Thinking to buy a prius

I don't have either, and based on the fact that nobody in the US has body, I suspect it would be difficult for anybody to answer your question about which is more useful. That seems like a personal opinion.

Do you prefer the comfort of a cool car when you enter it on a hot day?
OR
Do you prefer a vehicle that attempts to keep you out of harms way by helping you maintain correct lane position, and avoids other drivers abrupt braking by adjusting your speed accordingly.

In my opinion, I have a basic Prius and the weight savings combined with the fact that I like to be in control of my vehicle leads me to believe your best bet would be to check out your local Toyota dealer and test drive the vehicles if possible to determine how useful you find the technology package.

 

I agree with Brett. It's a really personal decision.

Faced with the same decision, I went with the 4 with the solar roof. For me, that makes more sense because my car is often parked outside in the summer and contrary to popular opinion we do get sun here in Portland. On the other hand, I rarely use cruise control, and up until now have had no problem staying in my lane. But your mileage may vary, as they say.

As to whether the solar roof "work," it does keep the cabin cooler on sunny days. Note that it doesn't cool the cabin beyond the outside temperature. But it does keep it from becoming a blast furnace.

 

Using window visor's will do the same thing, keeping constant outside air temp the same in the car. Unless you like looking at the clouds while you drive I don't see why the added weight and expense. Just my 2 cents worth no need to flame.

 

I'll respectfully disagree. The solar panel driven fan blows quite strongly and allows me to keep my car fully secure and safe from rain intrusion (in case the weather changes). If there's no chance of rain I can tilt the sunroof up to vent position and it ends up even more effective.

I have no regrets about getting the solar roof option.

 

Solar panels are designed to sit in the sun all day, all summer, all year, for at least 25 years. The car will be dead far before the solar panels. The fan is another long-lived component.

Given that solar panels decrease in efficiency when they get hot, leaving it on all day (as opposed to turning it off for some period) will make it work better. I don't think that there is a battery in that circuit, so you might as well use the energy, otherwise it is gone forever [by which I mean it is heating up your car].

 

In other words, it works great spring, fall, and summer in Minnesota. I hadn't realized how accustomed that feature had become, hearing the fan running when I got in and the interior not blazing hot. I miss having a roof that opens too. But trading that for a plug was an easy decision.

I carried 2 kayaks on top with mine...



...without any trouble.

Of course, you can't open the roof while they're up there.

 

I had thought about getting that option, but didn't ask around. In any event, I ended up getting the Blizzard Pearl, so the white color does some to offset the heat. Of course I park in downtown DC in direct sun all day, so I am not sure if the solar panel would have been so effective. I think you should go with your gut, and that sounds like a vote for the solar roof.

 

I leave mine "on" all of the time. Turning it on requires pushing a button. It operates only when the car is turned off and there's sunlight striking the solar panels at an angle that produces enough electricity to power the fan. It's not attached to either battery. It's self-contained. I also really like having the ability to open the sunroof. That's so nice on sunny days!