Feb. Issue Of Consumer Report

It is interesting to me that Consumer Report does not much like the Prius C; as I recall, in their review of it they considered it underpowered, noisy, uncomfortable. But the magazine's readers do like it, as this rating shows. Top rating for owner satisfaction among subcompacts, and by a goodly margin!

 

The annual CR Auto Issue (April?) -- In the section about most reliable vehicles, the Prius C tops their subcompact list for most reliable 4-year-old car. In the reliability charts later in the magazine, it does look good across the board; there are no ratings for the 2017 model due to insufficient data. Their review of the 2018 C is essentially the same boilerplate they've been running for years (because, so far as I can tell, they haven't actually tested a Prius C since their initial test, probably the 2012 model), adding a line at the end: "Note, 2018 is the last model year for the Prius C" (may not be exact quote; I don't have the magazine in front of me). There is some discussion of that rumor in another thread here in the forums, and I don't take CR's word as gospel truth. But there it is, for what it is worth.

Padroo, the first car I owned was purchased largely on CR's review of it: a 1976 Honda Civic. In that case, they were spot on. I have not often agreed with them since then.

 

I'm somewhat in the minority as I put a lot of weight into CR's recommendations. Quite often, the trouble spots identified were what I also experienced. CR, combined with message boards specifically for model, gives me a pretty good picture of what to expect.

 

I don't think you are in the minority. The trouble spots that CR ratings point out are the result of user surveys, and since there are usually several hundred thousand participants, they are more often than not spot on in predicting what will break down. The CR reviewers opinion of the car when they do their initial review is another matter. A lot of people disagreed with their rather harsh rating of the C when it debuted in 2012, including other car review sites.