driving should be OK. I always put a set of snow tires on separate rims (so I can change them myself when needed) for Winter travel and have had no problem with the Prius in snow. Can't imagine that the c would be any less capable, especially if you go with a good set of snow tires.

You will really enjoy visiting the gas pump a lot less frequently!

 

Only test drove the C (have one on order) and the hatchback.

Neither felt especially slow to me but my main rides have been a 2001 Chevy Prizm (I drove it to death) and now a 1997 Prizm.

The Prius acceleration is not like a V8 (learned to drive on V8 Fords and Mopars) but, as mentioned, the smoothness of the acceleration can throw you off. On my test drive I was going uphill (Red Hill for the Hawaii folks) and the salesman told me: "Look at the speedometer" - I thought we were at 45-50 - actual speed was 65.

Ddin't notice the brakes at all - didn't crash so I guess I did okay.

YMMV

 

I can echo most of the other comments you've received. It ain't a Civic Si (or even a Honda Fit) in terms of its 'zippiness', but it accelerates just fine under most conditions. Does take some getting used to, that's for sure. I had an '08 Honda Fit and have been driving my new C for about two weeks now. I am slowly but surely getting used to not having a 5-speed stick shift (which I loved in the Fit). The brakes can feel a bit 'spongy' at times, but as others have noted, you just learn to begin braking lightly a bit sooner than normal and you're fine (plus in regen mode you're charging the battery and traction motor, correct?). I live and drive in the hills and mountains of western NC and aside from the noise of the engine straining when accelerating uphill, which is quite noticeable, my little 'silver surfer' does just fine. Every so often I find myself wishing the accelerator was more instantaneous, more responsive, but she gets the job done. I commute ~40 miles round-trip every day (in mixed driving, interstate + urban) and I'm getting just over 50 mpg combined so far. Gotta love that!

 

I currently have an 04 Prius (8 years of driving it) and am waiting for my Prius c to arrive.

The driving experience of a hybrid is different in several ways:

• The acceleration is much smoother than a regular ICE
• Braking is also different -a little more sensitive on my 04, almost like a regular (ICE) car on the c
• Synchronous magnet electric motors have great low end torque to get you up to speed when accelerating.
• No it's not a V-8 and you won't go from 0-60 in 4 seconds, which is why auto reviewers are critical.

Those things being said I have never had a problem accelerating in traffic city or highway and the car has plenty of power.
After driving a hybrid for almost 9 years , a regular ICE car feels primitive and clunky to me, and I am always glad to get back into my prius.

My 04 prius has the same engine as the Prius c. The difference is that it has been modified to be more efficient and all of the mechanicals are now electrically driven rather than with belts. The key difference is that the c is 500 lbs lighter. I have driven a c 4 times now and think that even with lower horsepower it has better acceleration than my 2004 prius.

 

Im not trying to steer you away from the C but from the concerns you have with the road bumps and all I would say go with the Gen 3. I on the other hand would not own anything but a C because l love feeling everything communicating back for the type of driving I like. The gen 3 is going to be more dull and a easier driving car with more comfort. It it will have a bit better take off but the C power on take off was better then I thought.

 

I find the C very comfotable on my 65 mile commute to work everday. The seats are great! I don't find it to be excessively bumpy but I came from a 2010 Honda Fit which was similar. The C is very quiet at speed as far as engine and road noise but it does have a fair ammount of wind noise at highway speeds. It isn't the fastest accelerator but it's super smooth. I will only drive an automatic if it's a CVT, otherwise I prefer manual which my Fit was. I love the smoothness and quietness of the C. Although upon hard acceleration you will hear the ICE working but once at speed it's quiet. There would probably be a couple week adjustment period as there would be with any new car but i would guess you'd like it as most of us that have them do. Hopefully you can find one to check out soon!

 

I second the notion, for your commute I would think the liftback Gen iii would be a better fit.

 

If you don't go with the C, the Honda Fit is an excellent choice and blows the Yaris out of the water in my opinion.

 

You can find Toyota certified 2010's Prius'es in that price range. Usually under 30k miles with full remaining factory warranty. As others have mentioned, the standard liftback prius has better hwy mileage rating.

Finding a C under $20k is going to be a challenge PLUS it won't have cruise control which I think would be very important feature for a hwy commuter.

 

Also test drive the MAZDA3 S GT (we bought the 2012 6-spd manual & love it--but it tops out at 32 mpg). Fun-2-Drive but not a 50-mpg-car. Ergo, gonna ADD the Prius C THREE (or FOUR) when our dealer can get one for us! Happy Motoring!

Ty-K