When I put my deposit down for my Prius is was a four in Sea Glass Pearl with solar roof and premium NAV. I just got back from a 1,600-mile trip in a RAV4 using the new advanced Garmin that my dad got me. After using that, I can't see myself wanting to switch to an in-dash system that most are saying is inferior to these off-the-shelf ones, especially since they are so much more expensive. And to boot, my Garmin has free map updates. So, now I'm thinking of telling the dealership to move my deposit to a three with a solar roof. I figure that they owe me one because THEY moved my deposit from a car that was available to a car that wouldn't be available for a month. The only remotely-important difference I can see between the three and the four are the rump-warming seats for winter and *maybe* the Softex "leather." I'm one of those queers who prefer manual seat adjustment over power seats, and the seats in the RAV4 are cloth, so it's not like I'm used to leather. The different in price amounts to about $5,000. I can't see paying that much more just for a warmer butt three months out of the year...
Sounds like the $5K difference isn't worth it for you, if all you get is the following, and none of them are really important to you: --nav (certainly not the most advanced system) --softex seats (if you decide down the line you'd prefer leather seats, you could probably get aftermarket ones for a few grand) --heated seats (never been one of my priorities)
I got the 3 for similar reasons. I didn't want built in nav. I got clazzio seat covers because I didn't want my dog ruining the cloth seats with wet or muddy paws . Aftermarket custom seats might be $1200 tops. I would have paid for just heated seats and backup camera. Sounds like the 3 is the better choice for you. Save the $5000 for things you really want
the main reason i went with 4 instead of the 3 is the power seats. you stated that you prefer manual adjustments over powered ones. but the manual adjustments dont have enough options to select. for example, theres no lumbar section. they feel like completely different seats. if possible, you need to go on another drive with a 3 or 2 (maybe rent a prius). you dont get a good feel of how uncomfortable they are on those 5-10 min test drives. if you driven the prius and you're still ok, then go for the manual seats. if its a really big issue, then you're going to end up spending more for "fixes" and end up not enjoying your car. dont forget the other features of the upgrade: jbl 7.1 (not audiophile level) auto/on/off lights 7.1 nav with sat traffic (but you preferred the garmin) softex (vs $700-1k upgrade on 3 for katzkin) HUD (i really like it) led drl? heated seats
Heads-up display? Is that the one that shows a virtual image on the windshield? In all my trips to Toyota dealerships no one every showed that feature! I didn't even know any of the Prius had it. Where can I find it on the "features" of the Prius brochure? Is it just in there as part of the the NAV and not explicitly called out?
toggle between interior/exterior/safety/etc tabs Toyota Prius Hybrid - 2012 Models: Prius Two, Prius Three, Prius Four, Prius Five HUD only demo very misleading video. the HUD only displays in the bottom 25% of your windshield in a narrow box. you can move up it, down, left, right, etc. turn brightness up/down. i hate the nav items. you can toggle HSI(mph) and nav. HUD is only available on solar 4s and adv tech 5s.
Biggest would be the infinitely adjustable power seats vs. the uncomfortable for many manual seats. You may prefer the ability to manually adjust but that doesn't affect the issues with seat ergonomics, the powers seats do address the seat ergonomics. As for the lousy auto nav, there are all lousy in comparison to Garmin.
I went with Four over Three for these reasons: -- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror with Homelink. I had this in my 2005 and loved it. -- Auto-on headlights (as well as auto-off). -- Heated seats. I had this on previous cars and appreciated it in the winter a surprising amount. -- Heads-Up Display. Quite simply awesome. Softex vs fabric wasn't a deciding factor. But I do like the softex seats.
I wanted at least a 4 because of the adjustable seats. My wife's 2005 pkg 6 seats with unpowered cloth seats caused me to have back ache after about a 1 hour drive. We routinely take a 4 hour drive at least 3 times a month. Went with a 5 because of auto leveling LED headlights vs projector halogen bulbs. The 2005 Prius with HID headlamps are exceptionally bright at night. When I test drove a new 2012-4 at night I was disappointed with headlights. I have HID lamps in the 05 Prius and my Avalon Limited and they outperform the 2012 pkg 4 Prius headlights For me i wanted at least the 4 over a 3 because; Power seats , More comfortable due to adjustments The 5 because; Power seats, more comfortable due to adjustments Brighter LED headlights with auto leveling Life is full of compromises.
I made the decision to go with the 4 for the same reasons. I enjoy the upgraded navi as well and the other factors including the HUD definitely make the 4 a nicer car.
Similar...chose four because of: HUD - fantastic, LOVE HSI there to help learn driving hybrid Seat - very comfortable, even on 7 hr. trip DRL Softex Auto on headlights Also I have been happy with Nav, compared to my admittedly older Garmin.
This past Friday I went out and sat in a Prius with the Softex power seats and then a Prius with just the cloth manual seats. Comparing them so close together, the cloth seats are clearly less comfortable. And since I intend to put a LOT of miles on this, I'm going the extra $5K and just getting the four. It just arrived two days ago--just waiting for me to be able to take the road trip out to pick it up. It'll be the final voyage of my faithful '94 Chrysler LHS, so this will be bittersweet.
I was torn between the 3 & 4, but in the end I had to draw a line somewhere. The 3 with the sunroof/nav is great. Yes, a garmin also works well, but the in-car navi is nice because I can hear it over the stereo or handsfree calls. It's also a very large display, which is nice. And it doesn't leave a "ring" on my windshield to alert thieves that I've probably got a GPS hidden in the glovebox when the car is parked. My dealer added aftermarket leather & heated seats for $750 as part of the purchase agreement. They work great & I love them. I do miss the auto-dimming mirror & auto-headlights. My last vehicle had them & they are nice features, but I can live without them. Same with power seats; I really don't adjust my seats often, so that's not a big deal. I would have loved the HUD. My regret list includes that, as well as the lane assist & radar cruise. But again, they are things I can survive without.
Power seats in the 4 won me over. I share the car with the wife, its a pain to try and manually get it just right.
