Poor baby! Both you AND your car.
I'd be devastated if anything happened to my baby. I waited SO long to get a Prius.
Shame on Consumer Reports for not appreciating the Prius C. I have no idea what drugs their reviewers were on when they test drove it, but they need to find another job. One that doesn't involve them giving advice to consumers.
This smaller, less expensive alternative to the regular Prius feels more like a subcompact than a sophisticated hybrid. In the end, you pretty much get what you pay for. It has a harsh ride, a noisy engine and cabin, and slow acceleration. The interior looks and feels cheap, the driving position and rear seats are cramped, and there's little cargo space. However, its 37 mpg is the best city fuel economy of any car we've tested, and its 43 mpg overall is just 1 mpg less than the previous-generation Prius hatchback. Its tiny dimensions make it a natural for urban driving. Reliability is well above average, but the Prius C scored too low to be recommended.
In defending their reviewer's statements they restated
It's not just griping over cheap plastics either. The Prius C doesn't do well in many of our tests. Acceleration is slow. The cramped driving position is flawed. The ride is always busy, and the cabin is loud. Plus it reminds us that not all small cars have nimble handling.
The worst I get on my commute home is 37 mpg. The first two miles of my commute home ... which is what kills my mpg ... is heavy Center City traffic. Narrow streets and a lot of construction. A lack of dedicated left turn lanes, so cars trying to turn left can't because of the steady stream of pedestrians crossing the street and everyone behind just sits. Of course, this results in frustrated drivers who attempt to get through an intersection on a yellow (or red), when traffic is backed up into the intersection already. Consequently ... no one gets through the intersection in any direction. Gridlock is spelled ... Philadelphia :wink:
In the morning, that same commute is usually in the 50s and on some days, I actually get into the 60s. So, my average commute mpg is better than 37 mpg. On the highway ... I get high 50s and 60s. In comparison, the best my 21 year old Camry and then the 2 year old Corolla got on that same commute was 19 mpg. That 7 mile commute is enough to bring any car (and driver) to tears
Which is why I listen to Audible books ... and sometimes ... wish my commute took far longer!
Keep in mind I am so not Twiggy. I'm far too heavy for my height, and I have that pear shaped build. So ... if a cabin and seating is going to be cramped, I'm going to be the first one to know it. I actually had more problems with the Camry (and Corolla) seats than I do with the Prius C. The seatbelt buckle on both of those dug into my hip.
Once I got over the driving on eggshells because it's a hybrid and started driving more "naturally," I found the Prius C accelerates just fine. Even going up the two nasty little hills on my way home. Seems no matter what, the traffic lights before those hills is always red.
The cabin is far from loud. I listen to Audible books when driving and it's never an issue. Unless I drive with the windows down
And then I have to turn up the volume. The interior doesn't look that cheap, and I like the "busy" design. It is far more subtle than they state.
It's not the Camry, and it doesn't handle as "racy" as the Camry did. But ... it's also the perfect size for driving on congested city streets and parking in cramped parking spaces.
And ... I got news for their reviewer. The Prius C IS a subcompact. What did he expect? An SUV?!?
Pity the poor fool who dares bash my beloved little Prius C.
Hope the accident wasn't a bad one and you didn't break anything. Sinus infections are horrible and so hard to treat. This will sound weird but it's how I got rid of one: cry. I had a doozy one that was giving me a cut throat and couldn't shift it, got really upset one day about something, bawled my eyes out and it got rid of all the gunk! No more sinusitis and my throat stopped hurting. Pity we can't take a pill for a crying jag on demand.
