New to Prius C: things to watch out for?

Becoming to engrossed in monitoring your gas mileage that you don't pay attention to the road! . Becoming obsessed with getting that last 1/10 mile per gallon on that trip! LOL

Not really. It is a good car overall. Remember, it is not a high powered car and give yourself a little more room in pulling out, ect. Not excessive, just a little more. Just drive it like you drive any car. You can pull out the display that grades your driving for mileage and you will find you make small adjustments to gain significant increases in mileage when not in a lot of traffic.

The car does drive like any other non hybrid. It took me a while to get used to the CVT as it sounds like the engine is working hard some of the time, but, it is actually not. It is just getting the most power for the fuel used. Took me a little while to get used to it as I was used to normal 3-5 speed transmissions.

Fuel usage is dependent on several factors. Temperature will reduce mileage and cause the car to run the engine to keep it warm some of the time. The colder it gets, the lower the mileage I am finding. This also effects tire pressure and keeping them at the correct pressure will ensure good handling and mileage overall. Your driving habits are the last part of that equation and depending on how you drive will depend on mileage.

Also for Jan 1 on, the EPA has allowed gas stations to start selling E-15 fuel in some states. Remember your car is designed for E-10 or less. I have found, with my driving habits and temperature ranges where I live that I do better with non ethanol blends of fuel. It costs me about $0.10 more per gallon but I gain about 10% more mileage, so the tradeoff is more then paid for. I am not crazy about the change as I have a classic car also and E-15 is not good for it at all.

Hope that helps. If you have more specific questions you found the place to ask. The members here are very helpful. I have learned a lot just by reading previous posts ect.

 

Mileage drops in winter/colder weather aren't hybrid specific. See Why mileage gets worse in winter | PriusChat. It also has some tips about heater management to prevent the ICE (internal combustion engine) from running to provide cabin heat.

 

There's not much to "watch out for" with the C (assuming you aren't expecting a luxury sports car that is!). This car is almost entirely positives. I've had mine since last summer. You're really going to enjoy the C.

The question on your mind should be "how do I get the most out of my Prius C?". The best answer you'll get from die-hard Prius owners is going to be: Really learn how your Prius works so that you can drive it efficiently -- you can outsmart ECO mode nearly every time.

Here a couple of notes.

Prius system warmup as it relates to MPG: When you turn on your Prius, the first thing it will do as you drive around is try to warm itself up. Your combustion engine will be more likely to run during this time, regardless of whether you are driving slowly. The car is most efficient when the engine is toasty, so this will mean that some very short journeys will not be as efficient as mid-length journeys. This also means that it will be less efficient in the winter. Here is my Prius C freezing its butt off (temperatures went as low as -18C or about 0F that night) at my parents house when I visited them during Christmas:



So, plan journeys of at least 10 miles (15-16km) for best performance, and in the winter try to keep your car warm somehow, whether it means parking in a garage or using a block heater. Keep it warm!

Prius "Pulse-n'-Glide": I personally prefer the term "accelerate and glide". Once your Prius is warmed up, you can use a technique of accelerating on gas and gliding on electric to get great mileage. This is where you will personally make the biggest impact on mileage. If you are stopped at a red light or stop sign, your warmed-up Prius will likely be in EV mode and be completely silent. The light turns green and it's time to go. You want to get to 40mph (50-60km/h). Your Prius has a "sweet spot" of efficiency in which it likes to accelerate. For best mileage, try to perform all your acceleration in this sweet spot band (shown in the picture below as where the "accelerate" arrow is pointing). The "accelerate" band will always activate the gas engine in your car.



During acceleration, keep the applied power as steady as you can (listen to the engine) and do not extend into "PWR" mode. When you reach 40mph, briefly let go of the accelerator. If your Prius is warmed up, you will see the "EV" indicator turn on as soon as you let go of the pedal. To maintain 40mph, gently press the accelerator until you see a tiny bit of power applied in the section that I've labelled "EV glide". Maintain this for as long as possible. When you start to lose speed or battery power, accelerate again in the acceleration sweet spot zone mentioned above. When in EV mode, your goal is to maintain speed with as little EV power as possible, so if you find yourself in the upper area of the EV band, you are experiencing diminishing returns or your battery needs more juice.

Pulse n' glide is just the tip of the iceberg, but it's the one technique that will make the biggest difference and introduces you to the unique driving characteristics the Prius.

Tire Pressure: There are threads about this elsewhere on Priuschat, but it suffices to say that your dealer somewhat under-inflates your tires to optimize for comfort rather than mileage. If you want better mileage, go read those threads and learn about how to properly inflate your tires (and keep them in good shape). This can make a dramatic difference in mileage!

