Why is apparently no one buying a Prius/Prius Prime on the East Coast?

I spent a while this morning trying to figure out what the actual difference between Traffic Jam Assist and LTA+DRCC was, and yes, I think it's just being more flexible on driver attention.

European versions don't have "Traffic Jam Assist", but they do have the "extended resume time" for the DRCC, which means it can pull away after being stopped for a few minutes in traffic. In the US that comes with "Vehicles with Traffic Jam Assist"; in the EU it's "Vehicles with driver monitor and LCA".

European cars don't need a connected services subscription for that, unlike the US cars - apparently because EU cars have the built-in navigation, and it requires some map data to confirm it's an appropriate road.

 

So do US drivers need a subscription in order to use Traffic Jam Assist and LCA?

 

Thanks. I don’t plan on keeping subscriptions. If allowed, I might pay for winter months in order to remote start but I’m not sure they allow for breaking up subscription.

I was just notified that State Farm is doing major increase in premiums across the board in Nov. $200 per year increase for me. This is before upgrading to new car and adjusting for the accident. Ugh! I can’t get too fancy with this car purchase or I’ll be doing a go fund me collection in a few years. : )

 

We have built in navigation but now there’s a monthly fee for it. Wonder if that’s the case in EU.

 

I've had my LE slow down for everything from someone unexpectedly running across the street in front of me, to even once when driving next to a car that was creeping over the line - that was weird.

PDA is pretty cool.

 

They've got no built-in map data, is the point.

In Japan they have distinct base and "Plus" versions of the 12-inch screen. The "Plus" one is an option for the Z HEV, or comes standard with the Z PHEV. The only difference appears to be the in-vehicle navigation. As far as I know in the US you only get the equivalent of the standard 12" screen or the 8" screen, so no in-vehicle map data, and EU we only get the equivalent of the 12" Plus, with the map data.

That appears to be regulatory - they need the map data to provide the annoying on-by-default-every-startup speed warning beeps mandated by the EU.

But as a corollary, it means US cars need subscriptions for map-data-requiring functions, like extended resume time, while EU cars don't. In Japan it depends which head unit you have.

What do you mean by "automatic" versus "driver input"? The driver input for LCA is pushing the indicator to tell it to change lanes. If you actually try helping its steering, it cancels on you. It seems there's something of a knack to not interfering. I assume Traffic Jam Assist isn't going to change lanes without you pushing an indicator.

Mind you, I don't actually see any reference to lane changing for Traffic Jam Assist in the manual; it only talks about lane keeping.

 

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. I know in about 5 yrs I’ll wish I bought the Prime but for right now I just need a reliable, safe car with decent cargo space. I can use the extra $4000 to pay for my insurance and replacement tires. : )

 

You might be able to save more than that if you get a 2022 when the price crashes. And the storage is more.

 

I definitely want the Gen 5 for the upgraded safety features. Plus due to circumstances I won’t get to keep the money I would save on a 2022. If I were to buy Gen 5 Prime I most likely would have to pay the $4k difference out of pocket.

 

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Another data point on pedestrian avoidance assistance: Tonight I was driving by an area where a lot of people where leaving an event. About 100 feet up the road someone decided to dart across my path. The smart little fuel sipper immediately started braking and showing a radar on the left side of the split screen with an image of a person standing at the end of it.

A lot of bang for the buck in the G5 LE. Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 rocks.

 

That’s exactly the kind of warning I need. I travel through touristy towns with loads of jaywalking!

 

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Ok guys……we all know a Corolla hybrid is not the same as a Prius!

 

Traffic Jam Assist worked flawlessly today on my drive home from work on I 95 where I sat in traffic for a half hour. I never had to touch the gas or brakes once until navigating around the accident scene. Really neat.

I think the main difference with TJA is that is starts on its own as soon as the car in front moves, with the radar cruise control you have to either touch resume on the steering wheel or touch the gas pedal. Plus I had plenty of electric range left so I hit electric mode and wasn’t burning any gas

 

There's an intermediate function, the "extended resume time", which covers automatically starting moving again after up to 3 minutes stopped. That's a separate DRCC config option, and exists in the European cars without TJA. It seems the TJA is mostly "letting you take your hands off". Although maybe it extends that 3 minutes indefinitely?