I am trying to see what the benefits/drawbacks are to the various Prius v packages (Two, Three, Five). I have looked at the features on the Toyota web site but I still have a hard time gauging how practical these are. For example, I would like to know if the Five package with Advanced Technology is "better" than the Three. Better being a subjective measurement. Instead of viewing some chart I would prefer to hear from drivers who have picked one of these packages and can share their experiences. If this is in an existing thread, I apologize in advance.
I don't have the Prius Van, but I would get three when I don't need a sun roof. Navi system is a must to me for sure.
Not sure what the Two, Three, Five models are but in Canada, the choices are the basic car, or the Touring Package or the Technology Package. With the Technology Package, you get radar cruise control, voice-activated GPS, distance lines on the backup camera, and a larger screen. We opted for the Touring Package because the Technology Package was $4000 more. So we have leatherette seats, voice-activated Bluetooth phone, twin moon roofs (they don't open), GPS, sattelite radio. Enough bells and whistles for us. According to the manual, we are also suppopsed to have readout of tire pressures, but that doesn't work. I wrote Toyota Canada about it. They said they have passed it on to their tech department.
$3000 for Softex, LED lamp, Homelink, Alloy wheels is reasonable. $5500 for Premium sound, Sun roof and a bunch of safety and parking aid is expensive. I really wished toyota make five $2000 more and throw in sunroof and Premium sound.....
I added my thoughts on details of ATP here: LED lights | PriusChat I think you should really go to the dealer and compare a 3 and 5. The differences between the 3 and 5 are entirely "experience" in nature and by that I mean other than the 17" wheels, they don't really affect the bones of the car (the size of the car, drivetrain, mpgs are all the same). The foglights, homelink, softex seats and LED lights on the 5 vs. the 3 is up to you whether you value; they affect the driving experience not really the functionality of the vehicle. I would argue that the ATP does make a functional difference as you get a moonroof so the height of the car goes up slightly and the DRCC, APGS and pre-collision system you are getting significant functionality difference which again comes down to whether you value those features or not. For me I justified it as a difference in the safety of the car especially for drivers that aren't so "one" with their vehicle (like my wife). I also think experience wise the ATP navi vs. the navi that's on the 3 and 5 is head and shoulders above. The screen is far more clear and faster to refresh. If however you don't value the navi in the first place then maybe the 2 + the aftermarket mods you do care for is a better value.
I really, really wanted a sunroof -- one that opened. In fact, I came this close to getting a liftback because it had an opening sunroof. But after driving the Liftback and the v, my wife made me realize how much roomier and solid the v felt. Bought the v and was glad I did. But I wish Toyota offered the sunroof outside of the ATP, because then I would have popped for it.
