Is there any difference in ride quality between touring vs. non-touring Prius?

Don't have any first hand experience but the 17's on the touring will probably handle better ride rougher and louder. Also the 17's should have a decrease in mileage, but not much (Based on the gen 3).

 

15 inch wheel/tires will have less road noise and has a more comfortable ride, also better MPG.

17 inch wheel/tires will handle better and are, in some people's opinion, more cosmetically pleasing, but with lower MPG.

 

I don't have any noticeable road noise with my 17s, I test drove with 15s but I didn't notice any real difference in handling, noise, etc.

 

I knew I wanted a non-touring Three model before buying. But just for comparison purposes, the salesman took me for a ride in a Touring model with the 17 inch wheels and Bridgestone Tires.

I asked him to not talk, and please turn off the radio. I just wanted to "listen & feel." He drove city streets and a short stretch on the freeway. I immediately noticed that the Touring ride was firm, and somewhat stiff and bouncy. Tire and road noise was fairly significant. (The tire/road noise was very similar to my old Camry SE that also had 17" wheels.)

Observations with my 2016 (non-touring) Prius Three:
I have the 15" wheels with Toyo Tires. The tire noise is probably the same as I heard in the Touring model. The ride does seem to be somewhat softer, but not by much. My Three doesn't seem to be quite as stiff. *Supposedly* I will get slightly better gas mileage with the 15s. And they weigh less. And of course the 15" tires are less expensive when it comes time to replace.

But of course, it all depends on road conditions, driving speed, etc. You will get six different opinions from six different drivers. In all honesty, I'm a bit disappointed in my '16 Prius Three. After reading all about the new and improved "Global Platform", I expected the new Prius to be very quiet. But I guess it's light years better than the old Gen 1, 2, and 3s. This is my first Prius Hybrid. Overall, it's a good car. I have more positive things to say than negative. After 1,000 miles on the ODO, it sure is hard to argue with 60 MPG!

 

Zojja's comments above, are a perfect example.

"I don't have any noticeable road noise with my 17s."

The complete opposite of my observation. But I'm 61 years old, and for me, the tire/road noise was immediately noticeable and annoyed me. I'll just have to crank up the radio louder.

 

I had a car previously with little road noise, and my husband has a car with significant road noise. Road noise is a major pet peeve of mine and one reason that I fully ruled out the Fiat 500 (although I love them but the reports of road noise scared me away). I've gone up to 85 on the freeway with it and road noise wasn't an issue for me.

 

I bought a Four instead of the Four Touring because of the smoother ride and less noise in the Four. I noticed the softer suspension over speed bumps in the dealer parking lot. The bigger 17" wheels handle a little better, but there are more features available in the Four than the four touring. The 17" wheels ride almost like my 2005 Prius.

The difference is huge! I strongly recommend the four

 

I had the same question! Yesterday I test drove the 4 three times and touring twice. There is a noticeable difference. I currently drive a 6 cylinder, high hp, sports car and am going to get a prius because I need the gas mileage. I first drove the non touring and thought, this isn't so bad. I can do this. Then I drove the touring and immediately noticed the steering was definitely tighter and more responsive and i really liked it. It was slightly more bumpy but I'm not sure I would have noticed if I had not read posts beforehand that said it would be a harder ride. While driving touring, I knew that is what I would get. Then I went back to non touring and the steering was looser but by end of test drive I again thought it was fine. I did not notice any difference in road noise. My personality and love of driving makes me like touring better, but if I have to admit it, I was just as happy with non touring and wouldn't have known the difference if touring was not an option. I'm going to research tire price and if there is a big difference I might end up with non touring, especially if I can find a mechanic that can install fog lights, as that is a huge advantage of touring. I can write more detail if desired late.

 

Why do you believe front fog lights are any significant advantage? My understanding is that they are only of significant use in heavy fog and then, only if the headlights are off but in most states it is illegal to switch the headlights off under these conditions.

 

I agree. The Four is more worth it considering the HUD and sunroof.

 

The only meaningful difference in handling between the two is tires and diameter of the wheels. The 17" on the touring means shorter sidewall = more responsive. But what you get with more response is also more road feel. And with shorter sidewalls, you get a stiffer feeling car. That is it. So either you like the extra responsiveness more than you don't like the extra roadfeel, or you don't.

You can go to a proper touring tire and reduce roadnoise. These will have softer sidewalls and tread patterns designed to reduce noise rather than reduce rolling resistance.

