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Road trip in the "not a Prime!"

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by jerrymildred, Oct 4, 2020.

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  1. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Last year we took a 6,000+ mile trip in the Prime. It was amazing. This year, it's a different route. Mildred has a new-to-her Prius, and she wants to take her car this time.

    So ... this coming Thursday we'll hit the road at about Oh dark 30 in her 2017 Prius 2 with safety package.

    Pluses I see for taking this car:
    • The BSM that my Prime Premium lacks.
    • Cloth interior.
    • A little more storage.
    • Not losing storage because of a strapped down spare tire.
    Minuses that I see compared to Prime:
    • Annoying as the 11" display is, I've kind of gotten used to the quick glance map to keep my bearings. We won't have that. And that reminds me that I need to dig up the Garmin and update the maps.
    • Might not get quite as good of gas mileage, but I'm expecting something close as long as we don't fight headwinds most of the way like last year's 30-50 head winds.
    Total trip should be well over 3,000 miles over a span of 17 days. Single day from home to Galion will be the long one. I love road trips in a Prius!!! I'll try to keep you posted.
    Oct2020Trip.jpg
     
    #1 jerrymildred, Oct 4, 2020
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  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Whaaat, 2017 Gen4 Two trim has BSM standard? How about other safety/convinient features that were available only in PP Advanced? And it still has a compact spare?
     
    #2 Salamander_King, Oct 4, 2020
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    No. Not standard.

    This is why we jumped on it. Only 20k miles, cloth seats, small display AND safety package. Best of both worlds. ;) Well, all three when you figure that it's practically brand new at 20k miles.

    Edit to add: Yup, it has a compact spare tire, too. Best of all four worlds. From 2017 Toyota Prius Options & Packages
    Screen Shot 2020-10-04 at 11.54.51 AM.png
     
    #3 jerrymildred, Oct 4, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2020
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  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    She has stuff I don't even have!!
     
    #4 jerrymildred, Oct 4, 2020
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  5. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, PP lower trims have no safety plus package as an option IIRC. In fact, I don't think there are any additional option packages that are available for the lower two trims of PP.
     
    #5 Salamander_King, Oct 4, 2020
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Yeah, when I saw that it had the smaller screen, the cloth seats, the spare tire, AND also had BSM and rear cross traffic alert, I was all over it. I'm really glad she liked it because it has everything she wanted and everything I wanted for her. Plus, other than a few small paint chips and a small dent in the bottom of the rear bumper cover just behind the left rear wheel, it looks like a new car. Also, it was Toyota serviced every 5k miles before we got it.

    Edit to add, it also has the parking assist, but I doubt she'll ever want to mess with that. And it has the beepers to annoy you when you get close to something. She thought that was pretty cool ... for about a week. :LOL:
     
    #6 jerrymildred, Oct 4, 2020
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  7. robsnyder20

    robsnyder20 Active Member

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    Nice, have a fun trip. Speed kills the MPG in our normal lowly prii without prime. I used to live in Odessa by the way Jerry.
     
    #7 robsnyder20, Oct 5, 2020
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  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Sure does. And our trip is pretty much all interstate highways. :(

    Wow! Small world. Our offices are in Odessa. On Tarpon Springs Road, which I'm sure you have traveled. (y)(y)
     
    #8 jerrymildred, Oct 5, 2020
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  9. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    While shopping for a used gen 4, the safety pkg was priority #1 and I couldn't find base 17's with the pkg locally; typically only the much higher priced level 3's and 4's came with it till.... the 18's when the safety pkg became standard equipment. So I ended up with a level II 2018.

    For trips or commuting, one can add the plug-n-play OpenPilot system by commai for about $1,000 that will bring almost "autopilot" levels of driving assistance to the Prius. It works extremely well in reducing fatigue on long drives. In Jerry's situation, with an additional mount, it could easily be switched from the prius to the prime in seconds for more value/use.
     
    #9 fotomoto, Oct 5, 2020
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  10. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Last year when I was doing ~600miles interstate drive almost weekly base, I considered buying the OpenPilot, but never did. Since then, we got bigger more comfortable Pathfinder Hybrid SUV for a longer trips even though it gets only about half of mileage of Prius. OpenPilot is not compatible with our PF, so I stopped thinking about it. Now, my need for a long drive became much less, so I don't think I will revisit the idea again, but I have a question. How does OpenPilot work at night? Does it really keeps car in the lane?
     
    #10 Salamander_King, Oct 5, 2020
  11. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    IMG_5458.jpeg
    It might actually work better at night because lane markings are so reflective that I think the camera can see them better. Yes, it keeps the car in the lane for miles and miles and miles...... but unlike some other systems, it watches you and disengages if you don't respond or stop looking forward. That feature is hidden but it can be turned off too if one knows the "hack".
     
    #11 fotomoto, Oct 5, 2020
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  12. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    That was added mid year. My early 2017 does not have it.

    That is because most all the safety features were standard, especially for later 2017.
     
    #12 Prodigyplace, Oct 5, 2020
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  13. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    But that is not for Prius PRIME. Those safety features, BSM and rear cross traffic alert, intelligent parking assist and intelligent clearance sonar, were standard only on Advanced (or Limited) trim and never available even as option on lower trims (Premium or Plus in pre2019, or XLE or LE for 2020 and up) to current year model. I have not heard that will be changing for 2021 model PP trims.
     
    #13 Salamander_King, Oct 5, 2020
  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Technically they were no charge options added to all Trims in mid 2017.
     
    #14 Prodigyplace, Oct 5, 2020
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  15. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    You are talking about regular Gen4 Prius, correct? I did not know that lower even Two level Gen4 came with those features. I am just saying those safety features option never existed and still does not exist in Prius Prime lower trims.
     
    #15 Salamander_King, Oct 5, 2020
  16. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I thought so. That's why I was confused by @jerrymildred 's post with the screenshot saying it's a $1,000 package.
     
    #16 Tideland Prius, Oct 5, 2020
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  17. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    They reduces the price of the safety addon for higher grimes and actually added am appearance package for Trim 2 if I recall correctly.
     
    #17 Prodigyplace, Oct 6, 2020
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  18. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    It is confusing. I don't see that package listed in the brochure for the regular Prius 2. But the car clearly has those features. It's a late 2017, so I guess they didn't revise the brochure -- at least the PDF version that's online.

    This really amps up my "wow" factor since it seems to be a rare find and it's so perfectly what we wanted.
     
    #18 jerrymildred, Oct 6, 2020
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  19. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah they only update once a year... except 2017 when they added the One trim level.

    But I meant it was supposed to be a no charge package.
     
    #19 Tideland Prius, Oct 6, 2020
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  20. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    #20 Prodigyplace, Oct 6, 2020
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