Hope that helps!

 

Awesome post above.

I vote this thread gets stickied to the top of the forum.

 

I agree! MACIEK (new member) has posted the best blog thread on - HOW TO DRIVE AND GET THE BEST MPG PERFORMANCE FROM THE PRIUS C). I love the graphics in the thread. I have 2 fill-ups on my PRIUS C 2 (moonglow) and have a 61.7MPG AVERAGE. I drive my Prius C exactly as described in MACIECK'S thread. His instructions on how to get the maximum MPG really work!

I keep my tire pressure at 39 PSI - both front and rear. I live in the desert in an area with bad bumpy roads. I discovered at 41 PSI the ride is too hard. If you have smooth roads in your driving area, I recommend 41 PSI as the best PSI with safety in mind. It is true - the lower the PSI the lower the MPG!

I recommend going to YouTube.com and viewing the vedios on How to drive the Prius C . That is how I learned how to get so far 61.7 MPG from my car. I LOVE MY PRIUS C!

 

OP, where do you live?

Can you update your location info w/at least a general area?

 

Maciek's post on in-town driving was great.

On the freeway, there's basically one rule- the slower you drive, the better mpg you'll get. 55 mph and under, in good weather and not increasing elevation, will generally get you 60 mpg or better. MPG decreases significantly, and then dramatically, the faster you drive.

There are also other tips and tricks for tackling hills (Google "driving with load"). Finally, you'll discover that finding ways to shield the C from the wind is a great way to increase mpg.

 

One thing I noticed is that if you're sitting at a light, and push the brake pedal all the way down, it causes the slippage detection warning light to flash. If you let go of the brake, the car sits there momentarily, then suddenly resumes normal function and begins to pull away normally.

If anyone knows what this is, please let us know. I'll be asking the dealer on my first visit.

 

Hi Raidin, welcome aboard.

This is Hill Start Assist Control.

It is also discussed in your Owner's Manual, which is genuinely worth a read... it's always good to know what your new car can do, especially features you may not have had before.

If you really don't want to do that, the above video is part of a whole series of Prius c videos ToyotaUSA has put on YouTube showing how to operate various features - you can search their channel for them.

 

Thanks for the link! I actually went through the whole manual, but only glossed over things I rarely use or need.

 

It's a good feature, many vehicles are including it these days. As far as I can tell, the Prius is the only model where you have to actuate Hill Start Assist. Other makes detect that you're stopped on a slope and invoke HSA automatically.

I gave it a try the other day. It works as advertised but you seem to have to push really hard on the brake pedal to make it come on. I was worried about stretching or snapping the linkage to the brake master cylinder.

 

To activate the system, I do have to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor. I do actually feel it touching the wall behind it before the system activates.

 

A friend who borrowed my car to travel three up on the freeway reported that the car is terrible/scary when experiencing crosswinds.

 

I really don't get what it is with crosswinds. I've read a couple of people say this but I've been in some plenty strong crosswinds and at worst maybe I can just feel it in the steering. Scary? No... there is no concern about my ability to steer and control the car. I can't understand what it is that's causing concern.

The most interesting was a few weeks back when a wild southerly change whipped through and I was stopped at a particularly high and exposed location - the car did wobble about a little as it got blasted with rain on one side, but the moment I got a green light and started moving, I forgot about it.

 

My old VW Beetle was much much worse in crosswinds.

 

My Fit was more susceptible to crosswinds

 

If I may, a word from the home of high winds, the land of the "roaring forties", Tasmania. Several times a week, I drive across two causeways near my place, which are actually roadways across a large expanse of water. The white-capped waves can splash across the road when the tide is in, dumping salt water on my nice new Prius.

The authorities, in their wisdom, have built a bridge at one end of one of the causeways, so boats can get up the estuary. The sides of the bridge are in the form of thick concrete walls about Prius roof height and seem perfectly designed to create massive eddies of air across the road. I constantly watch motor homes and even large trucks being buffeted mercilessly as they drive along it. The C does feel the turbulence but I'm surprised how little effect it has on keeping a straight path. I expected, as a small car, it would take quite a shaking but is in no way scary. As Rob says, I have felt it bouncing around on its suspension when standing still in high wind but once in motion it settles down quite well.

 

I appreciate what you guys are saying. My comment refers to the feeling caused by cross winds when the car has passengers in the back. thus lending a more rearward weight biase. I tried it and felt a slight yawing movement at highway speed