That's right. $32,129 Canadian translates into $27,259 US, which is a few hundred dollars more than the fully-loaded 2005.
I seriously doubt that anybody is recommending that you not face backward (aka "craning your neck") when backing up. And, if you are facing backward, you are not looking at the display. <_< The camera is more of a cute novelty than a safety feature. (I'm certain you will not hear Toyota citing it as a safety feature.) For it to work as a safety feature, you'd need a display facing forward in the back seat area so you could see it when backing up. <_< Depending on how much it adds to the price of the car, I'm not sure how happy I am that it's included in virtually every package (and all the packages available in my region).
The BASE (i.e. package 1) price is up to $27,259 US, from $21k?? Holy CRAP. That really takes the car out of the mass affordability range that I thought Toyota was shooting for... especially if there's really no major changes from 05 to 06.
I've been thinking that the camera is a small safety feature - it helps you to see if your cat / small child is sitting behind the car below your veiwing range. More than other cars, I think this is an important safety feature for the Prius because of the stealth mode. Imagine if your small child, bicycle, or cat/dog were sitting behind the car as you began the stealth backup. Zing!
B) I found out from my dealer back in mid September. He's in PA (Mid-Altantic region?) and he sent me an email saying that the available packages would be HE, HK, NL and NW (2, 6, 7, and 8) for 2006. I know this was posted in a couple of places but a lot of threads in that period got lost.
why get all upset about something that you might not understand? Canadian pricing is different than US, and can not be compared...
Hi again, It's true, CDN. pricing is different than US pricing. When I first looked into a prius, the base model in Canada was just shy of $30,000 - but the US price was just shy of $20,000. So it's not a fair comparison. However, Michelle pointed out to me that I'm a big knob as the advertisement lists all the vehicles as 2006's except the prius which they showed as a 2005 (with the included cost of freight, PDI, and vaious environmental taxes). Sorry everyone for jumping the gun, I was just so excited to pass on the information first that I didn't take a closer look to see if I was actually passing on the right information :wacko: I'm still in the dark as much as the next person. shaun P.S. Sorry again . . . .
Hi All, I haven't seen much posted here about the audio options. Can anyone provide some information on that subject? I few things I am wondering about: - Other than the MP3 capability, are the two stereo system choices for 2006 expected to be identical to the 2005 stereo options? - What's "so great" about the JBL premium system? Is it better quality audio? More watts per channel? etc. - For those out there who are audiofiles, do you think it's worth paying for the more expensive package to get the premium stereo? - Is there much of an aftermarket for custom stereos in a Prius? Has anyone with an '04 or '05 tried installing one? Is it doable? If not enough is known about the '06's yet, then I'd still be interested in hearing what people think about the quality of the '05 stereos. Thanks in advance.
A backup beeper would be more effective as it would also alert the child, cat, or dog behind the car. (Bike would be screwed though.) My point is that, depending on the amount that the camera adds to the price, there are likely more effective and cost effective safety features that could be implemented for less. It's a cool feature. <_< Not sure I like having the choice of whether I want this feature in my Prius taken away by including it in all packages.
That was a close one... A $2000 price jump will not make sense. Besides, why is their fully loaded #6 less than your Premium Package'd Prius. Yeesh. I hope with leather and backup camera, it doesn't run into the 40s. It's already edging at $38k with nav/bluetooth but no HID.