What does $7k really get you?

I think the advanced comes with LED headlights and fog lights too... oh and HDD nav...

but yea, I agree with you, it 7k is a lot for those features...

 

I can think of at least one person who would die before accepting halogen lights on his car, but it is not me.

There is fairly wide-spread mainstream agreement (that I do not share) about big wheels, leather, wood trim and sun roofs being high trim, but advanced tech is much your ymmv. I presume that Toyota views the latest Prius as something of a flagship to show off advance tech, and has the marketing data to prove that early adopters for the most part agree with the approach.

I'm just real glad that the base Prius gets the $40k Prius interior (minus the lumbar support.)

 

You always pay for tech gadgets until they become mainstream and then the base models have it. This is not a Toyota thing, it is an industry wide thing.

And because you wouldn't pay $7k for it, doesn't mean someone else wouldnt. The DRCC alone is worth $7k to me. The HUD may be worth $7k to someone else. When you bundle you force people to buy all the items at a larger price to get the single item (or one-or-two items) that they really want out of the deal than if you sold them all separately. If they sold the DRCC for $1K to any model, then I would buy the solar with DRCC. They just lost $6k. All the items cost a couple hundred dollars total at most. What they can charge for it is whatever people think all the stuff is worth.

 

The exact same features on Lexus vehicles is much more... What's your point? They are all made by Toyota or Denso/Koito, exactly the same to the point you can swap them out. But they charge more in vehicles that they can charge more.

Same thing with all the automotive companies. They aren't stupid and know their market. Anyone can buy a Prius, so they have a large market. Those that buy a PHV or BEV will undoubtedly be in the upper range of incomes for them and own or rent a house, not an apartment where a garage and outlet are normal. If you can afford more, they will charge more.

 

• DRCC - $1000
• PCS - $1000
• HUD - $750
• SafetyConnect (3-year subscription included) $200
  [*Premium Nav with JBL - $1500
• XM Data services (traffic, weather, fuel prices, sports, and stocks) (3-year subscription included) $200
• Auto-dimming mirror with HomeLink - $200
• SofTex seats with 8-way power driver's seat $1250
• LED headlights + fog lights - $1250

pricing seems when you break it down... would i get it? probably not, i think 29.5k for "base" model is good price and it has all the important features for me.

BTW, CT200h top package is $6100 and is missing DRCC/PCS/HUD.
So you are definetly paying less for the same equipment in Prius vs CT200h. In CT200h, Nav with premium sound, XM and autodimming mirror is $3500 .

 

I'll just change that to "If someone is willing to pay more, they will charge more."

Anyway, different strokes or different folks. I do however wonder about the rants over the size wheels and mirror, when it is so trivial to change them out to whatever one fancies.

 

When the pricing was announced, I was really debating between the two trim levels. When I listed out all of the differences and assigned a dollar value of what each feature was worth to me (not when I expected Toyota to charge), the Advanced model came out about $4200 more than what it was worth to me.

Coming from a 2001 Corolla S, almost every feature in the Prius Plug-in Standard trim level will be step up for me, except for the auto-on headlights (I'll have to get used to turning on the lights manually again). The main options I wanted were the Solar Roof (which ended up not being available at all) and Leather or SoftTex seats (since I figured they'd be easier to remove dog hair from compared to fabric).

After looking at the current versions of both trim levels at the Green Drive Expo in Richmond, CA this past weekend, I think I will be very happy with the standard trim level and I'll always have the option of reupholstering the seats later. I would have have preferred lighter color interior options too, but this is not a deal-breaker for me.

 

2012 Base Prius Plug-In Model vs. 2011 Prius II = (without dest. charges)!
There may be a price bump for 2012; $32,000 - $23,520 = $8,480.00

What you get for the $8,480.00 difference over a Prius II. Please comment if not accurate!

Plug-In option,
Entune, includes Bing, Pandora; real-time info, traffic, weather, fuel prices, sports, stocks.
Navigation,
Backup Camera,
Heated seats,
Sirius/XM Sat radio,
HD radio,
Remote AC,
Hands-free phone capability, phone book access,
Advanced voice recognition,
Text-to-speech with programmed and customizable text responses,
Bluetooth music streaming wireless technology
Smart key system x 3 doors
6-way adjustable seats for both driver and front passenger
Alloy wheels

Standard Audio AM/FM CD player with MP3/WMA playback, (Standard on Prius II)

 

Kinda makes one think of buying a used 2010 with the technology package so you can get lane assist, collision avoidance, self park, and a WHOLE slew of more colors to chose from . . . . then slip in the plugin supply PHEV kit for up to FIFTY miles range ... top EV speed of 72mph ... and you're out the door for a bit less. I'm just sayin' . . . there are always options.



.

 

Yep... the components aren't necessarily identical. I'd read the original copy of the article quoted at Robot-filled Tahara sets standard for Toyota, world - Club Lexus Forums.

The defect numbers are also mentioned at The Toyota way: 14 management ... - Google Books.

 

So you identified two differences: (a) build quality and (b) longer warranty. The Toyota/Lexus comparison remains relevant, because we can compare (1) the 'Toyota Markup' for 'Advanced Options' on the Prius PHEV, and (2) the 'Lexus Markup' (over and above the 'Toyota Markup') demanded by Lexus on the basis of (a) 'build quality' (b) and 'longer warranty'.

For any given consumer, if it turns out that the 'Lexus Markup' appears to be MORE egregious -- MORE of an 'abuse' of the consumer -- than the 'Toyota Markup' (a subjective judgment of the value of 'build quality' and 'longer warranty'), then this individual would accordingly TEND to put the 'Toyota Markup' in the (3) 'Standard Industry/Business Markup' category, rather than (as you would seem to have it) in the (4) 'Ripoff Markup' category. This TENDENCY would increase along with additional examples (of 'egregiousness' and/or 'abuse') from other car manufacturers (i.e., not just Lexus).

For those folks who DO find the comparisons informative/relevant, and can account (to their own satisfaction) for the differences/distinctions between the components, even when there are many such differences and distinctions (beyond just build quality and warranty) at play, the following might be of some interest:

2011 Lexus CT 200h - Options - from Truecar.com
LED Headlamps: Invoice Price = $1044 / MSRP = $1215
HDD NAV: $2214 / $2445
Pre-Collision System with DRCC: $1290 / $1500
Heads-Up Display: Not Available
Lexus Enform (compare to Toyota Entune) with Safety Connect: 1 Year Included. $264.90 each additional year.

2011 Lexus RX 450h - Options - from Truecar.com
LED Headlamps: Invoice Price = $1570 / MSRP = $1875
HDD NAV: $2233 / $2465
Pre-Collision System with DRCC: $1290 / $1500
Heads-Up Display: $1032 / $1200
Lexus Enform (compare to Toyota Entune) with Safety Connect: 1 Year Included. $264.90 each additional year.

 

By the way, it is SofTex which is faux leather. That is insult to injury in the AT model.