Acceleration Concern

Sorry.
Time to grow up.

Good News: The Priussy is a youthful car. It's not like you're having to trade in a cool convertible for a Soccer-Mom minivan.

Bad news: A Soccer-Mom minivan will be able out accelerate you by a LOT, and might corner better too. You'll also get to re-discover why people hate minivans, which is the fact that when you're in a car?
You can't see around them.

Unless you're trading in a car that you're upside down on, you probably won't get skrood over too bad when (if) you get the trial-sized Prius.....so it will be a LOT less expensive to own and operate.
If you think that you're going to miss the acceleration, you're right.
You will.
I still do.
However (comma!) if your primary concern is jerks in the other lane?
You can always slow down instead of trying to speed up, and think about how much money you're not spending on the Ford.


Your call.

Good Luck.

 

You shouldn't really be concerned about acceleration; however, you won't have the capability to pass up cars quickly and speed up on a whim, but you will be able to pass cars and speed up on a whim safely if planned accordingly to the conditions of the road(s)...

but anyway if you're looking for power and acceleration, this isn't the car for you, but it seems you're at a conundrum...you say you're a speed demon, but also say you don't like the low gas mileage your stang is giving you...You gotta pick pick one girl, YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM ALL (unless of course you can afford a Tesla)

I also can't process that you can really call other drivers jerks (are they jerks by driving slow, or intentionally screwing with you? either or the latter will be harder to deal with than just speeding past them...and by doing that jerks will just take it as a provocation, and you have yourself a speed contest).

After stating you're somewhat of a speed demon yourself, because I giggle to myself all the time when speed demons roar past me, weave in and out of traffic just to take the next exit half a mile down the road.

 

It sounds like you've done a good test against your requirements:

The Prius is about fuel efficiency although it has remarkable 'stop light' acceleration. I look for slower traffic to use as my 'pace car' so I can get even better mileage. Vehicles you might want to pass and burn extra fuel.

If you need to 'pass someone,' a Prius won't make you happy but you might test drive:

• Volt - if you have a plug-in option
• Leaf - if you have a plug-in option
• Honda Accord hybrid - looks to be promising
• Lexus hybrids - often more acceleration oriented
• Lincoln MKZ hybrid - pretty good write-ups.

The worst thing in the world is to think 'saving gas' cures a need for speed. We've seen that pattern fail often enough in the past.

Bob Wilson

 

The Prius c is FAR less capable than even a V6 Mustang in the acceleration department and is rather slow. Notice where it's at in CR's tested vehicles at Best & Worst Acceleration | Quickest Vehicles - Consumer Reports

I suggest the OP look at some vehicles that get good FE (these are CR's test results, not EPA numbers) and acceleration at Fuel Economy vs. Performance | MPG vs. MPH - Consumer Reports . Camry Hybrid might be a good choice. Regular Prius (aka liftback) is a little quicker than the Prius c.

My mom's Altima Hybrid had almost identical performance (but much worse FE: Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance) than the '12+ HyCam and feels almost like a rocket compared to my 06 Prius (results for my generation of Prius at ConsumerReports.org - Consumer Reports - Fuel economy vs. performance).

As for Leaf, it's not that fast, but it doesn't feel strained when flooring it as there's so little noise and no harshness/vibration at max acceleration. My Prius feels like a noisy rattletrap in comparison to my Leaf (to steal the phrase from another Prius and Leaf driver).

Lexus CT hybrid is slower than the Prius liftback and barely quicker than a Prius c. If OP wants a Lexus hybrid w/better acceleration, they should go for an ES hybrid.

 

Is some of the OP's concern in the pedal feel? It took me a bit to get used to how much pedal travel was required for "moving with traffic" stoplight acceleration. Does the C have the PWR button like the lift back? Using the PWR button changes that pedal travel so it feels more like a conventional car.

