Buying v (lowercase v) Five: Should I have dealer change to 15" wheels?

The 16"s were the base option on the v when I bought. You keep them pumped up beyond the Toyota recommendation if you want good mileage so they are going to be harsher than what you are used to.

You can get leather (well really Softex) installed on a v3, I did at sale and it was done with a kit from Southeastern Toyota Distributors with a Toyota part number.

I'd get the 17"s and offer a straight up trade on Craigslist for someone who just has to have the lower profile tires that the 17"s use. I wouldn't want the 17"s but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't as there are many looking for the look.

BTW, the 16" wheels are nice without the wheel covers and just a cheap plastic cap. Look almost "alloy"..

 

You are probably right that the ride might be better with 15" but I think it would be more noticeable at lower speeds on poor roads. You will have speedometer calibration issues also, but perhaps the dealer can adjust for the smaller size.

 

My rule of thumb is to try to keep things stock as much as possible. Put yourself in shoes of potential buyer down the road, which would be preferable to them? YMMV

 

I agree 100%. If the ride and noise level was so bad with 17" wheels and tires, WHY does Toyota put them on the top models? Why would 16" wheels be that much better? In my opinion, the negative rap on 17" wheels and tires is over blown and perpetuated by those that have NO actual experience. I have a 2012 Prius Plug In that came with stock 15" wheels and tires. Within the first week, I purchased a used set of the Prius 5, 17" five spoke wheels and tires. I run 40 psi front and 38 psi rear. My ride is neither uncomfortable, harsh, "bone jarring", etc., as I've read here. Noise, what noise? It just isn't so. OP, keep the factory 17" wheels on the Prius v Five and enjoy the look and ride.

 

17 inch wheels are a "looks over substance" choice.

Changing to smaller wheels might likely reduce residual resale value.

If you intend to keep the car for a long time, do what you desire. It's YOUR car.

 

The 16" wheels and Blizzak tires we use in winter have a more pleasant ride than the original 17" wheels and tires we use the other three seasons but the difference is not huge. If you keep the 17" wheels and tires, do not over inflate them - keep them at the pressures shown on the door jam which I think are 33 psi front and 32 psi back.

If you are interested in getting maximum fuel economy then don't buy a Prius v -- buy a regular Prius or a Prius c.

If the Prius v you are looking at has the Advanced Technology Package then it has Adaptive Radar Cruise Cruise Control which can make a long commute easier. You can tell if it has the "ATP" package by the silver following distance adjustment button with an image of a car on the right side of the steering wheel.

 

I have a 2013 Prius v Five. The wheels are the 17" that are standard on the car. I have driven 18,000 miles and have no issues with the ride or noise from these wheels I would not consider trading them for 16s. What would concern me with the downgrade would be losing some stability at high speed. I've found the Prius v to be very stable at speed and is not tossed around by high winds and passing trucks. I haven't driven a Prius v with the 16" wheels but I suspect there would be less stability at speed.
The roads in PA were in terrible condition after last winter. The Prius v survived without tire or wheel damage.

 

I would keep the wheels and purchase a spare set of 15's.

The 15's can be had for cheap.

 

This is our first Prius. We initially took a test drive with (equiv. to) Level 4 model, with 15" wheels. To be fair, it was dark, we were very unfamiliar with the car, but it didn't feel like a good fit.

Then we went back, wandered around the lot, and found this Touring model (similar to US level 5, with the 17" OEM wheels). It was sort of buried at the back, in this undercover display room. It was dusty, with a dead bird beside it, lol.

They dug it out for us, we went for a (daylight) drive. I do not know if it was just getting more used to the Prius or what, but I felt completely at ease in that car. It had the Michelin Pilot tires, felt like hand-in-glove.

FWIW, when I put 195/65R15 Michelin X-Ice on it every winter, it still feels good

 

If I was buying a used five knowing that it came with 17's but the car has 15's, I would tell the seller to deduct the cost of the OEM 17's rims and tires from the cost of the asking price. It's about $2000. If I was you, I'd keep the 17's in the garage and buy a set of used 15's

 

It sounds like you bought the same 2012 Blizzard Pearl Prius v with ATP that we have. One of the "fun" features that we never use is that it can parallel park itself or back into a straight-in parking place. We don't use it because we almost never park that way but it is fun to watch.

IMO, the adaptive cruise control is the primo feature. People who have this feature tend to use it most of the time according to an Insurance Institute study: http://www.iihs.org/lifesavers/pdfs/Toyota.pdf

Once I experienced DRCC in our Prius v, I couldn't tolerate buying another vehicle without it - hence our recent purchase of a Sienna that also has it. DRCC made our 1,000 mile July 4th weekend drive on packed Interstate highways wonderfully restful. Nobody was going to get to their destination faster than anybody else so I just set DRCC on the maximum following distance, put on some music and enjoyed myself.

The Pandora interface is my favorite part of the nav/audio system - cool to see the album covers on the nav screen. Register your Prius on the Toyota Entune website ASAP to use all the features. If you don't have a smart phone, get one so you can use all the features.

Press the SOS button in the "ceiling" to see if someone answers. If your Prius doesn't have an active "SOS" account, ask for a reduced price. It's still a lot of money for the service you get but it could come in handy if you crash your Prius or if it is stolen.

Try the Bing search. If a business you are looking for is too new to be in the navigation database, you can often find it with Bing and send its location to the navigation system.

Just figuring out the features are going to keep you busy for a long time - way more than "several hours".