Visual Tables of Gen4 Package Combinations

I followed a couple of your posts on this forum and I agree with you completely on the spare tire issue. I am thinking either going 3T or having the full shebang - 4 with both packages and try to fit the donut in the cargo area. What did you eventually decide?

 

The Four was ruled out early on - there was no version of "figure out a way to put a tire in the trunk" that matched the tidily packaged level load floor of the non-Eco Two and the Threes, and yeah, we decided we could easily live without heated seats, JBL Sound, BSW, not-quite-self-parking, and thousands less in my pocket. On the other hand, TSS-P seemed like a very good idea, while we are not fans of Softex, so we wound up getting a Three with the Advanced Tech Package. I was up in the air until I saw the light pattern from the factory foglights, which are approximately as useless as ever on this car, and my wife got a look at the Heads-Up Display, which she liked a lot better than expected, especially with the main displays moved so much further right than in the Gen2.

If it had a spare tire, we would probably have bought the Four with the ATP and nothing else. Softex seemed less off-putting with built-in heating and cooling (hot summer seats being our main concern, Toyota's assurances notwithstanding).

[Correction: No cooling for the seats, so Softex scores even lower. Glad the spare tire issue made this an easy decision for us.]

 

Are you sure that the seats in the four are cooled? The Toyota web site only says they are heated.

 

No cooling for the seats.

 

Quite right - just checked the eBrochure. Well dang - I must have run across that in some third party site listing features and a bad fact stuck with me. Thanks for correction.

 

And may I ask you how you like the fabric seats? They are not the same Velcro as in my Corolla? I currently have Gen 2 with leather and love it. So I thought the closest would be that Softex thing, and because of that ruled out the 3 in favor of 3T. Even I don't want 17" wheels.

And another question, did you try to install HomeLink on 3? Or maybe you just don't need it. I was reading through this forum and was amazed how many different combinations people wanted, and how Toyota managed to screw a lot of folks by creating those almost mutually exclusive packages. Such, I want 2 things (and can live without the rest): spare tire and HomeLink. But there is no such option. So going 3 (or 3T) sounds like one of the possibilities provided a dealer can install HomeLink.

 

No, they're nothing like that (sounds more like the upholstery in my i-MiEV). I actually prefer the microfiber fabric in the Gen2, but this stuff's not bad. To be clear, we're still awaiting delivery, but I remember it pretty well from our test drives and inspections. It's a "slick" (i.e., not microfiber or velour) cloth with a textured pattern. This is the best picture I could find online, zoom in for detail (Toyota's configurations are such that you can tell for sure this is a non-Touring three w/ATP):

Nope, no interest in that for myself. Looks like there are plenty of 3rd party options, though:

Amazon.com: homelink: Automotive

 

The seats certainly look nice on the picture. I am leaning towards 3 or 3T now. It looks like installing auto-dimmed mirror with HomeLink will be much smaller hassle than drilling the foam to install a spare in the cargo area. The decision would be 15" + fabric vs. 17" + Sottex.

 

Thank you! Very nice table, which for sure helped a lot of folks. There is one small inconsistency between this table and the *.pdf document posted on another thread. Namely, the CD player. Here it is marked as available for all models, but in the pdf document only for 2 and 2 Eco. So who is correct? (Unless this refers to it: Entune™ Multimedia Bundle with 6 speakers?)

And another question in this respect. The more I read about 2016 model, the more I understand how good my current Gen 2, package 6 is. Such, I have a 6 disk changer with MP3 playing capability. This made it so convenient and allowed me to cram tons of music on those 6 CDs. So in 2016 model it is just 1 disk CD (provided the table in this post is correct, and *.pdf is wrong - I am looking into 3 (T)), and also it cannot play MP3? (Unless you buy 4 with convenient package). Is that correct? Does 2016 have a hard drive or something to store music?

 

I really don't know why Toyota screwed up the brochure on this. ALL Prius models come with CD drives that read MP3s. They also all have USB ports, presumably so you can hook up some monster thumb drive with all the music you want. No need for built-in storage that would soon be obsolete anyway (and likely a pain to load). I guess the changer's a bit of a loss, but if you're shuffle playing you probably don't want to switch disks anyway. I know I use my MP3/CD player just for Christmas music (which I don't store on my main music memory stick).

 

Both the 4 and 4T come with a few extra safety features that are not available on the other models even with a package. I have not seen anything posted on that yet.

Having never had a car with this kind of technology, I had expected them to be mostly for entertainment value-- and some (for me) still fit that category.

That said, I have come to really appreciate the Blind Spot Monitors available on those models.

 

That is why I selected the Four.

 

Yeah the blind spot monitoring is amazing. I had seen it on other cars and was pretty impressed. I still don't trust it by itself but I'm glad it is there.

 

One thing I don't get: when is Toyota gonna wise up and put a rubber inset in the driver's mat? Where your right heel rests. Ours wore through in mere months.

 

I am not getting 4 but one feature that is available only on 4(T) is the cross traffic warning or something - when you back up and don't see what is there. I wish they had it on 3.

 

What I did when I bought Gen 2 was I ordered clear mats (if I remember it is the name of the company too) for the front and for the trunk. It is so convenient. First, you don't even see it because it is clear. Second anything that may leak into mats, stays on this plastic and is very easy to clean. Planning to do the same when I get 2016

 

I sewed on a rubber piece on ours. Pre-drilled holes for the stitching, used a Tandy leather sewing awl. It had already blown through, had nothing to lose. Actually worked out pretty good.

 

Vike, On this subject we think exactly alike, and for the same reasons. No one can chose a nice, secure, spacious sunlit space to have a tire failure. It is DANGEROUS to drive the roads with no quickly accessible spare to get you out of a perilious situation! Small nails and slow leaks turn on the warning lamp and allow some breathing room before the tire is completely flat. Bolts and scrap metal do not. I've seen the warning symbol lit up, followed 5 SECONDS later by the flapping of a disintegrating tire, on an elevated commuter route full of petroleum related trucks, cranes, refinery pieces and cowboys doing twenty over the limit and rolling coal in your face. An unforgettable experience, but survivable in part because of the short time needed to change the tire! No spare, no buy......

 

I've been told by many people when I told them I changed a flat tire that I should've never done such a thing because it is too dangerous to do. They cited that drunks are often drawn to cars on the side of the road (and then there are the text messaging peeps too). I had a wide shoulder and felt safe though and although I had roadside assistance, they were pretty useless (Costco insurance)

 

Having some high visibility stuff helps. I've accumulated: reflective vest, bright orange traffic cone (collapsible) and a flashlight with red-flashing mode and a magnetic base. Also handy: wheel chocks and a small piece of plywood to provide a more solid base under the scissor jack on uneven/soft ground.