The first time I touched the go pedal on our F150 after driving the Prius for several weeks, I gave the family whiplash and chirped the tires. The pedal travel or impression of "this thing isn't going anywhere" would be similar if you are used to the stang and jump in a Prius.

 

I was worried about this as well when I got mine. I don't think I would have been able to pull the trigger if I didn't also have a Ducati in the garage. I haven't had a car for years but a new job requires me to commute quite far and in the winter the bike wouldn't be safe.

One for rain... One for speed... Both for 5L/100kms

Nexus 7 ? 4

 

Greetings Amt0715.

RE: Anyway, in my second, more objective, test drive I noticed that the degree of acceleration (of the cee) was noticeably less than in my 'stang. Don't get me wrong, I do understand that they are built for two completely different things, but I really enjoy being able to pass other slower drivers and speed up quickly. I'm kind of a speed demon. :/

• Mustang: 4.6L V8 “Otto Cycle”ICE, 315 horsepower. EPA Numbers: 17 City / 20 Combined / 26 Highway --- Average User's MPG: 18.9 MPG. EPA Fuel Cost Per Year: $2,450 ($204.month).
• Prius c (cee): 1.5L I4 “Atkinson Cycle” ICE w/ HSD, Combined output 99 horsepower [ICE: 73hp + Electric Motor: 60hp (peak)]. EPA Numbers: 53 City / 50 Combined / 46 Highway --- Average User's MPG: 51.2 MPG. EPA Fuel Cost Per Year: $1,0000 ($83/month).

Do the math on horsepower >>> acceleration >>> fuel cost to operate. Duh-h-h…

You need to transform your “Gas-To-Go/Brake-To-Stop" mindset. I have a Porsche-honed throttle pedal foot that was successfully transformed into one with a feather light "Hybrid $mart" touch on the foot throttle pedal of the Prius. You need to undergo a similar transformation with you Mustang-honed throttle pedal foot.

I invite you to do some reading homework. Prior to digging in and commencing, I recommend charging up your favorite mega-ounce drinking vessel with coffee, tea or other beverage of your choice, and then proceeding with a studied read of its 16,000+ words. When you are finished, report back here on where your head and attitude are, and where you need to go. To get to the Ten Tips Guide, click on the link in my signature and read and heed the info, driving philosophy, and “Hybrid $mart” driving techniques in the “10 Hybrid Basics & Best Practices Tips Guide To "Hybrid $mart" Prius Ultra High MPG EcoDriving & Pseudo-Hypermiling For Non-Hypermilers” Guide located there.

You must first recognize that there has been a paradigm shift with regard personal automobile fuel-energy use. You must change the driving and fuel consumption behaviors and techniques under which you operate your personal vehicle, and successfully transform yourself into a Hybrid $mart / EcoDriving Fuel Miser.

You have two ways to go. Keep driving “Gas-To-Go/Brake-To-Stop Dumb,” as you are now, and keep paying at the pump, or start driving “Hybrid $mart,” and electro-glide by those gas stations for “$tellar MPG” mile after mile.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED.

 

I have many cars and enjoy speed. I drive exotics on the track sometimes for fun too. The Prius is not a speed demon. However, it is plenty capable for traffic driving. When merging onto the interstate, unless you are the first person in line, you are going to be stuck going with the flow and the Prius is plenty capable. Even when I am first with the Prius, I am always first off the line and up to speed with the other cars little dots in the rear view. Just because you have more power, you rarely have an opportunity to use it.

On the highway, the Prius can maintain triple digit speeds with no problem. The only real dog comes from when you want to accelerate up a hill with low traction battery. The key is to jam the pedal before you change lanes. The small power in the Prius is coupled with a transmission (loosely used, it doesn't resemble an ordinary transmission at all) that allows for maximum power at any RPM and any speed, so you have all the meek horses at all times. In your stang, you only get the highest acceleration output in very narrow bands of specific gears at specific speeds. Not true in the Prius so it is not as big of a deal.

