Tell me about the Prius or Honda Fit (manual transmission, braking, CRV)

[urban analysis therapist]

The Kia Forte 5 is another hatchback to consider. I'd put it a notch above the Fit in terms of size and luxuries/amenities. The rear seat IIRC was pretty roomy even for 6'2" me, roomier than the rear seat in its cousin, the Hyundai Elantra GT (which is another nice car). The interior is appointed nicely and has many higher-end features that you wouldn't expect for the price.

The Lexus CT is nicely appointed, but the rear seat is borderline useless for adults. It should be fine for your child, but not adults.

The only car that here that I've had extensive experience with is the Prius (this generation and last). While it's not the most exciting car out there, I find that it is very stable and drives fine otherwise. Though it has compact dimensions, its rear seat is actually quite roomy and big enough for EPA to classify the car as a borderline mid-sized car (based on interior dimensions).

And, of course, there's the gas mileage. If you drive sensibly and don't sprint between red lights, you can easily get 50 mpg (this generation's Prius) or so. And don't forget about the Prius' superb reliability. My last generation Prius required only periodic maintenance over the 7 years I owned it.

[DJDeadParrot]

Originally Posted by urban analysis therapist

If you drive sensibly and don't sprint between red lights, you can easily get 50 mpg (this generation's Prius) or so.

This should be underscored in any consideration about getting a Prius. Getting these kinds of mileage numbers is not just easy, you'd have to actively try to get numbers lower than 45 mpg on an entire tank of gas [charge up hills, be unusually punchy on the pedals, etc]. So, don't think you have to creep out from every stop sign or red light at an electric-engine-only crawl [especially with other cars are behind you], or inflate the tires to the point of explosion.

Put it this way, I drove from Georgia up to my sister's in Connecticut for Christmas. The whole 2000+ mile round trip was 49.5 mpg overall at an average speed of 55 mph [there's a display screen that shows you all of this per odometer trip].

[urban analysis therapist]

The last generation's Prius required a bit of effort to get above 50 mpg. In typical city driving (mostly here in Queens, NY), my old Prius typically did anywhere between 44-47 mpg depending on the temperature. I could get 50+ only on longer highway trips.

I can't say for sure what the current generation Prius gets because I have a Prius Plug-In.* But it does appear that normal non-PI Prii can easily achieve 50+ mpg mileage in mixed driving.


* During a long summer road trip, I averaged about 59 mpg on the highways. I think that when the electric-only battery power becomes depleted, the Prius PI averages ~52 mpg in mixed driving. That said, I can't claim that this is what non-PI Prii will get because the battery in a PI Prius never really gets depleted (the Toyota engineers limit the available battery usage in the Prius PI between the 20-80% range of its capacity to preserve the Li-Ion battery's longevity; the Ni-MH batteries in normal Prii don't appear to have such battery longevity issues).

[sirtiger]

Originally Posted by DCmum

Just looked at the CT200H, it is really cute, I like it How is it on maintenance though? I am assuming it would be an expensive car to maintain….

my sister owns the CT and uncle owns a Prius....I 've driven both. CT is really the somewhat luxurious version of the Prius. To be frank, the CT isn't very luxurious compared to the other lexus lineup. I was shocked not to see things like power seats for the passenger side.

[vision33r]

The Fit Sucks, it's small and crammed. It's also very slow and handles poorly. The Prius handles much better even though both cars are not really meant for driving enthusiasts.

Then the MPG, regardless of how you drive the Prius you will at the min get 40mpg+ with the Fit it varies from 22-35mpg and it's not easy to achieve the 35mpg on hway unless you brake very little.

[bmwguydc]

Originally Posted by sirtiger

my sister owns the CT and uncle owns a Prius....I 've driven both. CT is really the somewhat luxurious version of the Prius. To be frank, the CT isn't very luxurious compared to the other lexus lineup. I was shocked not to see things like power seats for the passenger side.

It does seem silly to have to pay $475 for heated seats and a power passenger's seat in a Lexus as both should be reflected in the base price, eliminating the first option package from the CT. However, with the larger Lexus dealers in the DC area, I don't think the OP is going to find too many without that package.

[ramkobe]

I was debating between Fit and Civic before choosing the later. Civic gets better mpg (39 vs. 35 hwy) and has a larger gas tank (13.2 vs. 10.8). I often get 42 mpg and over 500 miles to the tank. I even get 50 mpg under certain situations. Not to mention the Civic got IIHS's top safety pick+ while the Fit received failing grades.

I also love the gadgets in the Civic such as rear-view camera, Bluetooth, Pandora streaming, digital dash, etc. that aren't in the Fit. Plus the a completely redesigned Fit will debut in a few months.

You could even buy a new '13 Civic for $15k (close to $5k off) at least recently. I paid $17k nearly a year ago.

[Hemlock140]

Another 1.9 million Prius recall announced today:

Toyota recalling 1.9 million Prius cars

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by DCmum

Hello everyone. I am finally ready to give up on my NIssan Murano that I bought 2 years ago (used) and that has been a money pit for me. I've already put about $3k in the car since owning it and i am being quoted more repairs whenever i bring it to the shop. I really hate this car now I want to get rid of it before it gets worse by trading it in and cutting my losses. I was thinking about going for the Prius or Honda fit and this time i am thinking about buying new,because of my experience with the Murano. So what can you tell me about those cars? Are they reliable? how is the maintenance on them? Whats the difference between the prius, prius c, and v? Is one better than the other? I have a 4 year old and will need to put a carseat in the back, so need some room in there. Other than that only i and my child will be riding in the car on a regular basis. I think i am leaning more towards a Hybrid for my next car just becoz of the gas savings, with my murano, i put about $50/week , yuck! If you have other recs for my needs, also please let me know. What I am looking for: - Cute car, low maintenance, good value in the long run. Also wanted to say i went and drove a NIssan Cube today, what do you think about that one? I wasn't overly impressed but i like the dif. cut Thank you all

I got an older Prius (2001) so I'm not sure if this info pertains to the newer models..

These cars are fairly quiet due to the gas engine being turned off when it's not needed.

It's got 160,000 miles and the hybrid battery isn't showing any signs of wear. Keep in mind this component will be very expensive to replace ($1000+) if it breaks but the vast majority of people underestimate how long it'll last. Maintenance hasn't been too bad.. just the routine stuff (oil changes, tires, brakes, etc.) Note that maintenance on brakes and transmission will cost less than on a regular car.

Keep in mind the following to gauge if the gas savings of a hybrid are worth it:

If you drive 20,000 miles a year and gas averages $4/gallon, the gas savings by going from a 30 mpg car to a 45 mpg car is about $900 a year.

[marj25]

Originally Posted by NewbiePoster

Anyone have experience with the Honda Insight? The hybrid? Or any Honda hybrid? I hear their electronics are unreliable.

My wife and I currently share a 2011 Insight. So far it has been trouble free at 70+k miles. So from experience, it has not left us stranded as yet.