Trim IV or V?

Got a V two weeks ago. Absolutely love the LED headlights. As an aside, I tried to find info. about the replacement cost for the bulbs, but I have not found anything. Gen II HIDs were very expensive.

I liked the looks of the 17" wheels immediately. They really make the car look good, but now I have reservations about the impact on ride quality (posted a question in the mod. section). I MAY go to 15" wheels.

I decided not to get the ATP and went with the Nav. package. Partly due to cost and also because I don't think I would take advantage of the features in the ATP package due to my short freeway commute.

If I would have gotten a IV, I would have 1. saved money and 2. gotten a gentler quieter ride.

If you want a sportier, better handling Prius or you really, really want LEDs, then get a V. Practically speaking, the IV is a better choice bec. you will get a little better mileage and the tires are cheaper to replace, but if you want a little more fun to drive car then get a V.

 

gentler quieter ride...it is not that big of a difference as some claims...trust me, i have ridden in both (IV with stock tires, and my V). In fact, it was not much of a difference, esp. the quiet part. It may have absorbed bumps a tiny tiny tiny bit better, but that's it.

But, i did notice better mpgs with the IV over my V.

 

Must vary by dealer or region. When I bought mine, the dealer I walked into had the V with AT in stock in several interior and exterior colors, including the exact combination I wanted. I made sure to hide my excitement from the saleswoman with a "meh, any color is fine" attitude while the kid in me jumped for joy.

 

I can vouch for the DRCC. It's worth the 10450 price over the stripped down II

I went to LA today and the DRCC really impressed me for the first time. I had the cruise set at 65 with 3 bars following distance. There was a 20mph traffic jam about 200 yard ahead of my group of cars. The start of the traffic jam was on a freeway curve. Due to the curve, all the cars ahead of me suddenly jammed on their brakes. As soon as the car in front of me started braking, my Prius slowly braking to 60mph. It was when the Prius got to about 2 seconds of following distance that it rapidly braking. It went from 60 to 25 in what it seemed like 3 seconds. I could hear the brake vacuum hissing. My mom and I lunged forward a bit because our bodies didn't expect this much forward G force. During the whole braking, the Prius maintained about 1.5 to 2 seconds following distance. By the time it slowed down to 24, the cruise control double beeped and canceled out. I still had about 50 to 60 feet between me and the car in front of me. I braked the rest of the 4mph to bring the speed down to 20mph. My mom asked me has it done this before. I told her no. This is the first time I've experience this much self braking.

 

This may/probably has been asked here before - when the DRCC activates the brakes, do the rear brake lights go on? Probably a 'duh' question...
And, I assume the entire DRCC system needs to be on in order to activate the "emergency braking" feature. I've seen that some high-end makes advertise this feature, but it appears to not always be linked with the CC system.

 

According to Toyota, PCS does NOT need DRCC to be activated for it to work.

 

I really like the rims for the V but went with the IV with solar, nav & leather because unless you are going to go big and get EVERYTHING - both Lane Assist & one other cool feature, can't remember at the moment (both in the highest Tech Package), then it probably doesn't pencil out.

 

What I like about my Prius V:

1) 17" wheels and tighter steering make for better handling and shorter braking distances plus the wheels look great.

2) LED headlights are very bright and wide, nicest low beams I've had in a car.

3) Radar cruise control and lane keeping assist are really nice on the highway, makes for a less fatiguing time when driving.

4) Parking assist is neat-o, but a toy rather than something I've used.

Rumple

 

Question: Why does only the Prius V have headlight washers?

Answer: Because LED's do not generate any forward thrown heat (all the heat is in the back of the LED's and is dissipated there) , ice and snow that would be melted on incandescent or HID headlights is not melted in the least on a Prius V. The washers are to give one a way of melting frozen water on the headlights.

This, BTW, is my guess as to why. Perhaps Toyota had different reasons.

Rumple

 

The ONLY track test that i have seen on a Prius V is MotorTrend. Unfortunately, they did not test slalom. However, the Prius V got 0.82 g and braked 120ft from 60! Link: 2010 Honda Insight vs 2010 Toyota Prius - Specs - Comparison - Motor Trend

 

If you decide to spend the extra cash, get the V, hands down. Moonroof adds too much weight where it isn't supposed to be. And of course with the 17's and LED's, it's much cleaner looking.
aaron

 

That's interesting - I haven't been surprised or shocked by it, and I've actually hit the DRCC braking limit twice or so. (It brakes for you, but beeps rapidly and flashes the DRCC icons on the MFD because it can't keep its desired distance at the maximum allowed braking.) In one case, I could tell that it wasn't a problem, and didn't have to do anything (traffic sped up), and in the other, I did brake myself.

Maybe that's just because I have high expectations. Now where is that car? I asked it to get me some ice cream twenty minutes ago!

 

Another thing to consider is the road conditions where you typically drive--here I'm referring to city streets and bumpiness, not highway ride/quiet. Here in the Balto/Wash area, city streets pretty much uniformly suck, and, for me anyway, the V was eliminated on that basis alone--please note I am not disputing its many benefits, just adding my opinion. Driving the V over our bumpy city roads would be a disgrace. In other areas (do not know what Omaha's situation is) this is a non-issue.

The V undisputably looks better (OK ok, subjective I know, but true). It also, non-subjectively, is far more distinctive to look at and less common (the IV is visually undistinguishable outside from lower levels, barring the roof). For me it had to be a IV or V, as the lumbar support was key. I went with the IV largely for the reason mentioned above, but also purchase price difference and consideration of replacing expensive tires about every 30-35K vs cheapo tires every 50K or so.

It is largely (well, entirely) a personal choice. As many have pointed out, if you're coming from a BMW you'll appreciate the V. OTOH, I came from an RSX, type S (no BMW but no Chevette either) and my feeling is (or is it my post-purchase justification/rationalization ) that I'd be longing for more grunt to go along with the handling. But for me the main thing was the roads.

My final opinion, to the OP: You'll like either car.

~T

 

Good point. Every once in a while, my wife and I make a point of taking the HyCam rather the Prius, just because we don't feel like being jounced around that day. If you hit a pothole with any speed at all, it can be quite jarring. On the other hand, we both think the Prius is a lot more fun to drive. I've offered to change out the tires, but my wife won't even consider it. After living with a 2004 Prius, she really appreciates the stability of this version. Also, if you dial the tires down to mfg psi specs, it deadens out the bumps quite a bit, at the price of less precise handling and increased feeling of tire rollover.

 

Stock tire pressure...no issues with potholes. However, if you leave in Pothole USA, then i can see the point of 15" rims.

 

Isn't Portland like the Prius capital of the world? My brother revisited there recently (he used to live there for several years). First comment I hear when he gets back is the number of Priuses recently purchased by all his friends over there. In Chicago, there's a good number, but then there's plenty of other cars too.

p.s. Boise is a nice little town, very scenic. Visited there a year ago on a business trip.