Question to those who owned both generation 2 and 3 Prius.

I don't own a Gen III, but I've driven several of them. Have you driven the two vehicles?

To me the comfort and drive of the Gen III over the II trump any small display differences between the two. You can always get a Gen III with nav and get the touch screen.

 

Well, I had a 2010 Prius, but got rid of it for a 2007. So that is pretty self explanatory. Don't get me wrong, the third generation is nice...just feels so..."normal". The second generation has a driving experience unlike any other. Though, the third generation has a lot of cool stuff.

But I've had all three generations. 2001, 2010, and now own a 2007.

 

I've owned both and I wouldn't go back. But then it's not a fair comparison because my Gen II was a basic model and my Gen III has more bells and whistles. I think the Gen II had better storage capacity but I've come to realize different trim lines offer different storage (e.g. some have sunglass holders and some don't) so I'm not sure that's a fair comparison either. At first I really missed driving my Gen II because it had a more unique and less mainstream feel than the Gen III. I didn't miss the touchscreen display, however, because I was forever resetting the mpg accidently when I wiped dust from the screen. IMHO the displays in the Gen II are a little hokey too.

 

When you switched to generation 3 are there things that you miss about the generation 2? NO

If you could go back to driving the generation 2 would you? NO

I'm wondering if the three modes are really worth owning a generation 3. Yes

 

I dont own a Gen III but I test drove both 1.5 years ago. As a Prius virgin I couldn't tell the difference in ride quality. So I bought the Gen II Touring over a Gen III base which were about the same price. I'm more than satisfied with my decision. I can't see myself driving a base Gen III. The Gen II is just more unique. If you don't get leather, the 2010 has an inferior interior quality to the Gen II. It's not quite as refined and the plastics are noticibly cheaper.

That said, TODAY I would get the Gen III 2011 model. The Gen II is getting outdated and while I personally like the Gen II more, I can't say the same for you. In summary here's what I think;

Model:
Gen III Prius V > Gen II Prius Touring > Gen III base > Gen II base

Interior:
Gen II w/ cloth > Gen III w/ cloth
Gen III w/ Leather > Gen II w/ Leather

Displays:
Gen II w/o Nav > Gen III w/o Nav
Gen III w/ Nav > Gen II w/ Nav

Paints:
Gen IIIs white is better (Blizzard Pearl)
Gen IIs dark gray is better (Magnetic Gray)


Hopefully that's not too confusing for ya.

 

I own both, they are both super cars. Each has it's unique qualities.
Not surprisingly, the 2004 seems a bit old compared to the polished new 2010. The 2010 gets a few MPG better, feels roomier and has been much more fun to upgrade (nav, fog lights, rear sensors and camera). The 2004 didn't have as many options early on and I didn't bother once it got older.

Are there things that you miss about the generation 2? No

If you could go back to driving the generation 2 would you? I kept the old one and frequently drive it. My wife and I randomly take each and love to drive both.

I'm wondering if the three modes are really worth owning a generation 3? I don't find a need for 3 modes, but I like ECO mode and occasionally find PWR useful. I wouldn't choose one over the other because of it but it is nice to have.

At this point, a Gen II would need to be a really good deal for me to choose it over a Gen III. I looked before buying the Gen III and with all the great dealer discounts and deals, I found the Gen III too attractive to pass-up.

 

I have a 2007 (son now drives) and a 2010. In order of importance-the advantage of each to me:

2010-Best mpg by about 3 mpg (55 vs 52)
2007-Better visibility, especially with rear mfd display
2010-Much more accurate gas gauge with less variability filling due to no bladder
2007-MUCH, MUCH easier to change oil and filter if you do that yourself
2010-Simpler and much better controls for air and radio.
2007-Better sound from radio/CD player.

All in all, the 2010 seems to be better under the hood, but the Gen II advantages are not insignificant to me.

Note-The eco/normal/power just changes the gas pedal responsiveness, not really a big change in what the car can do. So that is really dependent on driving style as to its use to the driver.

 

Get the 3rd gen for a more solid feeling car...

I don't own a 3rd gen, but have over 1k miles in it and owned a 2nd gen for 2 1/2 years. I'll give my opinion about the non-tourng 2nd gen and non Five 3rd gen .....