I drive the Prius like I stole it, and it works great. We have a C and a GenII and they both are more than adequate. If you want performance hybrid, go Lexus. Even at 40mpg that is pretty darn good compared to the 8-12mpg you are probably getting now. Driving my GenII like a bat out of hell nets mid to high 40's on sticky winter tires.

 

It sounds like you need a transitional car - maybe a high mileage gas engine? My husband's Yaris (yes, ugly front end, I know) consistently gets 38-40mpg and it's very peppy. The automatic probably does not do as well. There's lots of small reasonably efficient cars out there that would save you gas money over your mustang (and enable you to keep your sanity). As I explore the Pc world, I have the same concern.

 

Ahem... people have different standards of what's fast and slow. The Yaris is also very slow. I have no idea what year of Mustang the OP has and which engine.

Here are some of Consumer Reports (just so we're comparing apples to apples instead of bench racing against various sources and publications) of various 0-60 mph, 1/4 mile time and speeds along w/their mileage test results (which are NOTHING like the EPA tests) in the format of city/highway, overall:

'10 Prius liftback: 0-60 mph: 10.6 seconds; 1/4 mile 18.0 sec @ 79.3 mph; 32/55, 44 mpg overall

'12 Prius c: 0-60 mph: 11.3 seconds; 1/4 mile 18.4 sec @ 76. mph; 37/48, 43 mpg overall

'12 Camry 4-cyl: 0-60 mph: 8.4 seconds; 1/4 mile 16.5 sec @ 87.1 mph; 19/41, 27 mpg overall
'12 Camry Hybrid XLE: 0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds; 1/4 mile 15.9 sec @ 92.0 mph; 32/43, 38 mpg overall
'12 Camry V6 XLE: 0-60 mph: 6.4 seconds; 1/4 mile 14.8 sec @ 98.7 mph; 17/37, 26 mpg overall

'10 Mustang GT 4.6L V8: manual: 0-60 mph: 5.7seconds; 1/4 mile 14.3 sec @ 101.2 mph; 13/27, 20 mpg overall
'11 Mustang 3.7L V6 manual: 0-60 mph: 6.2 seconds; 1/4 mile 14.8 sec @ 98.1 mph; 16/35, 24 mpg overall
'11 Mustang GT 5.0L V8 manual: 0-60 mph: 5.1 seconds; 1/4 mile 13.7 sec @ 106.9 mph; 16/29, 22 mpg overall

'12 Yaris hatchback auto: 0-60 mph: 10.8 seconds; 1/4 mile 18.3 sec @ 76.5 mph; 23 city/41 highway, 32 mpg overall
'10 Yaris sedan auto: 0-60 mph: 10.7 seconds; 1/4 mile 18.2 sec @ 77.2 mph; 23/41, 32 mpg overall
'09 Yaris hatchback auto: 0-60 mph: 10.9 seconds; 1/4 mile 18.4 sec @ 76. mph; 22/38, 30 mpg overall
'07 Yaris hatchback manual: 0-60 mph: 9.3 seconds; 1/4 mile 17.3 sec @ 80.7 mph; 26/42, 34 mpg overall

(Their acceleration times tend to be a bit slower than many other publications.)

I've taken my former cars (one was a 287 hp 04 Nissan 350Z, which is not a "muscle car") to the drag strip before to drag race and can safely say a 1 second difference in the 1/4 is a pretty big difference. If one has a 2 or 3 second faster car, that's a HUGE difference. The faster car is way ahead early on and pulling away the whole time.

Too bad CR doesn't have 1/4 mile times on non-convertible Z anymore. I'd expect it to be the low 14s. Motortrend achieved 13.77 @ 100.94 mph and qwk at Toyota Rav4 EV Forum • View topic - Check EV System warning message called it "anemenic".

