Prius owners on A2K?

Forums: Prius, Autos, Driving, Automobile, Hybrid
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Hi all,

My wife recently got a job that requires a significant amount of driving (blech), so the Cyclo's are going to have to buy a car.

We've been looking at the Prius C -

http://cdn.autos.ca/image_resize.php?width=620&quality=80&image=http://www.autos.ca/galleries/2012/images/toyota/2012_toyota_prius_c/2012-toyota-prius-c_cc_001-5801.jpg

Test drove it, seems okay to drive though the acceleration is lacking. Seriously lacking. My wife doesn't care (she drives like a Grandma as it is) but I certainly wouldn't be buying it if I were the primary driver.

Anyone have any experience with this model, or with the Prius in general, that they want to share? At 50+ MPG, the C model is hard to beat... I also test-drove a Jetta Hybrid, which I loved, but the damn things aren't really available in America yet, apparently - we were told we couldn't get one for at least 3 months, which seems like a long time to wait for a car that's going to cost us more money anyway.

Cheers
Cycloptichorn

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Type: Discussion • Score: 13 • Views: 4,716 • Replies: 61

My experience with the Prius is the same: terrible acceleration. If all you're doing is driving in the city, though, that shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Also, the view through the back window is severely limited. Expect to spend more time looking through the side mirrors rather than the rear-view mirror. And trunk space is limited as well. All of that is due to the placement of the battery in the back.

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@Cycloptichorn,

My best friend has one. Again, bad acceleration - that's a big issue for me - I want the ability to accelerate out of bad situations.

In city driving, her mpg experience is nothing like what they promised and there have been some situations where the battery had to be engaged too much (stop and go traffic) and she feared that the battery would run down before she could get up to speed again.

The back-up camera gets a serious work-out as it's hard to see anything in the rear-view mirror. The rear-view mirror issue is another no-go for me as I can't imagine driving on the highway without being to see what's going on behind me.

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@joefromchicago,

joefromchicago wrote:

My experience with the Prius is the same: terrible acceleration. If all you're doing is driving in the city, though, that shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Also, the view through the back window is severely limited. Expect to spend more time looking through the side mirrors rather than the rear-view mirror. And trunk space is limited as well. All of that is due to the placement of the battery in the back.

The C model doesn't have the split back window problem the regular Prius suffers from - as long as you remove the rear headrests, which is fine with us as we'll rarely be putting anyone back there anyway.

Cycloptichorn

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You've seen this thread, of course.

http://able2know.org/topic/165785-1

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

Is that for the regular Prius? The C seems to be doing pretty well in real-world driving situations, in terms of gas mileage -

http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/prius%20c

I read a comment about the CVT in the Prius C and how to handle it - you basically have to learn to feather the accelerator correctly, or the engine over-revs and you get basically no extra acceleration out of it. That mirrored my experience on the test drive we did - slow and steady pressing of the accelerator led to a gradual increase in speed, slamming the pedal down didn't accelerate nearly as quickly. Which is a little odd when you're used to a gas engine and the normal response.

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@roger,

roger wrote:

You've seen this thread, of course.

http://able2know.org/topic/165785-1

Yup. We're getting the car to be a commuter car, so not driving it isn't going to be an issue for us. But thanks for reminding me that they sometimes have issues!

Follow up question to the crowd: we are also experimenting with the wonderful world of children this year (yay) and I suspect that we will need a larger car than the C in just a few years. Would we be better served to spend more money now, to buy a more expensive, larger car that gets worse gas mileage, but has more interior room and storage space? Or should we get the car we like now, and either trade in or sell the Prius when we actually need a bigger car, in about 2-3 years?

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

Cycloptichorn wrote:

a gradual increase in speed

is not what I'm willing to consider in a car.

I want acceleration and I want it now. I've seen the results of not enough acceleration in an emergency and I'm not interested in being in those vehicles.

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@Cycloptichorn,

You'll need a bigger car starting about three months before the due date (sometimes longer - depends on how quickly the family size will be increasing).

Mothers-to-be often need additional space for themselves and the things they cart around with them for their needs - let alone the stuff families buy in advance of delivery (cartons of diapers/furniture etc).

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I can't speak to the discussion regarding Priuses (... Priui?), but I'm a very happy owner of a Camry Hybrid (2008), and love it. It's basically a regular full size Camry (slightly smaller trunk, due to the battery), but gets better gas mileage. Not Prius mileage, of course, but much better than the regular Camry. Have not had any problems with acceleration whatsoever, with this model. Or any battery issues, but my car does get driven daily.

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@Cycloptichorn,

I sympathize with not being a fast driver, though I used to be one. I think it's important to have the ability to accelerate in some dangerous situations - opinion, of course - whether you use that capability on any kind of daily basis.

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@Cycloptichorn,

I've always thought head rests were to keep your neck from snapping in some kinds of hits. I took my own volvo headrests out years ago - preferring the improved visibility, for example, in the bank parking lot - speaking of dangerous situations.

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I bought a Hyundai Sonata about a year and a half ago, it gets about 34 miles to the gallon on the highway. You can get a hybrid. It’s been a great car, no problems whatsoever, has the power to get out of someone way.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Review

Quote:

The 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid ranks 4 out of 19 Affordable Midsize Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 16 published reviews and test drives of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

1 Reply

@jcboy,

Heh! I can beat your highway mileage in an '03 Ford Focus with the air conditioner on.

1 Reply

@roger,

You mean while it's being towed? I couldn't resist Razz

1 Reply

@jcboy,

It's okay; you missed. I can promise 37, and actually get 39 if I want to prove a point.

2 Replies

@roger,

pssst Roger

they're talking mpg not mph

Cool

1 Reply

@roger,

'Course, there are no other cars on Roger's highway.

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@ehBeth,

Grrrrr!

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@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

Test drove it, seems okay to drive though the acceleration is lacking. Seriously lacking. My wife doesn't care (she drives like a Grandma as it is) but I certainly wouldn't be buying it if I were the primary driver.

If your wife will be driving much on the Nimitz (aka Hwy 17 and/or 880) then she will definitely want better acceleration. Mingling with all those crazy big-rig truck drivers who like to tailgate and the frazzled commuters who tend to cut them off when changing lanes, she will need all the acceleration she can get just to keep herself out of their way.

I absolutely hated that commute for the 15 years or so that I drove it.

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Prius owners on A2K?

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