2012 Accent, Fit or Prius C?

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Think I've narrowed it down to these.

I don't care for the Mazda 3, and the Mazda 2 and Fiesta are too small.

Narrowed it down to the Fit, Accent and Prius C (all 2012 models).

I'd be fine with sticks in the Fit and Accent, Prius only comes in an automatic. Reviewers and owners are talking over 60mpg for the C as being easily obtainable. The "fun" of driving just isn't there. They all seem to like the Fit a lot, and the new Accent seems to be highly recommended.

Trim wise, Prius C 2, Accent SE Hatchback and anything in the Fit I think, the Sport doesn't really seem to add much??

But with the C getting nearly double the mileage... Assuming $20k for the C and $2.5-$3k less for either the Accent and Fit. Puts about 3-4 years as the break even.

I'm hedging on gas being $6 within the lifetime of the vehicle, so leaning more towards the Prius C.

The Fit looks like good savings, and a "funnerer" drive, but the Accent having more "stuff" included.

What say ye?

 

[desy]

C cause 3-4 yrs at current gas prices, its speculated to go up + residual value of hybrids are higher

 

[foghorn67]

No Sonic on the list? Amazing power for its segment.
Of those choices, the Fit.

 

[NutBucket]

Prius C will probably net you high 30's in mixed driving. There's no way you will get anywhere close double the mileage of a Fit or Accent with the Prius C, period. I'd say at the absolute most you might see a 50% increase.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Prius C will probably net you high 30's in mixed driving. There's no way you will get anywhere close double the mileage of a Fit or Accent with the Prius C, period. I'd say at the absolute most you might see a 50% increase.

Hybrids get higher city MPG than highway MPG.

Mixed driving this will be mid-50s MPG easy.

 

[vi edit]

Prius C will probably net you high 30's in mixed driving. There's no way you will get anywhere close double the mileage of a Fit or Accent with the Prius C, period. I'd say at the absolute most you might see a 50% increase.

Early reviews are coming out saying it's pulling mid 50's MPG on the highway with some runs cracking 60. It's sticker ratings are 53/46...so an average of right around 50MPG. That's not too shabby.

I'll wait and see how small it really is. I saw a Sonic this morning while having my car serviced and the back seat in that thing is scary. I'm not sure I even have room for my leg to fit between the back seat bench and driver seat..let alone worry about knee room.

 

[NutBucket]

Ugh, I'm dumb.

I misread C for V.

OP, are you at all concerned about driving experience? Based on that alone I would never consider a Prius or any other Toyota sedan. I'm paying a rather large mileage (and space) penalty with my CR-Z but at least its fun to drive and has a 6-speed. Well worth the trade-off.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

I like to drive, have a 94 Miata right now, but going to get rid of it. I know the C will flaccidify any driving excitement, but as an A to B with creature comfort, it fits the bill.

Really probably comes down to a Fit with a manual, or the C.

 

[NutBucket]

Knowing my priorities I'd go for the Fit. My only complaint is that it has rear drums. I hate working on drum brakes.

 

[Franz316]

The other two may be more fun to drive because of their dynamics while the Prius is more in the appliance category. The Prius C could be fun in its own way with all the data it gives you on your efficiency. Gas is always in a constant climb so it will probably pay off sooner than you think depending on how much you drive.

If my car wasn't paid off I'd be looking at a Prius C but that would take me 10 years to make up the difference even at 4.50 a gallon

 

[foghorn67]

Knowing my priorities I'd go for the Fit. My only complaint is that it has rear drums. I hate working on drum brakes.

That car is so light you might have to do it once per 75k.
My Focus was like that.

 

[Doppel]

If op truly is looking at non Prius cs that are only two or three k cheaper I advise get the Prius. Prius will have a boring drive but most cars in this price range do and it will molest the competition at the gas station.

 

[Jumpem]

Prius C if you can tolerate something so small.

 

[mmntech]

I'd go with Kia Rio5. It's virtually identical to the Accent, I just like the styling more. For the price of the base Prius C, you can get either the Fit or Rio fully loaded. While the Prius C gets excellent millage, I think you'll quickly get board with its anemic power.

