Got a Prius C also

[JulesMaximus]

:thumbsup:

MPG is amazing, even if it doesn't technically quite make sense financially.. it still feels good. I'll never be able to consider even 40MPG good again.

I don't know. I drive 15,000/year so going from a vehicle that gets 15mpg to one that gets 53mpg would save me over $3,200 annually in fuel assuming gas is $4.50/gallon (which it is here). Of course, a gas powered car that gets mid 30mpg would still save well over $2k annually I'm still leaning toward a hybrid simply because city driving or stop and go on the freeway is what I do mostly so a hybrid makes a lot more sense.

 

[Eli]

Oh, I know. You just have to take it on an individual basis. I just meant that even if you only drive 5k miles/year, getting 50MPG+ still feels good.

I only have a 8 mile/day commute to work, but I still wouldn't give it up. Of course my cars are all paid off and such, but still. Filling up every 6 weeks is great. I don't even pay attention to gas prices.

I wouldn't be able to go back to even 40mpg, it would just feel like a step backwards. When we need a 4 door, I plan on picking up the aforementioned 1st generation Civic Hybrid.

 

[brainhulk]

Oh, I know. You just have to take it on an individual basis. I just meant that even if you only drive 5k miles/year, getting 50MPG+ still feels good.

I only have a 8 mile/day commute to work, but I still wouldn't give it up. Of course my cars are all paid off and such, but still. Filling up every 6 weeks is great. I don't even pay attention to gas prices.

I wouldn't be able to go back to even 40mpg, it would just feel like a step backwards. When we need a 4 door, I plan on picking up the aforementioned 1st generation Civic Hybrid.

Eli, do your insights get 80+ mpg stock? Or have you modified them? Or do you use some crazy hypermilling technique?

 

[Eli]

The biggest impact is the nut behind the wheel. Overall though, the MPG you get in an Insight depends on your local driving conditions. It's entirely possible to get 100MPG in a stock Insight. My record trip is 92.4MPG over 400 miles in a completely stock Insight with over 440,000 miles on the clock, no less.

I do have modifications, but they help the most in city driving. In the summer, I can get 70MPG city thanks to MIMA, which increases fuel efficiency by about 10%.

No crazy hypermiling techniques required, unless driving 55MPH is a crazy hypermiling technique. You'll get about 55MPG at 80MPH.

YMMV has never been more appropriate though. Long, flat commutes are best. Large elevation changes, city driving, high speeds and short trips will reduce your economy.

The car was rated at 61/70 by the EPA under the old testing methods.

Here's what an 83.1mpg trip from Santa Fe to Phoenix looks like:

http://home.comcast.net/~epruett3/Santa%20Fe%20To%20Phoenix%20AZ.pdf

Average speed was 53mph. If that route would have been perfectly flat, I probably would have been able to average about 100MPG with a higher average speed to boot.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

The MPG you get in an Insight depends on your local driving conditions. It's entirely possible to get 100MPG in a stock Insight. My record trip is 92.4MPG over 400 miles in a completely stock Insight with over 440,000 miles on the clock, no less.

I do have modifications, but they help the most in city driving. In the summer, I can get 70MPG city thanks to MIMA, which increases fuel efficiency by about 10%.

No crazy hypermiling techniques required, unless driving 55MPH is a crazy hypermiling technique. You'll get about 55MPG at 80MPH.

YMMV has never been more appropriate though. Long, flat commutes are best. Large elevation changes, city driving and short trips will reduce your economy.

The car was rated at 61/70 by the EPA under the old testing methods.

Jesus Christ, man! That's a lot.

What has your maintenance for the car consisted of as of now? Is the engine still completely original or has it needed rebuilding?

 

[Doppel]

I'm still hard torn between a Prius C/Prius normal, and a Jetta TDI wagon. The wagon will offer the best driving experience by far, but the worst economy of the bunch. But will also likely be the most comfortable seating of the bunch for my family (two young kids). Price is a wash between the Jetta and Prius..but you can actually get into leather/heated for a lot less in the VW.

Prius v?

 

[vi edit]

Prius v?

Highway milage really isn't much better than the Jetta. In real world use the Jetta can pull low to mid 40's on the highway. Probably 90% of my milage is highway so I error on that side. The diesels are just punchier cars than the hybrids so it suits my needs better. But I still am very impressed by the milage of the Prius C, and especially the price if you can live with the lower trims.

 

[brainhulk]

so 2 trips so far mixed freeway and street. I was at about 51 mpg for both trips. I'm sure ill get better once i fix my lead foot. I find myself watching the display alot trying to stay in the EV and Eco modes-pretty fun little game, but it's turning me into a granny driver. LOL

I need a personalized license plate that says DONT H8

 

[Eli]

It becomes addicting. That's exactly what it is, a real life video game.