 

I almost, always have music on so road noise isn't even a concern. The better handling is worth it.

 

In my area, a lot of the tire noise has to do with the road itself. Regardless of the tire size or brand of tires.

Does the highway or freeway have rain groves cut into it?
Is the street made of concrete?
Are you driving on blacktop-surfaced roads?

I get differing levels of noise, and "whines", and growls depending on where in the city I'm driving. Just have to live with it. However, I do believe the car manufacturers cut too many corners (the Prius included) and do not add enough sound-deadening material in the wheel wells, floor, and doors.

My '05 Camry SE came with 17" Bridgestone Tires. Terribly noisy. I then switched to the expensive and highly-rated Michelin MXV4 tires. When traveling down the freeway at 70 mph, you couldn't even have a conversation because the tire noise was so annoying. And the handling was not "sporty" at all with those 17s... it all depends on the car's suspension components.

Do the Prius Touring models have a different suspension setup than the regular models? I don't know. (Doesn't matter. I'm not going to be "zipping around corners" in my little Prius. )

 

On a different subject, if I may ask it here, do you guys get a lot of tailgaters when driving your Prius?

Man, I have more nuts tailgating me now, than at any other time in my 45 years of driving! Is it just a "Prius thing?" I'm not a slow, "old man driver." I'm driving just as fast as everyone else; keeping up with traffic.

But everyday, I seem to always have some freak right on my tail. I think these whack-jobs do it on purpose just because I'm driving a new Prius. Anybody else have that problem?

 

My thinking on people's perception of ride quality is informed by having sold Town Cars in Lansing Michigan 30 years ago.

Old people (referred to as Ma and PA Kettle) would be trying to justify their expenditure when the sales manager would invariably turn the conversation to "the ride". Seemed to work, but I always supected this was just an easy way for the buyers to rationalize making their decision on other criteria.

I am more interested in quantifiable metrics.

Seems like the 17" lead to poorer gas mileage-- shame on Toyota for using the 17" in all thier ads while at the same time touting the associated Mileage on those models as equivalent.

But what else?

The 17" are more than 10% wider which would suggest more than 10% extra rubber on the road, right? Does this decrease stopping distance? If not, why not? If yes, would that not be considered and important safety advantage?

Those were not meant to be leading questions, I just don't know.

And then there is the issue on how the different sizes perform on the snow. Conventional wisdom is tha low profile tires do not do as well. But has that been evaluated on a Prius?

The suspension on the models with 17" tires is marked as being different, BTW.

 

By any chance did you drive a taller vehicle previously?
Surely there is some anti-Prius sentiment, as there was for VW buses back-in-the-day, but I suspect something else.
By today's standards any Prius is short. There's a theory that an explosion in the SUV/Pickup population has changed driving behavior. If you are following a tall vehicle you can't see well ahead. But if you are in a tall vehicle behind a short vehicle - heck it's almost as if that car wasn't there. I don't have another short non-Prius to test the theory, but I see a big tailgating difference when switching between my C and my wife's Highlander when driving the same roads at the same speeds.

 

Yes until you learn how to 'hide in traffic.' Find a large delivery van, truck, or pickup with a trailer. Use them as your 'pace vehicle' and the following traffic will see them and smoothly pass 'the Prius stuck behind.' But a solo Prius, even +10 mph over the speed limit headed for a cop car with a radar gun will be tailgated.

The other trick is to change lanes so the tailgater will accelerate and pass on the wrong side. I know, it doesn't make any sense but it is what it is.

Bob Wilson

 

Thanks skayaks and Bob.

My last car was an '05 Camry that I drove for 11 years. And before that, a '95 Camry for 10 years. I very rarely had any tailgating going on with those vehicles. I can't believe how much I'm getting now, with the new Prius.

But of course, CA drivers are a lot more crazy now days, then they were 10 or 20 years ago. And traffic is much worse. You can feel and see the tension and stress of drivers. I like your advice, Bob. When on the freeways, I try and get behind a large (somewhat slower) truck in the right two lanes Especially when it's real busy. Then all the speed demons just zoom around us.

But in the city streets, just running errands around town, the tailgating is really starting to grate on me. I'm already doing 10 mph over the speed limit! Doesn't matter. If the sign says "40", you can plan on people driving 55! We have ZERO traffic cops in my area. Either that, or they are just too busy with more important matters.