2013 Toyota Prius C doesn't get much love from Consumer Reports

I have a 2007 rav4... My Prius c rides better and has less road noise then our rav. To me, the c does a great job for what it was designed for.

Fun car to drive, very maneuverable , and fantastic mileage!!

 

Consumer Reports has no idea what car you should buy. I have purchased just over 50 new cars in my life time and the ones I liked the best, Consumer Reports liked the least. I have owned a 2002 and 2010 Prius and have test driven the 2012 Prius C. The steering is kind of "dead" in all of them, but the road manners of the C are better than either of the others. On another vein, I am sick of car reviewers discussing "cheap" plastic in the interior versus better plastic. Plastic is plastic. The important thing about an interior is how long it will stay looking good (as in not discolored and worn out -- and not rattling). This is a concept that never occurred to Consumer Reports.

 

I think it's a fairly fair review. CR has never liked the ride, handling and ergonomics of the Yaris and let's face it, the Prius C is essentially a Yaris hybrid. Given it had to use that platform, it's a pretty good little car but it's still somewhat hamstrung by the shortcomings of the donor car. Toyota had to do this to keep the price down and it's still a vastly superior car to the Insight. Still, the standard Prius has an edge due to being more fully optimized for the hybrid mission.

 

Well, I watched the video... I think the expectation from the reviewer is biased on the basis of interior looks, and interior sound. However, the review should be taken with moderate understanding.

The thing that he is comparing the Prius c is with the Prius and probably more mid-level sedans, not a compact car. The Prius c is 'cheap' in design, but again, the aim is to sell a low end, compact Hybrid car. The reviewer does not take that into consideration with his statement.

Next, when you compare it to the Leaf, which is almost a comparable sized car, the interior is almost the same in looks, the only difference is the Leaf dresses up the driver console more.

When I look at some of the shots from CR and then look back at my Prius v car, I will admit, the interior look does not look that great, but again, it is suppose to be a lower cost, compact hybrid vehicle. While people can get the 'nicer' used Prius cars, compact sedans are not going to be immune to wind, road noise.

The lack of 'fun' due to the 'deadishness' of the steering is subjective to definition of 'fun'. And yes, the Prius is going to be a bit of work on hills, but then again, it is a 4 cyl engine with an electric motor assist, last I checked, my old Nissan Sentra also had a struggle on hills and it was a 4 cyl automatic, this is no different. The review is just done by a person I feel is expecting the Prius c to be 'different' from the Prius, which, in all seriousness, it won't be. The drive train system has not been revamped dramatically to be different from a normal Prius in my opinion.

 

1) What the heck were they doing to only get 34 mpg (iirc)?
2) I have a C4 and am very happy with the fit and finish. I was surprised that they said F&F was not so good.
3) As far as reporting that the car is underpowered, again, my C is pretty quick I think. It may just have to do with personality types, those who like HSD and those who don't.
4) I don't perceive a C as a "cheap" car, with its awesome A/C and Sound system, GPS, etc., it is full of nice features imo.
5) Finally, maybe they weren't too happy being in a C2, wasn't the Fit they used a the higher model?

 

Wolf, the thing you have to understand is the c was for 'compact'. The Prius c model was not designed to be 'cutting edge' in looks or interior either.

As for the underpowered, again it is eye of the beholder thing. People are saying the same thing with the Prius v and the Prius in general, and the thing is, most people who feel the underpowered part is because they are used to v6 or v8 engines where there is muscle to push them forward or wanting the fast acceleration part. The more noticeable point will be high inclines or almost steep inclines where going uphill will tax most 4 cylinder engines where 6cyl or better will tackle them with little issue.

As for the 'cheap' part, to be honest, it is suppose to be low cost, even for all the stuff in there. I think their criticisms or expectation is a bit ridiculous as a car interior will never be 'nice' and at cost cutting, you don't make the inside prettier and sacrifice the safety. The console section doesn't look 'nice' or 'expensive', but again I can't put 'nice' or 'expensive' looking if I need to keep costs low but not sacrifice too much, hence the 'cheap' comment with looks.

The real problem, I think is the focus on personal 'look and feel' versus practical. The review is slanted a bit on his view of what 'fun' is versus what should be an unbiased, base view on the car. Does it do the job? In honesty, it does. If the review was about the GPS not being as practical as another unit, then it would have some merit. But again, the review seems more stinted on a 'sports car' feel, and I don't think it hits the merits it should be on an unbiased review.

