Buy Prius III for stereo or upgrade Prius II?

:rockon:

 

go for the III and get all the other benefits with the upgraded :rockon:stereo!

 

I made the decision to go to the III also for the built-in Bluetooth with the controls on the steering wheel, but the cost from my dealer was about $750, not $1000. I am not interested in the XM radio past the free trial period.

See what you can get them down to.

 

I think this depends on whether you are one of the DIY type that loves to mod your car or whether you want the benefits of a factory installed system.

I have the III and love the Nav unit, the audio system, bluetooth, etc. all built-in from the factory. No wires, cables or other devices exposed on the dash. I have no problems with mine. This would be worth $1000 to me.

Others do not like the Nav as much as their Garmin GPS systems and other stereo systems. These others have preferred to upgrade their systems to non-Toyota Nav systems.

Sorry, just re-read your OP and realize you are only interested in the stereo system !!

 

a prius III is a much better car. (4 wheel disk brakes, better mpg, more standard features, more options) if you are a true audio lover, you'll have to upgrade the system in either car... add a sub for starters...

 

I'd say go for the aftermarket stereo, but don't necessarily limit yourself to the $1,000 difference between models.

 

Let's say Prius III costs $750 more (plus taxes). For that, you get a marginally better radio & speakers, and nothing more.

It is very easy to replace the radio and speakers in Prius II. For $900 or less, you can get a loaded unit with Bluetooth, navigation, USB audio playback, and even DVD. Or you can spend $300-ish for fewer features.

$150 buys killer component speakers. Double that if you want to replace the speakers in the rear.

I highly recommend the aftermarket route if you want good sound.

 

oh.. my bad.. either way.. it boils down to how much you love music. most have to add to their systems.

if the package II doesn't have bluetooth or steering wheel controls, go for the package III. there is something really nice about having steering wheel controls. bluetooth gives you phone control, and streaming stereo... so if you have a nicer phone, like an iphone, you can play your music, and talk all wirelessly...

the added speakers i assume are tweeters. i replaced the tweeters in my gen II 9 speaker jbl system. something nice about having seperate tweeters... not so much for radio... excellent for cd and mp3 playback ( i use the tapedeck converter )

 

I disagree with most above. The JBL is a very good system...you have to hear it yourself. Pick a good CD and take it for a spin.

Now, as Rebound mentioned, $150 gets killer components. For $150, you probably end up with Infinity Reference speakers or something equivalent. I have had those...it's OK, certainly not killer. Now, if you DIY, then great. However, if you are not, then you have to pay someone to do it...and it ain't that cheap! Where are you going to PROPERLY mount the tweeters?

Remember, LABOR to install the equipment is where most audio shops make money. There is NO WAY that anyone can install a quality system, much less a system as good as JBL system for under $1000. Remember, this has to include installation, wires, cables, etc.. Oh yeah, you also need a subwoofer.

Here is what you need if you went aftermarket:
1. a good headunit or NAVI
2. a good amplifier to power the speakers
3. a good component system in front
4. a decent coaxial speaker in the rear (or use factory speakers)
5. a subwoofer
6. a subwoofer amplifier

Now, don't tell me that you can get all of those equipment for under $1000?? No way. Just the equipment alone is worth more than $1000, even if you buy on the internet. Remember, you need to add in tons of labor charges if you can't install this yourself.

I have gone aftermarket route many moons ago...not worth it! Why? The costs. The installation errors, mistakes, scratches on dash/door panels, etc.. Then you have to tune it, which can be fun in by itself i must admit. A lot of potential headache...for what? To save $1000??!! Your money, your call.

