<p>I currently own a 2009 Toyota Prius. Love the gas milage but am starting to find the car uncomfortable, especially on those days when I spend up to 4 hours driving and a couple more waiting in the car. I drive 500+ miles per week and several times a week wait in the car while D has 3 hour basketball practices. I don’t spend the entire 3 hours in the car, I do walk, watch a little practice, run errands, etc., but a good amount of that time is spent sitting in the car. The Prius is torture. My Aunt has owned a C-Max Hybrid Energi for a year or so and she loves it. The plug in option on the energi intrigues me. Even if I get lower mpg in the C-Max when the gas engine is running, those pure electric miles each day would offset the lower mpg, even when I factor in the cost to charge the battery. Plus many weekends I stay close to home and would never use the gas engine. I am wondering what those familar with the car think about it. </p>
<p>The Energi version’s larger battery does reduce the amount of cargo space in the back, so you may want to compare the Energi and non-Energi versions on that front.</p>
<p>What in particular is uncomfortable about the Prius? I.e. size/space, or the design of the seats? Have you tried your aunt’s C-Max on one of the longer drives?</p>
<p>For plug-in hybrids or electric cars, you may need to check what electric service you have in your garage or parking space, since that can affect how quickly you can charge the car.</p>
<p>UCB - Thanks for the reply. I find the seats in my Prius uncomfotable. They just don’t seem to offer enough support and seem short. If I am in the car for more than hour, I find I can barely walk when I get out of the car. A search online confirmed that others have same issue. I bought a fairly expensive “cushion” but it didn’t seem to work either. I will definitely borrow my Aunts C-Max and try it out for a few days. They have two cars so it is no inconvenience to them. I did read about the trunk space, no big deal DH owns a Honda Odyssey when we need more room. I do sometimes drive D and a few of her friends around, but again, I can borrow DH’s car if I need to. </p>
<p>My Aunt uses a normal 120 outlet to charge her car, but said 220 will charge faster. </p>
<p>I’ve had mine since last August. I’ve taken it on a 2000-mile-each-way trip (got 31 mpg through Montana, going 82) and I’ve driven it around Portland daily (where I pretty much only use the 20-or-so “miles” of electricity). It’s so easy to park that I don’t use the ghost parking (automatic parallel parking) that I paid for–love the rear camera. I get better electricity use and faster charging (using 120) when the weather is warm. The seats are okay, but not up to the ones I had in my BMW (ten years ago, and I still miss those seats). </p>
<p>I like the maneuverability and responsiveness of the car.</p>
<p>I’ll note that it’s not that hard and it’s certainly not as expensive as a new car to simply replace the driver’s seat.</p>
<p>I drive a 2012 Prius and love it. Just got back from an 8 hour drive on I-95 and felt pretty good at the end of the trip. mamom, do you have leather seats in your Prius? I do. I think leather seats always make for a more comfortable ride. I have seen some back support things online you can attach to your driver’s seat. Might help and would be better than having to buy a new car!</p>
<p>Yes, seat comfort is often a personal thing. Definitely try a longer trip with your aunt’s C-Max, since only then you can tell if the seats in that car are comfortable (not on a short test drive or other people’s opinions).</p>
<p>We just got a 2014 Prius V and love it as well. I’m driving 40 miles a week during school, more if D has lots of EC’s. I haven’t felt uncomfortable, but I am short, maybe taller people have problems? But support doesn’t seem to be a problem at all for us.</p>
<p>I have not driven a Prius, although my husbands car also has a smallish rear windshield and I find it impossible to see out of. That isnt a problem?</p>
<p>Our grocery store has a couple charging station Yesterday, there was a model S Tesla, but it was grey.
Why would you get such a sexy car in grey, when the climate is also mostly grey?
But still, I love that car.</p>
<p>Emerald, I would take a Tesla in any color, but agree grey is kinda blah. I used to lust after a Volvo, now it is a Tesla. LOL. I have never noticed any issues with visibility out the rear window of my Prius.</p>
<p>This is tough because a test drive won’t tell you if the seat really works for you over time. And my experience won’t help if seat comfort is the issue. My wife likes the Honda CR-V hybrid. We’ve owned Hondas and Toyotas and Honda seats are firmer. Maybe you need to sit in a bunch of cars. </p>
<p>Lergnom, I agree that a short ride probably won’t tell me how the seat will feel after 3 hours in the car. I can borrow my Aunts CMax though for a day or two. And if I find another car I want to try, like the CR-V I might be able to rent one. My issue with the Prius definitely started about a year ago when I was spending many hours driving and/or waiting in the car. If I was only doing my normal 80 mile RT commute to work, I think I would be OK. </p>
<p>A weird question for you. I had problems with my back in one car because the arm rest was too low. Once I raised the arm rest so that I sat squarely rather than slightly slumped to one side, I was fine with the seat. So–are you sure it’s the seat and not something else about the car?</p>
<p>dmd77-YES! I recently was gifted with a new chair at work and I couldn’t figure out why my pectoral muscles just ACHED. I mean, it’s one of those wonderful mesh chairs that makes you feel like you’re sitting on air. Then the weekend happened and the ache stopped. Monday came and there it was again. When I lowered the arms or raised up out of the way completely, the problem vanished.</p>
<p>OP-is it possible it’s not the car at all but an issue with your physical well-being? I have a relative with arthritis and she can’t sit for many hour at at time even in the “most comfortable” situations. She HAS to get up and walk and stretch or she’s nearly hobbled.</p>
<p>I see that the Prius rear visibility, does seem to vary by year.
I guess thats why they have the rear camera.</p>