 

CR sees the Prius c as a hybrid Yaris. CR dislike of the Yaris carries over to the Prius c so they panned the Prius c. What's unfair is that CR compares the Prius c to the regular Prius Hatchbatch which are different size classes - this is a radical break with CR automobile review protocol - which I find rather strange. If CR had adhered to its own automotive review procedures CR should have compared the Honda Insight with the Prius c.

 

A week prior buying my C2 I had a 2012 Yaris as a loaner for couple days. My best MPG was 44 when I test it for best mileage and when I drove Yaris for ultimate fun MPG was just 22. ​

Speaking about PriusC. Whoever designed this car definitely listen to targeted future owners. That's why PC is SO NOT standard Prius or Yaris. And that's why in Japan toyota branded it as Aqua.​

CR reviewer trashed PC cheap plastic and under powered engine (I have to agree that PC is under powered).​

But said nothing about very reliable 1.5L engine , very long warranty on hybrid components and that PC has no belts at all under the hood. I am savings on gas about $180 per month compare to 30MPG car.​

And finally my favorite about PC: This is not a sport car but it's weight distribution and low center of gravity fills so right.​

Basically CR review came from a person who would never consider to buy PC or any other prius for himself. So he is totally missing points realy valuable for PC owners. It is the same as if he would write a review why you should never buy a Prius as your next racing car.​

 

My answer is simple, if they will show me something like that on their "fun to drive" cars, I will change my point of view, otherwise all their writing is just bla-bla-bla... and nothing else. C is my first hybrid and I've driven it just for a couple of months only. I am absolutely positive, that there is no way to get such mpg on any other car, for such a new to hybrids boy like me.

 

I'm just surprised they got an overall MPG of 43 MPG, 1 MPG less than the standard Prius. I would've predicted the C would get 46-47 MPG based on its roughly 500 lb less curb weight than a Prius Liftback. I know the aerodynamics of the C aren't quite as good as the Liftback but it seems to me with that big lighter weight advantage the C would pull ahead overall, not just in the city. I'm aware the C's main mission is better affordability, not better MPG but it still seems strange to me that a significantly lighter hybrid would not have a significant advantage here. Rather perplexing.

 

It's largely because of the smaller battery and HSD to keep the cost low. I'd say basically the same mileage for $5,000 less is a worthy result.

 

It's just one review, and I am one who agrees with most of what is stated. Buyer's remorse? Nah, my C4 is a good commuter vehicle. If I could do it over, I would get a used well dressed 2010 Prius or save a ton by getting a G2 Prius.

 

Clearly this guy never drove a Prius sized car in city traffic with small parking spots. And he expects a car geared to fuel economy to be "fun" and "sporty" like a BMW. Also he expects a "city" car to be silent at 40 mph, without telling which car does a better job. To say to somebody looking for the size of a C to go and buy a much larger/longer Prius, misses the point of what the C stands for: Compact/City. And he says it is expensive - he does not make comparisons of current cars with the same options how much they cost.
This is the typical reviewer like those who say that the "CVT of the Prius suffers from the rubber band effect and is slow" - without never saying if "slow" was compared to what, if they used PWR mode or ECO mode the whole test, and clearly showing they don't even know how the PSD works and what it looks like. I have driven a true CVT, and it does have the rubber band effect - but not the Prius - it may sometimes sound like a CVT, but it does not behave like one...
You should see the comments on an italian blog (Auto Blog: Video, Prove e Recensioni di Nuove Automobili | Autoblog.it) on the article about the Yaris hybrid pricing (17.500€ incl. VAT) for the base model with A/C standard. The amount of un-informed and illogical comments about the price, the fuel consumption, how good other cars are, etc.... it's unbelievable...
Regarding the comment on the plastics, I must say that both the Prius and my brother's Yaris do have cheap looking plastics. They look cheap, no doubt about it (the Auris Hybrid's plastics in comparison look like a Lexus). But only time will tell if they are good. And not a word about the fact that at least in the Prius they are made out of vegetable fiber.
All in all, the video review looks quite opinionated and not really impartial and with no comparison to other similarly sized cars. A waste of time that provides no real additional information.

 

I still say it is too bad CR reported the PC as they did. CR probably turned off a large number of potential buyers to what is an ultra reliable and economical car platform. Also, they should have tested at least the C3 to make comparisons of a well dressed PC against, say, the well dressed Honda Fit.

On a very positive note, on my commute to work this morning, 27 miles through rolling countryside, my trip mpg was 61.5 mpg. All the while I was chilling to SiriusXM Chill (Channel 053).