Strongly Considering 2017 Prius: Unsure Which Trim (Two vs. Three) + Miscellaneous Questions

The Prius Gen 4 LED Headlights are great. They don't have dark spots.

 

You folks have pretty well satisfied me that the Two is the most cost-effective purchase. But I am so glad that this thread exists, and I hope others will contribute. Thank you, all of you.

 

The ONE downside I see is the single door touch-to-unlock. If I was buying I'd likely go for the 2 also.

 

I've lived with the single door touch since 2009. For some reason, my Gen 3 II worked as a three-door for a while, and I liked that, but I can keep doing what I'm doing. I don't have any problem with walking over to the passenger side and hitting the key fob to open the door.

 

I set my door touch to unlock all doors.

 

Yeah it's minor, just a bit of an irritant: you can't, for example: walk up to the hatch and touch to open.

 

I am lazy and usually unlock all the doors with the drivers door handle then open the hatch.

 

I really wonder how much extra it costs Toyota to program the smart key for three doors instead of one. Maybe five cents?

 

Or maybe they're all wired 'n ready, and they cripple two of 'em?

'Nother irk: the lack of basic door threshold sills. These should be standard. The only option is pricey/optional illuminated sills, if I'm not mistaken.

 

I feel Toyota shows no consideration for its customers by taking what should be basic items off the basic models.

 

One door SKS is a whole lot more convenient than using the key for my 2008 Corolla. Prius drivers get spoiled easily.

 

Yeah, spoiled and ticked, want everything I got comin' to to me.

 

It appears to be different hardware.

But it's more of a matter of loading extras on different models to make them seem worth paying the extra for. All the manufacturers do it. Otherwise everyone would buy the "fully loaded" base model.

 

You ought to get a discount for your Ambassadorial efforts. We'd all vouch for you.

 

Alan, I don't expect the base model to be fully loaded. e.g. I don't expect nav to be on the II because I assume it takes extra money and effort to put nav on. But I don't feel that way over an itty-bitty piece of equipment whose cost is probably trivial. I myself can live without the three-door smart key (I do so on my Gen 3 Prius II), but it just seems silly for Toyota to, in effect, haggle over this.

 

In Canada, there's basically 4 levels:

Base has 1 door SKS, minimum porcelain white (no silly phone charge bay I'm never going to use), 15" wheels, the smaller screen without nav (I'm fine with that, but would prefer NO screen, but that's not on). This level, I could hold my nose over the idiotic exterior/interior styling, wheel covers, poor storage, and buy, but the lack of 3 door SKS really ticks me.

The "tech" level adds 3 door SKS, and sunroof, bigger screen, the full interior porcelain treatment. Sunroof alone is a deal breaker, can't abide the decreased headroom, don't like them. That's out.

The "touring" deleted sun roof, adds 17" rims and very cosmetic fogs. We currently have 3rd gen touring with 17", sim to US "5". The 4th Gen 17" rims induce nausea in me, not on.

Finally, "touring with tech package", inexplicably deletes the spare. Instant deal breaker.

So ultimately, there's not one level I'd be "happy" with. The base is the best of a bad lot for me, but I'd really chafe over 1 door SKS, every time I walked up to the car. And the styling.

 

It's rare to use the key with the 3-door SKS. I don't really care about the passenger side, but use the trunk all the time.

 

I just unlock the driver's door first & then the trunk. I only use the trunk about once a week, on the average, though.

 

Bummer