The most powerful and fastest car I've owned is the above Z. I've driven 450+ hp cars on a closed course before. I've driven a bunch of 330+ hp cars on the open road before but never had a chance to really punch it much.

 

You made it clear where you are coming from in your first post above, but like any leap into the unknown, you would like a little reassurance!
Humans are competitive by nature, and driving is one of only a few activities where females are fully competitive with males, so no surprise you might feel you are losing something with this switch in vehicles. Well, having the urge to boot it I have found to be very dependent on whether you think your vehicle has the grunt required. If yes, then you tend to go there, and again, and again...
If, however, you KNOW your vehicle is a great cruiser, but not too much happens when you floor it, you quickly acquire a different mind-set - instead of an adrenalin rush you stay cool and relaxed, and let the world pass you by. No matter, you will get to your destination in much the same time as the speeders, sometimes sooner as they have to stop for gas!
Day-to-day driving is 95% cruising; only a little power is needed, and for most vehicles their large reserve of power is wasted, and wasteful. The C, however, is a very efficient cruiser, but with a top speed over 100 has plenty in reserve on the freeway as many posters on this forum attest. You will soon find you spend more time glancing at your fuel economy meter producing amazing numbers, than looking for gaps in the traffic to jump into, and when you finally get to a gas station, you'll have a smile from ear to ear.
The Prius C is unbeatable in town, and no slouch on the highway. Consumer Reports called it the most reliable new model of 2012. It if fits all your requirements, what more could you ask for?

 

My Gen 2 Prius is a little quicker than the Prius c but I can tell you that on the rapid acceleration on the freeway and accelerating to freeway speeds in a 110 hp Gen 2 Prius is terrible compared to my former 287 hp Nissan 350Z and 255 hp Maxima. There is a HUGE difference.

And, my Maxima had so much less NVH for "typical" highway acceleration that I needed to do vs. a 4-banger, like that in my Prius. For the longest time, before I ever seriously considered a Prius, I never thought I could own a <200 hp under 6-cylinder car again. Now I have a 110 hp Prius and 107 hp Leaf. Go figure.

I remember reading a review that characterized the 3.5L VQ V6 in the Maxima as "accelerating with a sense of urgency". I think the review's long gone. Here's a review of the 01 Maxima (2002 Nissan Maxima Expert Review - MSN Autos) which is the same generation but had only a 3.0L 222 or 227 hp V6 before the 3.5L 255 hp debuted on the 02. It has these words:

Seriously, take a car w/a powerful (at least 220+ hp), quiet and smooth 6 or 8+ cylinder engine onto the freeway and accelerate moderately and rapidly, including flooring it. Then compare to a Prius c...

 

Then take your 220+ hp engined vehicle to a gas station and fill it, and fill it, and fill it....
I've driven a fiat bambina (up mountains, skiing) and a lethal v12 ferrari, and lots in between, and you can keep all of them; my prius c is the most rewarding vehicle I've ever owned.

 

^^^
This is why I suggested the OP look at Fuel Economy vs. Performance | MPG vs. MPH - Consumer Reports . '12+ HyCam w/38 mpg overall in their tests combined w/0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds isn't too shabby.

 

The LEAF is faster than most cars on the road from 0-30. It's limited from 30-60 so as to not drain the battery too quickly.

 

You're assuming that everyone will react off the light like a speed demon would. Most people are oblivious, so if you need to pedal them, their 2 seconds of hesitation can lose them that spot.

 

I have a Prius c, my fiance has a Mustang (2012 V6). You definitely can't up and pass anyone you want any time you want like you can in the Mustang. But it might get you to change your driving habits. He's said before that if he were ready to give up that aspect of driving, he would consider the c. It is a fun car in a different way. The c does have enough acceleration when you need it. And it might have felt even worse during the test drive because you're used to the loud engine and transmission of the Mustang. The quietness of the c and the CVT can make it feel even more like it's not accelerating because you aren't getting those cues that you're used to.