So, I'm contemplating selling my Evo IX for something a bit more fuel efficient, because my commute is about to get a lot longer next fall. If I give up all the speed, I want something that has a lot more creature comforts and gadgets as a trade-off. I was actually looking last year at getting a Prius, but I was tore between choosing between a Prius IV with the solar roof, or a V with the Advanced tech package. Well according to Toyota's website, you can now configure a V with the advanced tech package AND the solar roof. I just wanted to see if any of you guys can confirm this, or is this just a fluke with their website. I remember reading about this on this website last year, and the reason that you could not get them together was weight and adverse affects on rated MPG. Thanks in advance. P.S. This is my first post on here, although I have been lurking for about a year now.
Welcome officially. That would be great combo option (V atp w/solar) but I have not heard anyone on here that has one.
i just built another, and it's not letting me select the same options, so it must have been a mistake with their server.
Welcome +1. Many here at PC have asked for that option, but to my knowledge, Toyota still does not offer it.
Cooler interior and possibly a few more mpg b/c you're not running the A/C as vigorously to cool the interior because it's already pre-cooled. That and the benefit of a power moonroof (ventilation, more light into the interior) Wow, another Evo owner! Yeah it must be a server error. If you want the toys, I'd go with the ATP. You're only losing the solar panel vs. if you went with the IV SR, you'll be losing the LED headlights, foglights DRCC, PCS, IPA & 17" alloys
It's an issue with the total weight of the vehicle. If you have both the SR and ATP, the maximum design weight would be exceeded! This was explained when the 2010 model was first rolled out!
Another benefit of solar roof Remote A/C operation. There is a button on remote you can press and A/C will turn on for like10 minutes (I forgot how long) to cool the car. In addition to solar powered ventilation, with this, you can actually enter into a full pre-cooled car in a hot summer day. And it looks sporty with black roof and cool especially when roof is opened.
Yeah im in the same situation but i own a Evo X 2008! Love the car and everything but the money now im spending to run the machin is insane!
The solar roof can be added by an aftermarket installation, my delaer adds them to the II model along with heated leather seats and pinstripes for an extra Five Grand. The Dynamic Cruise Control, in my humble opinion, is a far more useful option than a fan powered by the sun. Buy the " V "with the technology pkg. it is worth enduring the mismatched interior colors that Toyota inflicts on you, like the "Any Color You Want, as Long as It's Black" OEM floor mats.
Much better probably to get a IV with the roof already there, and add 17" wheels if you want. Both of those aren't included together as options due to weight and loss of MPG. As for loosing the radar cruise & parking - consider how much you'll actually use those anyway (e.g. there are vids that show how it can take you to setup/park the car using parking assistance in over a minute - that wouldn't fly in most cities).
I looked into it before rejecting the IV model for the V. The solar panel, (maufactured by Kyocera for Toyota) powers a small exhaust fan that blows the hot air out of your car when you park it in the sun. It has a thermostat to turn it on and off. Personally I have always used a windshield heat shield, and if its really hot I leave a window open a crack on each side to allow the convective air flow to accomplish the same thing. I felt the technology pkg. and especially the dynamic cruise and the fog lights and those really nice alloy wheels made the V a better choice for me. Maybe if I lived in Hotlanta, or some sweltering hell hole in the desert the solar fan would have appealed to me more, but here in NaYawk it seems to rain about every other day lately.
This is not conjecture. I was there when this was explained to us by both the Chief Engineer on the Prius and the head of TMS marketing for the USA. The additional weight would move the Prius into a different category in respect to EPA mileage ratings, which is not something Toyota wanted to do. You can consider it a quirk of our laws, much like having your income move into another tax bracket. Tom
Maybe conjecture was the wrong word. "Ridiculous" or "lame" is more appropriate. Did Toyota provide any actual weight figures or explicitly explain what they meant by the "different category"? What weight, exactly are we talking about? Maybe 75 extra pounds for the glass moonroof and 25 extra pounds for the larger wheels? What mileage hit does 100 pounds result in? About 0.5 mpg? So let me get this straight ... the 2 mpg reduction you get with the larger wheels is OK (meaning that it doesn't put the Prius into a "different category"), but the 2.5 mpg reduction due to the extra weight + larger wheels is not OK? Can someone better explain what Toyota meant by "different category"? (numbers, please!) Emissions? (roughly inversely related to mpg for a given vehicle). To keep it in the "same category", they could have tweaked something else. Here's an idea ... build a Prius with the solar cooling and the ATP, but without the heavier, larger wheels. There, problem solved! And you don't take the 2mpg hit that comes with those larger wheels. Look, I've thought about this as an engineer for a year now and am still dumbfounded. The reason is not weight, despite what Toyota says. There are ways to solve the weight issue. The reason is marketing, plain and simple. Toyota thinks they can't sell enough "fully loaded" Prii for whatever reason.
