2012 Prius Hatchback has a new design for tail lights as shown here : 3rd Generation Toyota Prius - 2012 Pictures & Photo Gallery They are different from what has been used in 2012 PiP which uses the same lights as 2010 - 2011 Prius. Any idea why we did not get 2012 Prius lights in 2012 PiP. Are there any other design changes in 2012 Prius that we are missing in 2012 PIP ?
2012 PiP lights look like the 2012 no-Plug lights with the exception of being clear (2 clear strips/arches), rather than having the 2 red strips/arches.
Quite the opposite, PHV has some exclusives... like color. The clear lights in back are less obvious, but make it easy to identify one quickly... if you know what to look for. The silver trim is a nice touch too. .
Thanks, after you mentioned it I looked at pictures of 2010 -2011 and saw the difference with 2012 PiP lights. The arches do not go down all the way in 2010-2011 models. So we have an exclusive design for Tail lights . I had noticed the Silver Trim, which is easy to see on my Grey car. Any other design differences from 2012 models?
Wheels and door handles are different too.. and the front headlights are slightly tinted blue (I think this is exclusive to the PiP).
Hm, I actually like the Liftback design better. The silver trim looks like the body work was done with mismatched panels. The chrome accents are ok, but I prefer a uniform color, so I guess I'm a monochromatic guy. The black rear taillights flow into the bottom rear window in the Liftback, but the Plug-in has silver trim, clear taillights, clear/black rear window, and then the car color, all next to each other which seems to clash. The wheels aren't symmetric, so the "fins" coming off the spokes point forward on one side and backwards on the other side. Also, I prefer the less cluttered look of fewer spokes on the Liftback. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Plug-in. But I find the various aesthetic design elements of the Gen 3 and Plug-in variant questionable.
You're think of the pre production plugin prius that's been running around since 2010. They use 2010,2011 tail lights.
PHV has unique rims, which you can see in this photo... I believe the DRL lights are unique too, for the advanced model... And here's what the lights in back look like... .
PIP Exclusive Exterior Features: Plug-in Hybrid side emblems Silver & chrome front bumper accents Silver-painted door handles Silver-painted upper rear hatch bar Unique 15" alloys (no aerodynamic wheelcovers) Exclusive Clearwater Blue Metallic paint Plug-in Hybrid Hybrid Synergy Drive rear emblem Blue-tinted headlight covers (previously on standard Prius but removed for 2012) Clear taillights Plug-in Hybrid interior badge And obviously the extra port for the plug-in socket New 2012 Features (standard Liftback) Redesigned 15" aerodynamic wheelcovers Redesigned front bumper with piano black accents Redesigned taillights LED DRLs LED parking lights on Five model Updated LED low beam headlights for Five model Removed blue-tinted headlight covers That's about it for exterior features that I can think of.
See, now all of that looks great on my silver PiP. In fact, it wasn't until I saw the gray stripe across the back of a blue PiP did I even realize there was something that was the same on all colors (and looks so out of place on the blue, let alone perhaps other colors). Silver doesn't seem to be a popular color this time, but it seems to integrate the accents nicely. And I have LED DRLs on my base PiP, right? Sure looks like it...
The above is a shot of my silver PIP parked next to a blue PIP at work. A silver PIP is definitely a stealth PIP - I can readily tell other colored PIPs based on the silver accents... I saw a winter grey metallic PIP in the distance ahead of me during this morning'a commute - though I made great progress, I did not catch up to it... 2012 PIP - standard trim, classic silver metallic
LED DRLs should be standard on all 2012 Prii. Yes, someone mentioned that a silver PiP is a stealth PiP.
so to confirm...... the tail lights on the 2012 are the same size and shape of the 2011? If I want to order tail lights for my 2012, can I buy some from a 2011. Also, the Prius Five has LED tail lights, right?
My neighbor backed into my 2012 PiP last night taking out the drivers side rear lens. Is it possible to buy a 2012 standard len and remove the red plastic insert to make it match the clear lens on the other side? I'll have much better luck finding a standard lens at a junkyard or online than finding the PiP specific part. The PiP is scarce up here where there are no HOV shenanigans. BTW, the LED board is fine, so it would be ideal to replace the plastic only. Is that possible, or do I have to buy the entire assembly?
Nope, the lens itself is clear on the PIP tail lights, no red insert to remove on the regular Prius tail lights. Have your neighbor, or your neighbor's insurance take care of it. Aftermarket, available on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?nav=item.view&id=321886820105&alt=web http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?nav=item.view&id=262160994125&alt=web
The accident was about 50/50 as far as responsibility. He pulled forward around the cul-de-sac, so I backed out of my driveway since I had no reason to believe he was going to back up. When I saw his backup lights come on, I stopped, hit my horn, and fumbled into D while hammering the accelerator. I probably started accelerating and honking 1 second before impact. He had no reason to expect me to be behind him since 3 seconds ago he had just driven past that spot. I've seen enough Judge Judy episodes to know she would just say it was an accident, and we were both contributors. I'll just buy the cheapest unit I can find, invite the neighbor over for a beer, and say I think it fair we split the bill 50/50. He has a jacked up truck BTW. His steel bumper is what took out my lens, so he suffered no damage. I found PN 8156147230 which seems to be the right replacement. Does that include the LED board, or is it just the plastic lens?
