Consumer Report Video Review

I like the C. If I purchased one it would be for local use. A Toyota salesman I know loaned one to me to try out. I drove it over a road course used by me to drive cars or trucks which I'm considering purchasing. On secondary winding roads, I think it drives better than my 2011 Prius lll. The main shortfall of this car is lack of power in entering traffic. My opinion is that Toyota should price the 2 as the 1 is now priced and sell the 1 for fleet commercial sales. This is not to say if you are young that you couldn't drive it anywhere. As a youth many years ago I drove a 1954 Austin Healy 100 M all over the eastern US and Florida thinking it was great. It would kill me today to drive that car any long distance, but the Prius C is light years ahead of that car in comfort.

 

As a new Pc3 owner I found the CR review confusing. Most of my driving is urban/suburban and I routinely get 50-60 mpg. Reading the thread, I can see how they got such low mileage.

I agree with some of their critical comments. There IS too much road noise and vibration. I find the cheap carpeting and lack of sound deadening means I feel the vibration thorugh the floor. Having said that, I really like the car. I'm wondering if some sound deadening material underneath some WeatherTech floor liners might just reduce the noise and buzz.

 

Yay! A fellow Kentuckian..

 

Saw this video on Smart Planet earlier today. Consumer Reports is way out of line on the Prius c. Way out. It seems they were thoroughly confused about which car they were reviewing. Sounded like they were very disappointed after testing a small Lexus sports car just released to the public or a maybe it was a new small B segment Mercedes. Steering feels disconnected, can't see out back, cabin too noisy, too much hard plastic inside, too small, not enough storage room, too slow, too expensive and too harsh a ride among other nonsense.

I test drove a c package 1. Basic, with no options, 3 full sized adults in the car and all took turns driving a decent length urban/suburban route with variable road surfaces. We kept the radio off until we returned to the dealership. I adjusted the seat, all rear view mirrors, and steering wheel. Belted in, shifted the strange stick shift into D and off we went.

First thing I noticed was how well weighted and solid the steering felt. Then we all noticed how quiet the car was on good road surfaces and that no rattles were heard on rough pavement or upon crossing a very uneven set of double railroad tracks. We all talked about how the car seemed to be built like a vault. With three persons aboard, the ride was firm, but not uncomfortable. The seats were supportive enough, but we were not in the car more than an hour, so that is a fairly limited observation. This Prius c impressed us all well beyond expectations, especially for a car this small. Road performance was plenty adequate for the type of traffic and road conditions we encountered. And I could see out back well enough to keep track of all cars behind us.

The dash did look a little odd, in an angular sort of way, but as they say, no car is perfect! The dash reminded me of my first Civic CVCC way back in 1974, but the dash on this Prius does come with a very useful set of info screens. Anyway, we all found the Prius c to be an excellent car for anyone needing or wanting efficient transportation, especially one that happens to be motivated by the flawless Prius Hybrid system. We started the test drive with an indicated 38 MPG and ended the drive with over 68 MPG indicated. Not too bad. Also found plenty of room inside, even if the dash and doors were covered in hard plastic.

Find a contemporary car at this price and in this size range that doesn't use hard plastics inside. Current economic conditions and low profit margins on small cars have unfortunately dictated the use of hard plastics, or we'd be paying a lot more for these cars. Maybe they should offer soft touch dash and door materials as an option? The Prius Hatchback has a hard plastic dash too, and they recommend that car! Other than the c's dash design, the "conventional" shifter is the biggest issue I have with this car. What was Toyota thinking, or rather, not thinking! The Prius Dongle is perfect for a hybrid and should have been used. It is, after all, a Prius.

I would have no problem buying or owning or driving a Prius c. Consumer Reports was completely off the mark on this one by a huge margin. Seems they might be way better off skipping car testing all together and sticking with the stuff they know, like explaining the exacting subtleties of different home appliances, bed mattresses, audiovisual equipment, and that sort of thing, while determining their quality and durability ratings.

 

I probably would have not have stopped and looked at the Prius C if it had the other shifter in it. I hate the look of those and it caught my eye that the C didn't have it. To each their own I guess

 

Everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, or we would all be driving the same car and living same lives. That would be really boring! The Prius Dongle shifter system has an easy smooth actuation feel with very short throws, while the c's "stick" shifter feels a little Fisher Price toy like, not very refined. I just think that Toyota engineers could have designed a much better piece for this otherwise excellent car.

Toyota has a good record when it comes to improving their cars, so hopefully they will address the Prius c shifter sooner rather than later. They should at least give the same quality feel they gave the steering. A small issue, but it's something that would add to the driver's experience and perception of quality.

My point really, was to show how completely different my test drive experience in the Prius c compared to what I found a very strange Consumer Reports' outcome. They found a lot that they didn't like, and I only found a couple of minor issues, the shifter and dash design. I think Consumer Reports generally tries to do a good job, but in this case, it was more like they tested a completely different car than I did. A lot of people don't like small cars, so they can't get past that part and tend to give a small car a poor review.

As a point of disclosure, I'll have to confess that I have always liked small good performing cars that are efficient. It has been a life long thing for me, so I may have some slight bias in favor of the Prius c.

 

I liked your review... I was just stating the I don't like the look of the Dongle. I have never driven one with one of those thought so I can't speak to its functionality. I just like the shifter being more in between the seats than on the dash.