New Prius c owner reporting

We picked up a Summer Rain Prius c Trim#2 five days ago. My wife is the primary driver but is not interested in posting on this forum. I've never posted to a forum before, but I figure we owe you guys because I monitored this site and it helped me decide to purchase the c. Thank you all for contributing to this site.

It is exactly as it has been described and looks exactly how it does on the review sites, so there's not a lot I can add to review-type information or photos.

I can only give you a non-reviewer, non-gearhead point of view. I haven't driven any other new sub-compacts or any other new cars recently. I can only compare it to the cars I've been driving for the past 15 years: a 1995 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. and a 2001 Honda Odyssey van.

From where I am coming from, the modern electronic amenities are really fancy. The bluetooth phone hookup works perfectly. All the controls on the steering wheel are very convenient.

The ride is smooth enough and better than I had hoped. I know it's not a Lexus or Volvo and it's not heavy, so I did not expect a dead quiet ride. But it beats all the rattling and shaking of my 17-year old car.

I'm not a race car driver, so I think it has plenty of power and zip, even in Eco Mode. It makes a louder revving sound, like it's straining, when you punch it that does not correspond to the engine performance, but it does accelerate quickly.

It does everything I need it to do in regular driving and it handles well in the turns. The steering is very tight (responsive), tighter than we are used to so I find I accidentally zig the car every now and then. The turning radius is really tight which comes in very handy.

With three people in the car, my wife commutes from sea level to 1200 feet and back down every day with A/C running and she has been getting better than 50 mpg for her round trips. On the climb, the mpg drops in the 20s, but it makes up for it when coming down the mountain. It has no trouble climbing or accelerating uphill, even in Eco Mode. My wife tested it with and without Eco Mode and did not notice enough of a difference to warrant keeping it off. She gets over 60 mpg in pure city driving.

I had it on the freeway for a 12 mile stretch and back using cruise control at 60mph in Eco Mode and I was in the high 40s mpg the entire time. By the time I hit the surface streets, my overall mpg was over 53.

The brakes are very responsive and seem to have plenty of stopping power. Way more touchy than my old Camry, so that will take some getting used to. I did hear some weird brake noise/shudder when I was braking on a downhill slope going over some large speed bumps, but I don't know what that was about -- haven't been able to replicate it. I do use the "B" gear just like I would when downshifting my first car, an old VW bug, mostly so I can watch the graphic showing the battery getting charged.

I find myself looking at the display way too much instead of paying attention to my driving. I figure that will taper off as I get over the novelty of monitoring the car's performance.

It's very roomy on the inside and I don't feel cramped at all. The back seats have enough room as long as the driver does not need to have their seat way back. (We are average height so it's not a problem).

The front end seems very low to the ground, so you have to watch out for curbs when you park it. I haven't figured out where the corners of the car are yet, but whenever I park it, I have lots of room left in front and back, even though I think I'm close to something.

The only negative we've found is the visibility. There are good-sized blind spots on each side of the car. That could just be because of what we are used to, or it could be from the small-size triangular mirrors. Looking out the rear view mirror, most of the view is blocked by the big headrests on the rear passenger seat.

Whew, long post but I hope it has the info you are looking for. Overall, we are really pleased with it. I can try to answer questions you might have based on our limited experience and comparisons with our not-too-modern cars, but the real reviewers have done a great job getting accurate information and photos out there.

I hope you all enjoy your Prius c's soon!