What other cars did you test drive before picking the Prius C?

Down here we call them "Toorak Tractors", the name derived from an affluent suburb of Melbourne that was an early home to this trend - of course these days they are commonplace.

 

Sure... haven't been there though... not yet anyway. Now I have a car with cruise control there are places I'd given up on that I might reconsider visiting now.

 

For me, mental health is not having to drive manual in SF on hills like these...


I also tend to believe the car knows more about how to run the engine most efficiently than I do.

Also, the Prius and Prius C don't really have proper transmissions. They have the ICE an electric motor (MG2) and motor generator (MG1) connected to a planetary gear set. MG1 is connected to the sun gear and can spin either way, ICE is connected to the planetary gears, and MG2 is connected to the outer ring. MG2 runs at a fixed ratio to the wheels. The speed of MG1 is adjusted to maximize efficiency and feeds the power it generates to MG1.

BTW are there any numbers comparing CRZ manual efficiency to automatic?

 

Different strokes for different folks. You see a headache and I see a fun hill.

For the most part I agree, the ECU can operate the ICE in a more efficient manner than most untrained people. That said, current ECU's cannot anticipate circumstances, so they're not always as efficient as an awake driver given full control and looking a few feet ahead.

I know how the Toyota eCVT operates, which is why I said what I did in my 2nd sentence you quoted, but thanks for the explanation nevertheless.

 

I haven't taken the Prius C into the city yet. TBH, we don't go into the city very often, but I do need to go every now and then. Mostly for fun and to visit my brother. Taking PT to SF Central Park is a PIA, so I generally prefer to drive if traffic isn't bad.

I will also admit that I don't really enjoy commuting. If I could, I would buy a car that totally drove itself and take the opportunity to get some extra sleep. My 2 kids don't let me do much of that at home.

 

Any of you notice that people are much more brazen about passing the Prius C on tight two lane roads than other cars.

I drive the Prius C very similarly to how I drove my Accord Hybrid but people never used to try to pass me. I think it might be the Prius logo. Maybe there is a way to take it off so people will quit it with the dangerous passing maneuvers. Very worried that one of them will be half way through passing me, see a semi coming the other way and crash into me trying to avoid it.

 

I've had my Prius c for 4 days and have also notice very impatient drivers imprudently passing just to stop at the next red light one block away. Wth?

 

It would help to know where you live - this behavior seems to vary from place to place. Please fill in the location on your profile.

 

Livermore Ca.

Most roads with lights are multi-lane where I live. Where they do it dangerously is on the two lane pass through the hills. However, there is a stop sign at either end that there is almost always a line for. I typically don't have any problems eventually catching up to the other car.

 

Happens to me much more now too.

 

Honda Fit is potentially pretty stiff competition. It makes up for its lower MPG with a lower price tag and is a more versatile vehicle. I personally like its interior more than the base line Prius C. If we didn't already have a Mazda 5 and didn't have money for a Mazda 5, the Honda Fit might have beat out the Prius C for us.

Those on a tight budget looking for a high efficiency car might be able to find a Geo Metro XFI or CRX HF.

 

I really didn't like the 2010 Yaris I test drove when shopping to replace our other car. It was small, noisy and uncomfortable. I know the Prius C is based on the Yaris but it feels like a totally different car. I didn't even look at it on this go around. To me it seems like Toyota intentionally makes their low end cars especially unattractive and noisy to keep them from competing with their higher end models.

Edit: I just want to be clear that I didn't even look at the new Yaris. My judgement was placed purely on the 2010 model being the least pleasurable car I have ever driven. I could really go on about what I hate about the car at some length but it doesn't seam appropriate in this thread.

 

To add to my last post and make a more constructive response...

My list of favorite affordable cars is like this.

1) Mazda 5 - I call it a mini-minivan
-excellent space - 8ft 2x4's are no problem. Also carried 4x4 plywood pretty easily.
-decent mileage, acceptable performance, handles similar to my 1998 Civic.
-sliding rear doors - I have loved having sliding doors.
-can seat 6 (though the pop up back seats aren't exactly comfortable)
-middle seats fold pretty flat, back seats fold flush.
-not much bigger on the outside than a Honda fit or even the Prius C. (seems mostly accomplished by its very short engine compartment.
-I was able to buy a new 2009 model in 2010 for less than I could buy a Honda Fit in the same year.

2) HondaFit
Basically a poor man's Mazda 5 with less space, seats, no sliding doors. Edit: better mpg though.

3) Prius C
The last word in fuel efficient economy cars. Available with a nice interior and technology type options. Seems like heavy safety features have rendered its light weight conventional engine competitors (Geo Metro XFI and CRX HF) obsolete.

 

I only drove the Prius lift back. I did not like it. I found it too big and I really did not like the centre console. I didn't much care for the price loaded compared to the C4.