The Rio5 has a lot of robust features, is pretty roomy, and looks fantastic. Great gas millage. Comes with an eco and standard driving mode, and six speed transmission. Two things I don't like are the seats and the stiff ride. You really feel the road in it. It's good plenty of power though, yet gets 40mpg highway. Hyundai/Kia have come a long way. It's a solid built car and a vast improvement over the old Rio. Definitely something to look at.

You could also bump up to a nicely equipped Hyundai Elantra for the same price as the Prius C.

Once again you will sacrifice gas millage but you have to think about how long it will take you to recoup your savings by getting a pure gasser similarly equipped.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Isnt the Prius C like 0-60 in 11.6 seconds or something.

 

[foghorn67]

Car and Driver on the Prius C, "we were going so slow, we wanted to honk at ourselves".

 

[Doppel]

Isnt the Prius C like 0-60 in 11.6 seconds or something.

Yeah, it's pretty slow, about a second slower than a normal Prius. One would just have to test drive. The "base" Prius is superior to the C in basically every way: it's larger, more powerful (shaves a full second off 0-60, really becomes a monster!), gets the same mileage give or take a couple MPG depending on city or highway, but it's also $2-3k more expensive... The Prius C starts at under $19k, but it's severely stripped (doesn't have cruise IIRC), so to do a more realistic comparison with a base Prius it's not all that much cheaper in the end.

 

[adlep]

I'd say Fit cause it retains the value very well and it is mechanically a very reliable car. The "Magic Seat" configuration will let you transport two bikes inside.

 

[Doppel]

FWIW I think hybrids retain value among the very top of cars. IF gas continues to rise (it probably will over time), then that would amplify. You are honestly running otu of time, though. The higher gas goes the less negotiating room you'll have on a hybrid.

 

[SearchMaster]

Prius C is brand new so there probably won't be much wiggle room anyway.

 

[Eli]

I'd go with the Prius C.

Isnt the Prius C like 0-60 in 11.6 seconds or something.

This amuses me greatly - more than 1 second slower than an Insight. <Nelson> ha ha! </Nelson>

 

[NutBucket]

Or nearly 3 seconds slower than the much maligned CR-Z

 

[AstroManLuca]

Having just sold a Fit (the previous revision, a 2008), I can say that it was a fun car to drive, with excellent handling, but the ride left a LOT to be desired. Driving it on the highway was really, really terrible. The gearing wasn't tall enough so the engine was buzzing at over 3000 rpm at typical highway speeds (60mph and up). It jostled me around a lot whether I was going fast or slow, and there was a ton of road noise.

It did have a lot of upsides. Like I said, great handling, really good steering feel, and it's short and easy to park. Midsize sedans feel like land barges by comparison. Surprisingly a lot of room for cargo, but it's so narrow that driver and passenger will bump elbows frequently. The other disadvantage is the base model I got had no cruise control. I think even the base has cruise now, but it's not a car I'd want to drive on the highway a lot.

Long story short, when I was a single guy who wanted to have some fun with my car and didn't care too much about a bumpy ride, the Fit was great for me. But as I got older, I started to hate it, and that culminated in my selling it.

Oh also the Fit doesn't get as good of gas mileage as you would think given how small it is. I averaged around 30 mpg in mostly highway driving over the life of the car. Which is good, but I gave up too much in space and comfort to justify it.

Or nearly 3 seconds slower than the much maligned CR-Z

Heh, the Fit gets from 0-60 in about the same time as the CR-Z then, and it costs less and seats more.

 

[NutBucket]

Seating isn't an issue for people that own them (obviously). The thing that throws me off about the Fit is that it almost seems like you sit on it rather than in it. I know the tall greenhouse provides excellent visibility but I just don't like seating position. My 4th gen Accord also had excellent visibility but it had a much better (lower) seating position that I really liked.

FWIW, I average 40mpg in mixed driving in my CR-Z. Its a niche vehicle that suits me quite well.

 

[vi edit]

Seating isn't an issue for people that own them (obviously). The thing that throws me off about the Fit is that it almost seems like you sit on it rather than in it. I know the tall greenhouse provides excellent visibility but I just don't like seating position. My 4th gen Accord also had excellent visibility but it had a much better (lower) seating position that I really liked.

FWIW, I average 40mpg in mixed driving in my CR-Z. Its a niche vehicle that suits me quite well.

I've seen a few CR-Z's on the road and they are striking cars. Very interesting and in a good way...not an Aztek way. I would never own one because of the seating constraints, but they always turn my head when they go by.