I was set on purchasing a Toyota Prius until I test drove the tC yesterday. I must say it was beyond my expectations in terms of handling and performance. I live in the northeast, so I was wondering, if I get a tC RS1.0, how well would it perform in heavy rain with the stock tires? I ask because I had spun out once driving my parents' Toyota Echo and it rattled my nerves.

I also did a search on driving in snow and from the responses, snow tires are necessary for better traction. The Prius comes standard with traction control which worked well during the winter when I rented the car from where I work back in Decemeber and the car indicated when traction control was activated. Is it worth it to pay a few thousand dollars more more slightly more conveniences and additional safety like traction control? Or are snow tires on a tC sufficient for driving in snow conditions?

I plan to purchase my own car in July, but I am having a tough time deciding between price and additional safety features.

 

two completely different cars. the prius is an underpowered hybrid which'll get 40-60mpg but will cost THOUSANDS more to purchase (they were going for thousands above MSRP) upfront.

if you drive like a jackass, then yes, the tC will spin out in rain, snow, sunny-dry-day, etc. I had no problems in rain, snow, ice, etc between oct and now, and I live in NY so we had our fair share. hope this helps.

 

get the RS, welcome aboard, enough said
lates

 

Sounds to me like you should get the prius. There is also a federal tax break for buying hybrids. The stock tC tires are crap in the snow. But then again you cant expect great snow performance on a Z rated performance tire anyway. My ABS goes crazy in the snow because of loss traction. And I have felt little slips in the rain. But as an experienced driver, I manage it ok. I was considering the prius, but was told there was a 6 month wait at the time. The gas mileage is definitely impressive on the prius, but I think the prius looks hideous next to the tC.

 

the tC is the better buy
no matter what car you have, if you drive like a dick, youll end up looking like one.
I live in NYC and its raining today, and i havent had one problem driving or slipping or anything. I guess when this winter comes ill be able to tell you more.

 

dude dont get the prius. i mean yea u get insane gas mileage but u know what, next years model or the year after that will have 2x better technology on it. the rx470 hybrid has a battery that's like 2x longer than the current prius.

 

Thanks for the replies. Ever since I spun out, I've been driving a lot more carefully. And my job also depends on my driving record so I won't drive like a maniac. I've been doing some thinking and the tax breaks won't cover the extra expenses to get a Prius. I guess I got to figure out if a 4 door car is really necessary as that is the biggest difference. If the tC had 4 doors, the choice would be much simpler.

 

The stock tires are fine in rain. Iffy in snow. A set of snows on steel wheels will run you under $600 from tirerack.com. The thing drives like a truck in snow with the proper tires on it.

 

Would the RS1 edition be more expensive to insure compared to a regular tC? I heard somewhere that adding things like a strut bar would raise insurance rates. Is that true?

 

yes the insurance rates are higher, im not sure how much higher, but when i went to get a quote for my tC which was classified as a 2005.5, the other option on the insurance policy was the special edition, which was a considerably larger premium.

 

Im a little concerned as well. Living in OH its a given to see snow every year...lots. Going from 4wd and extreme confidence with it, it might be a hard changeover. Snow tires or all season tires would probably work fine. takin it easy during storms is what ill be doing fromr now on.... (yes, tC does look better) ((prius has HID's ))

 

I got a quote online through Progressive and it was reasonable for a regular tC. But it doesn't differentiate between the regular tC and the special edition. I guess I have to talk to an agent to find out. I hope the premium isn't that much more.

 

If I add an aftermarket strut bar, like DC Sports one, will my insurance raise? Do I need to report to the insurance company if I have done anything to my car like adding MOMO pedals and painting the emblems? Thanks

 

ChuX-

If you want a total comparison, send me a private message on here and I'll give you my phone number. I actually traded in my 2004 Prius for an 05 tC. I can answer any questions you have. The were several reasons I traded, but it had nothing to do with "power" and if you're worried about traction, there's some stuff about the Prius you should know about.

Message me if you like. Like I said, you could call me or we can chat in a Yahoo or AOL IM format.

 

of course not, you dont have to tell them about that. There are certain things such as visual modifications that you should tell insurance about [body kits and wings]. And even though the insurance on your car does go up, it is well worth it since these parts have a tendency to get bent out of shape [literally]

 

I ordered a Release Series 1.0 tC today. Thanks to all who replied and helped me make my decision. Special thanks to InTheWASide for giving me a detailed comparison I was looking for. I was told the wait time is 3 weeks. I can't wait.

 

well done. good choice and welcome aboard. 21st century insurance does not have a higher quote on the 1.0, it is the same car, no motor change, class change, etc. cosmetic changes do not raise premiums....if they do, change companies. it is about driving mileage, location, driver hx, motor size, etc., not color and accessories.

 

Great choice. The Prius is a good car, but it doesn't have enough power to get out of its own way. You won't have the problem with the tC!

 

Battery technology is getting better and better. Batteries are going to be lighter and holds more power every year. I really think in a few more years hybrid production cars will be faster than regular cars (Accord is getting there). I am still waiting the day when we use gas only to supply electricity to run electric motors. I bet the fuel economy is gonna be so good and fast.

 

Once I test drove the tC, I got that "gotta have it" feeling
I wonder what number mine is gonna be.