The JBL system is very good. You do not need an additional subwoofer unless you're into highschool rock/bass and want to be heard 3 cars down. JBL tuned the system pretty good on the Prius. The nice thing about the JBL system is that the highs and mid frequencies come from one location, high up in the dash. So, it is like having kickpanels (woofer and tweeter in one box) up high in the dash blasting you away. If you go aftermarket, then you have to split the woofer and tweeter far apart. And as any audio expert will tell you, this is the wrong way to do it. Where are you going to put the subwoofer? In the cargo? Despite what you may hear, bass pressure/presence is indeed directional! The bass is unidirectional, but the pressure is not. For example, if the sub is in the cargo, then who do you think will hear the most bass? Driver or rear passenger? This is why, in proper home theater design, the subwoofer is in the front of the room with the main speakers. And this is why the JBL is the way it is. The four "mini-subs" (distributed subwoofer system - DSS) in the doors provide enveloping bass so that you (or the passengers) cannot localize it if you close your eyes. This is also why in the Lexus Mark Levinson Reference System (in Lexus LS460), you have 6x9s in the front doors to make bass ALONG with the subwoofer in the rear deck. So, in that system, it is like having 3 subs...2 for the front, 1 big one for the rear. More and more car audio is going this route. The old days of having tiny speakers in the cabin and one huge subwoofer in the trunk are over with.

My opinion...and yes, JBL is more than worth $1000.

 

Components are nice indeed...if they are located properly (aka close to each other and high up). It is useless to have components down by your ankles. And it is only slightly better to have tweeters way up high and woofers down at your ankles. Sure, you need ultra sophisticated crossovers and phase timing thingy on your headunit to compensate for this...but these things to correct the sound is way over $1000!

I think that the "midtweets" that the JBL system has is pretty good. You can tell JBL (and other brands) have really step up in designing these midtweets. Sure, they are not as good as a good component system (situated close to each other!), but they are very close. They now use aftermarket-like quality woofer materials (polypropylene with metallic coating) and neodymium magnets for efficiency. IMO, the most important part of a sound system is the tuning...and this is where a factory system usually exceeds that of most aftermarket system...certainly all systems costing under $1000!!

 

Last point i forgot...adding aftermarket parts (amps, speakers, sub box, subwoofers, etc) will add weight to the Prius, which may affect fuel economy. Sure, it may not be much, but why do it when the whole point of getting a Prius is fuel economy??

 

Here's a vote for keeping the Prius II stock. Honestly, the audio is great from my iPhone, plugged into the ACC jack, using one of the 12V to run the charge cord. I've had up to about 6K audio systems in cars before the Prius, and, honestly, for the most part, you don't get that much better sound due to road and tire noise (unless you're parked all the time!) What's the point?
Save the money, get a II, use speakerphone on your cell. Bank the diff.

 

Actually, After adding the HU, component speakers, and XM, I have increased my mileage by 3.14% So this statement is clearly false.

 

Go 2nd gen Prius! And upgrade the sound yourself!

 

How?

 

So what? Toyota doesn't give you all that for $1,000, either. You aren't comparing apples to apples.

For an additional $1,000, Toyota upgrades the radio as follows: "JBL AM/FM/MP3 6-disc CD changer with eight speakers, integrated satellite radio capability and hands-free phone capability via Bluetooth wireless technology."

It doesn't include most of the things you mentioned. They offer a slightly better headunit, a couple of buttons on the steering wheel, and slightly better speakers. That's it.

You can buy a single-DIN car receiver with all kinds of bells & whistles for about $350, and get the features you want - XM Radio, Sirius, HD Radio, Bluetooth, iPod... whatever you want. I can install one of these, with a Bluetooth microphone, in under two hours (most of the time is making the harness).

But, I didn't do that, because I instead looked at Toyota's $3,000 Navigation option. Instead of paying Toyota $3,000 for a poor navigator, I bought a Kenwood unit that has a Garmin GPS, and Bluetooth, and works with the steering wheel controls, and backup camera support, and XM Radio, and it has a powerful amplifier, for $950. So, while you might have given Toyota an extra $1,000 for an upgraded radio, I spent the same money and got a vastly better product in my car. Next, I'll upgrade the speakers with units that I choose. I didn't even need to spend $950... I bought the most expensive one. There are a lot of equivalent units for $700 - $800.

Buying the factory-installed stuff isn't the worst way to go -- there's no hassle, and it's covered under the warranty, and everything fits. But you definitely pay more and you have no choice over the final product. One very appealing aspect of the Prius for me was the fact that I could buy the base model and upgrade the entertainment equipment very easily, and with the exception of the backup camera installation, it is a VERY easy car to install this equipment into.

 

I think he is being sarcastic. The weight savings is zero, if any. The EPA estimates of the Prius don't change between Prius II, III, IV and V, even with the solar sunroof or the Navigation screen with lane keep assist and the 17" rims.