For me, with 35" legs, the 2nd gen was not even on the map for offering reasonable driving fit or comfort, while the 3rd gen Prius has among the best seating of any car in its price range. The Prius seating pretty much on par with an Accord sedan and actually offers a little bit more legroom and seat bottom comfort than even my Accord Coupe. Toyota could improve the steering wheel adjustment range and placement a little.

The 3rd gen interior design and interesting tailight design is not to liking of some, but it is still a better car overall and an evolutionary step forward.

the 3rd gen put the driving and economy info in heads up display and seperates it from navigation, climate, and audio buttons/functions.

The 3rd gen Prius is a totally new, notably more solid feeling chassis. That, you can hardly mimick in a 2nd gen. The 3rd gen just flat out feels more solid and substantial on the road, make no mistake. the 3rd gen engine is larger, 1.8L vs. 1.5. Engine is quieter and you don't get the nauseating coolant thermos pump farting sound that occurs quite often in the 2nd gen.

If you have long legs, anywhere near 34" inseam, don't even begin to think about the 2nd gen Prius, it was not designed for you. But 3rd gen will suit long legs, even 36" just fine.

3rd gen Prius displays lots of information beside speedometer, which is good, and you switch with touch tracer control.

2nd gen Prius has too much information rolled into the touchscreen which is rather cumbersome to cycle through pages while driving. 2nd gen is either/or for navigation/audio/climate, and driving/economy info

 

I will buy a third generation Prius ONLY if Toyota changes some things for the 2012 model.

 

What things? The basic interior and exterior will remain same until 4th gen basic Prius for 2016 model year. IOW, they are not going to change the floating bridge console.

Or you could switch to the v or c

 

There are a ton of these threads on here, and to me the MFD hybrid display, a display we only even look at 7 years into ownership to see the outside temperature...is just not even close to as important to me as a seat that can be adjusted to fit more than just a certain demographic of drivers, and a driving position that is more like a car than a golf cart.

You have the same information up on the higher display in the Gen III. Might not be as "high tech like", but like I said, thats something that stops being interesting pretty fast. The discomfort of driving the Gen II is eternal to me.

I wouldn't buy the Gen II again...but I would buy a Gen III. Before you make this decision, drive the Gen II for an extended period of time.

 

Ya know, the couple that bought my 2009, was for the wife who was 5'2". No prob. Car is made for her. But the hub was pretty tall, like 6' for sure. He actually didn't want to drive the car or sit in the driver's seat before purchase. I actually advertised 'I'm selling it because I'm too tall for it'. He drove the car home for her and probably would like to drive it at times. I hope it works out ok for them of course. She's diggin' it. Likely a 3rd gen would have been better for both of them.

I will never forget the mistake of trying to feel normal in a 2nd gen Prius. Some have a tolerance for cramped driver's seating. I do not.

2nd gen Prius - too much rear seat legroom for headroom available, front seat headroom/legroom/feel of seat for tall ones - a joke. Consumer Reports totally whitewashed the Prius front seating - 2008 review driving position and front seat comfort - better than average????? Maybe for that reviewer. Wayyy off in general. Buyer beware.

3rd gen - much better balance and adjustment of front seating - can always slide seat forward making more room behind. Has some of the best front chairs of any in its class, but watch the lumbar support on fabric, and hey, power seat on high end never hurts.

 

Too lazy to research .. what is a plasma ionizer cluster??

 

I would highly recommend you find a nice Toyota dealer that has a few 3rd gen Prius to rent typically for $43 w tax.

It can be quite difficult to really check out a car on the 'ole 20 minute test drive.

$43 for a day's rental is a total 'drop in the bucket' compared to shelling out over $26k for a new Prius Three.

Best yet, if you could find a dealer with a 3 day/250 mile money back guarantee, go for that. Toyota sunnyvale actually has that in their 10 point guarantee. I'd think very few dealers honor that.

Another thing, sit in a lot of cars and consider test driving long before being hot to spend the money.

 

The big reasons I switched from my Gen 2 to a Gen 3 were:

• Better driver's seat - height adjustable, inflatable lumbar support (lumbar support only on some trim levels)
• sunroof/passive solar power fan cooling
• Eco/Pwr/EV mode (I like choices)
• dash MFD and radio/heat controls

Things my Gen 2 had I wish my Gen 3 did:

• large door map pockets
• shelf in glove compartment

But the comfort of the Gen 3 seats was the biggest reason, with the sunroof a close second