Hi all - I'm new to this whole chat thing... My husband and I are going to be buying a Prius in the next couple of days, and he wanted to look into whether we should get the touring model - better lights, and perhaps better ride? We're looking for advice from anyone who has driven a Prius with the touring package upgrade. Personally, I'm not a "spoiler bar" person - but if it has other benefits we'd consider it...
if you want a soft cushy ride go with the standard if you want a sporty ride go with the touring for $895 its a bargain, the rims and tires are worth at least that much, and you get the HID lights, better shocks, and a larger spoiler too. the spoiler just looks better probably. the prius's fog lights are lame the standard (base?) rims look pretty ugly consumer reports said the hid lights were not as good as the standard lights the touring version has a shorter stopping distance (10') vs the standard prius but the larger tires on the touring will cost you 1 -3 miles per gallon the touring comes with 'wheel covers' if you want to show off your rims by taking off the 'wheel covers' expect to pay $15-$20 each x4 for the center cap (ornaments), the bolts show and it looks really ugly. the choice is yours, you can always keep the full wheel covers on the disadvantage about the larger tire size on the touring is when the time comes to replace those tires, your choices will be limited.
Avoidance maneuvers and stopping distance are both quicker with touring. 10 feet could mean the difference between life and death. To me, it's a bargain. I keep seeing Prii with HIDs and they've all looked just as good as any other Japanese HID lighting on any of the luxury cars and way brighter than Halogen. I don't know what CR is complaining about unless they're comparing to Mercedes and BMW which have way way better optics on their HIDs than any of the Japanese manufacturers. BMW HIDs are least 3 times brighter than Japanese HIDs and probably 6 times brighter than 55 watt halogen.
We bought the package 5 caseblanca red metalic, did not want a stiffer ride and a loss of 3 mpg. the ride is nice at 40 frt/rear38 tire pressure that the standard model Has. 47 mpg at 2400 miles I did not like the style of the touring 16 inch wheels! Idid like the standard 15 inch wheels when I removed that pushon beauty rim If money is not an issue go for the touring, have it pin striped and tint the windowsarty: and get all the bells and whistles !
My wife and I like the Touring so much, we both drive one!!!! If you want better handling, firmer ride and shorter stopping distance, then it is a no brainer. Touring is the only way to go. Consumer Reports rated the Touring the third best car to own in its class (The Standard was rated 8th or 9th) based on cost, MPG and safety. The larger tires look sharper, the HID headlights and fog lights dress up the front end, and the longer spoiler on the hatchback looks much sharper. We both have 2008 Package 6's and enjoy them more every day!!! My wife averages just over 46 MPG and I average between 48 & 50 MPG. Definitely recommend mud flaps, all weather floor mats and ceramic window tinting. Good luck and let us know what you decided to buy.
I've seen claims between 1 and possibly 2 MPG have never seen a claim of 3 MPG loss. Is this a case of Touring inflation?
I have a Touring and really appreciate the handling and shorter stopping distance. In Atlanta driving there are too many close calls not to go with the best stopping power available.
Please! Is this Prius bias? The no brainer is asking yourself why your buying a Prius. The firmer ride and braking distance is nominal at best. The gas MPG cost savings between the two are nominal at best. The safety features are what you should consider. The longer spoiler in the Touring is like whether you like a longer nose on your face, or a bigger butt defending how you view things.. The package 6 offers everything you may want in a safe car that gets great mileage. The Prius is not a race car yet it keeps getting compared in like a race car when Standard versus Touring question arises. It's like one upsmanship between Prius owners. Its ridiculous. The guts of the Prius is what matters and the safety options you feel are most important. I am a long time subscriber to Consumer Report. CR spent its time comparing Touring versus Standard like it compares the difference between the Chevy Corvette and Malibu. CR has NO EXPERIENCE with hybrids. Their little special article on Touring exposed their complete misunderstanding of the hybrid car, specifically the Prius. Just watch, as hybrids get the attention of the buying public they will be looking at hybrid battery, battery recharging abilities, hypermiling ability, etc. Their little special article in CR is what is known as a 'may up call' in a basketball game when the refs completely blow the previous call. The very interesting difference in the Touring versus the Standard is that if you want the best of both cars (if there is a best) you can purchase a Standard and modify it for less money by modiying the suspension system the Touring. I think it is crazy but that is what some people do.
Worth it or not completely depends on what you are looking for. For me yes worth every penny. I love the look of the touring wheels and love the way it rides. I have had a 2003 (Ver 1) 2005 and now 2008 prius (Touring) and for my money its well worth buying.
today i was coming off of 280 north to lawrence was not paying attention as the offramp was backed up, and i hit my brakes and then steered for my life onto the soft right shoulder and lived!! the vsc lit up. man antilock brakes and vsc are the best things in the world! having a new set of touring sized tires probably helped too
The other consideration is availability. I believe that Touring models are harder to come by, and since you're going to be on a waiting list hoping the dealership gets the model you want, the wider your acceptance range the better chance you'll get one. Any Touring may be easier to get than a specific color of a specific package of Standard, but a specific color of Touring is probably the toughest car to get.
the main reason NOT to get a touring as i stated before is when the time comes your tire choices are extreemly limited. there are only about 4 maybe 5 brands/models of tires made in the 195 55 16 size. a lot of touring owners are upgrading thier tires to 205 55 16 to get a better choice. the other 13 or so tires in the 195 55 16 size are all runflats. most tires made in the touring size lack a spare tire, that is why there are hardly any tires made.. choices are 1) michelin pilot primacy - a great tire, good for a quiet tire, $130-$155 each no treadlife warranty 2) falken ze-912 $100 or less, rated highly in consumers reports 3) bridgestone turanza - fast wearing tire. the tire toyota includes with purchase - treadlife warranty only if you purchase it, if it came with the car, no luck 4) bridgestone potenza (86h) ($91) 5) firestone firehawk (86h) ($89) or one of 4 non run flat winter tires.
There are a LOT more people on this site that bought a base model that regret it than those that bought a touring model with any buyer's remorse. Treat yourself right and get the touring model - you will be glad you did.
yeah converting/upgrading your standard prius to a touring model are very popular threads here, heh another crazy thing about prius cars, and the touring model also, that apparantly is true, is the warranty / extended warranty covers the suspension system. man that is just bizarre. but it appears to be true. after i bought it , it kind of worried me a little what happens to my tuned suspension when it breaks and i have to go to sears, but after reading about how the struts are not excluded , as they normally are wear and tear items, i was relieved
it comes with plastic hub caps 'to protect the rims against curbs'. some people keep them installed. if you want the sportier look of the alloy wheels bare naked, the center bolts in the middle of the rim are exposed and it looks pretty ugly and these bolts look so bad that people are likely to either put the hub caps on, or install center wheel ornamenets (center caps) on the rims
im lazy to use the search feature, but here are some pictures picture 1 is the standard rim you get with the base prius picture 2 is the touring rim with ornament, no hubcap picture 3 is the touring rim without ornmament, no hubcap picture 4 is the wheel ormanent --------------new and improved! and lastly for completeness, picture 5, hubcap installed!
no the touring model costs at least i checked 895.00 more then the similar non touring model. you can get a touring package 6 or a regular package 6 the Hid headlights which are in option package 4 are standard on the touring model
