Gen III Cheap Interior?

Have no complaints coming from a Lexus, but people "moving down" from a Lexus/Infinity/Acura should at least get the factory-installed leather interior (which is very nice in Misty Gray). Makes no sense to get a package II with cloth and suffer a bigger shock.

 

To be honest, even after moving to the Prius from a Lexus I had not noticed any issues with the Prius interior until recently. I've had the car since July 1, driven about 2000 miles, and while in the rear hatch area I started to pull the cargo cover over the cargo area. First of all, I had noticed that the cover on the 2010 was not as heavy or thick as earlier models - that was not necessarily bad, only different. However, once I got to the back of the car area that catches and holds the cover I noticed fairly deep scratches on the sides where the cover tabs run across the side of the car. I am a 60 year old adult, only adults have handled the cover, and all use it with care so I would not have expected plastic to plastic contact would have created such damage in such a short time. I'm going to have to look for some method to prevent this from getting worse, but I am surprised how much damage has already been done.

 

I've noticed exactly the same. Matter of fact, I'm your same age and moved to the Prius from a Lexus RX. Of course the Prius interior is not Lexus-like, but I had no expectations of that. I'm quite pleased overall, but do notice that the plastic does scratch easily. No kids in my car so shouldn't be a problem, but can see it being a big one for family cars.

Yes, the rear hatch cover area --- I see light scratches on the sides as well. And as you, I'm very careful attaching it. I would expect Toyota to make a Factory running change for this problem. Perhaps some sort of protective tape on that section of the molding above the channel that hooks the cover ends - and/or rubber tips onto the post's cover ends. Hey, there's a potential fix for us. Adhere small rubber pieces of some sort to the ends. Trip to the hardware store to check what may work....

 

While it doesn't have wood grain trim I simply do not see this interior being any cheaper looking than other cars in the under $30K price range. FWIW, I do not consider glitz / bling and quality as being the same thing. Toyota's are somewhat bland looking, but even at that, this one looks as good as anything they put out. The design of the dash is very attractive and has nice flowing lines. I really like it.

 

You might be surprised to see that the Gen III Prius tires are not cheap to replace. The Package V 17" tires are somewhat pricey for what they are. Look up replacement tires on the Costco web site and they are probably even more expensive at many other places.

 

Most OEM tires are pricey compared to aftermarket, what makes the G35 more expensive is that you can't rotate tires because the back wheels are wider and have a different profile tires. At least on the Prius you can rotate them and they will last longer.

Regarding the Prius interior, I think the quality is exceptional compared to other cars in its price range and class. My only beef with the interior is that Dark Gray is not really Dark Gray. Still lve it though.

 

It takes only a few seconds to program the SKS to open all doors.

 

There are cars with better quality interior plastics for the same price range. Look at a Honda Accord's interior.

 

Yeah, but are they green (plant-derived)? It's a fun tidbit to throw at people, but as long as the leather is nice, I"m happy.

One thing I don't really like is the poor colors and resolution of Toyota's 6th gen NAV screen, but that's a complaint aimed at Toyota across the board, not just the Prius Gen III.