It's even better than a video game. I don't play video games because they're fake. They engage you, but the reward is meaningless. The engagement the car gives you however is very real, and has a real life impact on things. A monetary reward is about as real as it gets.

 

[brainhulk]

It becomes addicting. That's exactly what it is, a real life video game.

It's even better than a video game. I don't play video games because they're fake. They engage you, but the reward is meaningless. The engagement the car gives you however is very real, and has a real life impact on things. A monetary reward is about as real as it gets.

haha yeah, i'm also collecting dirty looks from the people passing me :biggrin:

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

It becomes addicting. That's exactly what it is, a real life video game.

It's even better than a video game. I don't play video games because they're fake. They engage you, but the reward is meaningless. The engagement the car gives you however is very real, and has a real life impact on things. A monetary reward is about as real as it gets.

Actually, the little ECO thing was made as a "game" to appeal to younger folks. I find myself watching the dash trying to get 5/5 on each and maximize my score. Plus it keeps track of your 3 "best" drives so you have something to compete against

 

[Zap]

For the life of me I can't find anything to dislike about this.

Same here. I don't care for the other Prii, but this cheapest one is okay for an econobox.

I'm still hard torn between a Prius C/Prius normal, and a Jetta TDI wagon.

Guess it depends on what you want. Better driving experience/luxury or mostly highway miles? Jetta. Best city MPG or want all your neighbors to know you are a tree hugger? Prii.

 

[mak16]

How noisy is the cabin?

 

[brainhulk]

How noisy is the cabin?

I find it fairly quiet. Not lexus quiet, but far better than my s2000 convertible

 

[SparkyJJO]

I think everyone on this board knows how I feel about Toyotas in general but...

For the life of me I can't find anything to dislike about this. It's actually a good looking hatchback, ridiculously good MPG, cheap enough, actually makes more financial sense than an equivalent Focus/Golf if you're just going to be using it as a second car.

Could I actually like a Prius? Holy crap

My first thought when I saw the pic was "ugly"

 

[brainhulk]

Prius C outsells volt and leaf in 3 days

http://blogs.insideline.com/straigh...utsells-volt-and-leaf-in-only-three-days.html

 

[AdamK47]

The new Prius C ads I've been seeing on TV are absolutly horrible. Lameness beyond lame. I suppose the target audience would like it though. Lame boring people like lame boring appliances.

 

[brainhulk]

it's more like smart people realize there are cars for commuting to work and cars for fun at the track.

 

[AdamK47]

And then there are people who like to project smartness by buying into the idea that green eco-friendly and/or cheap vehicles show an attitute of smartness in their vehicle of choice. When in reality it's an example of the consumer buying into the marketing attempts conveying "smartness" in the poduct being sold. It's only a simple point A to B vehicle. The new Volt ads I've been seeing do the same thing, but are far more blatant in their attempts. You are not smart. You are not special. There are people smarter than you driving along with you on the road.

 

[Doppel]

The new Prius C ads I've been seeing on TV are absolutly horrible. Lameness beyond lame. I suppose the target audience would like it though. Lame boring people like lame boring appliances.

Most people on a prius forum I've seen hate the ads too. I don't know who they think they are targeting with these ads. I'm not sure why Toyota can't create an ad that doesn't cater to metrosexuals.

 

[brainhulk]

And then there are people who like to project smartness by buying into the idea that green eco-friendly and/or cheap vehicles show an attitute of smartness in their vehicle of choice. When in reality it's an example of the consumer buying into the marketing attempts conveying "smartness" in the poduct being sold. It's only a simple point A to B vehicle. The new Volt ads I've been seeing do the same thing, but are far more blatant in their attempts. You are not smart. You are not special. There are people smarter than you driving along with you on the road.

Its not about image at all. Purely the numbers, 60mpg vs 15 mpg. That's it.

 

[soccerballtux]

haha yeah, i'm also collecting dirty looks from the people passing me :biggrin:

someone should make a display you can mount in the back window of it that shows your current MPG.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

How noisy is the cabin?

Surprisingly quiet. It does have wind noise above 55mph or so. Not terrible, but noticeable to me.

Otherwise tight build quality and narry a shake or shudder when driving. No shift points take a bit of getting used to.

The new Prius C ads I've been seeing on TV are absolutly horrible. Lameness beyond lame. I suppose the target audience would like it though. Lame boring people like lame boring appliances.

I don't know anyone who likes the commercial. Worse than a waffle house.

someone should make a display you can mount in the back window of it that shows your current MPG.

Humm...off to the patent store...

 

[Subyman]

whats the consensus on those Civic Hybrids from the 2001-2005 body style?

Awful car. I drove a new one and it was extremely under powered. It felt dangerous pulling onto the interstate.

 

[Eli]

someone should make a display you can mount in the back window of it that shows your current MPG.

Been working on that for a while for the Insight. It's a back burner project though. Now that we have fuel injector pulse width, MAP, etc from the OBDII port, it should be possible.