2010 Prius III w/ NAV Package @ $24,800 Is Prius Buyer’s *$weet $pot*

huh? that's all you would reply...a picture of matrix? lol

 

Well I heard a Pruis III with a $300 Garmin is the buyers' *$weet $pot*, or if you aren't picky about the radio, you could do the II and get the $500 Garmin that will do all the Bluetooth stuff.

 

+1.

I already have the fancy/schmancy Garmin (660) and I decided for my next car I can really live without leather (I'm going to get custom seat covers anyway) and 6 speakers is perfectly fine since I only have 4 in my car right now--it'll still feel like an upgrade. I don't use CDs (it's either iPod or radio for me). When I sat down and really thought about what I needed and wanted I realized the Pkg II would meet all my needs and the extras I could get elsewhere (or in the case of a solar panel, forgo, and instead do the remote start option). Unless Toyota unbundles the solar roof panel from the moonroof, I will do without the solar.

 

...and it does not have to be a 500 Garmin...

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-765T-Widescreen-Bluetooth-Navigator/dp/B001ELJER4

The 765T comes with with lifetime traffic for free, which is considered better than paid XM traffic, lane guidance, bluetooth of excellent quality, among many other cool features, besides the excellent quality reputation of Garmins vs. the poor quality of outsourced navigation used in Toyotas...

For a little more but bellow 500 you can get one with voice recognition that is a lot better than most bult-in navigator too.

Now my question for anyone interested is: how the sound system in the Prius II compared with Prius III?

 

Sure, my pleasure:

http://www8.garmin.com/traffic/fm/navteq.html

Click on "view coverage map" for more details

XM traffic that comes with the Prius navigation package actually uses NAVTEQ data as a source but the difference being that they charge for it… not free like in the Garmin.


So the convenience of having a navigator in the dashboard and an upgraded sound system with integrated Bluetooth commands in the steering wheel (Prius III with navigation) will cost you around $2300-2400 more compared to a Prius II (exactly same car) with a nice Garmin on it. And trust me; Garmin beat the heck out of most built-in navigators available in the market right now because that's what they focus on...

 

With Junction View, you'll get photo-realistic 3D views upcoming turns with signage--signs not needed for navigation are faded.

Now THAT is cool! And it's actually useful- I only use mine on interstate road trips really, and being abole to see the upcoming junction sign configuration is huge. Plus, it has the lane guidance thing too which tells you which lanes you are supposed to be in on the normal screen. I'm guessing the Prius doesn't have either of these features.

 

You can get a backup cam aftermarket. They're readily available and not expensive. Still less than the markup on the Prius to get Nav.

 

Besides, they are not that usefull to be honest... at least for me. I have one in my Honda navigator and I barely use it... just don't feel confortable relying on them... the old-fashioned "look back" solves the problem and as a bonus, you workout your oblique abs...

 

I'm sure that Garmin will offer it in their GPS units the next year or so, there's plenty of vendors that have it already. It will probably cost less than the Toyota's yearly update DVD. The camera itself is super cheap- you can get one for like $60 (with screen and everything) from Autozone, and you can just plug the camera into many models of garmin right now.

 

By the way, speaking of updates, updating built-in navigation systems are a lot more expensive than Garmins... with Garmin there is an option to buy something like lifetime updates (don't rmember the exact name) that includes updating your system every single year forever...

 

The Prius has terrible rear visibility (at least the GenII does), so I find myself looking in the camera to check for anything that might be below the window and out of my line of sight. Of course, I still get my oblique workout - never depend on the camera alone.

 

It's called nuMaps and it's $100 forever from amazon. You get 4 updates a year. That's about a third of the price of just one dealer update DVD. Unfortunately I know from experience as my wife's was stolen.

 

That's right, I guess the camera could be useful for small objects, toys, or pets that you can't see through the windows... not a problem for me though . Mine, in my Odyssey is terrible resolution...