Re: 2018 Prius 1 or 2, on the highway, how is overall comfort and noise?

Thanks for the replies. I have another question, related to safety.
I read that the 2018 rear window visibility isn't good. I'll get a chance to sit in a Prius next week and I'm expecting it to be "OK" but I'd like first hand experience on how visibility is when it's raining. I think the 2016 and 2017 are also the same rear window design? I think the Prius One is a good value but it has no rear wiper and I'd like to know if the combination of so-so visibility and rain is a problem.
I may write off the Two Eco because I heard they're hard to find which will limit choice, and the "different" tires give away traction for mpg which in this case I'd go with traction/safety. Also, my son may have this car many years and those tires may be discontinued or go for some silly price. I may go with the optional 10 spoke chromed Toyota wheels or an aftermarket wheel and want to have choices on tires.

 

I want to thank everyone who took the time to answer my questions. I'm going to visit my family for Christmas and will be away from a computer for awhile. Any more replies will be appreciated. Have a great Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Just thought I'd let you all know the big decision. My son decided on the 2019 Honda Civic Sport. We first test drove a 2018 Prius Two. He liked it and had no issues with the styling or the ride. Keep in mind he had a tired '94 Ranger and anything we drove was better. At that dealer, he saw a red Toyota "86" and fell in love. We talked him out of it but the look of that car stayed with him. We then tested the Honda and he was even more impressed. He liked that the Honda (Rallye Red) was a nice compromise between the Prius and the 86, not a sports car but still some flash. He loved the Honda's steering.
My wife insisted we also test the 2018 Mazda 3 I Touring because I bought my older son a new one 4 years ago and he loves it. My son drove it and liked it too. Because it had a moonroof and full leather, it took him awhile to decide between the Honda and Mazda. He decided based on a shared thought...The Mazda was very nice but unchanged since 2014. Compared to the Honda, the Mazda seemed dated and almost plain. It didn't help the Mazda much that the Honda was the same red as that 86. He decided on the Honda. He's happy and that makes me happy.
Just to share, we got the Honda for $23,500 OTD which included a $200 option that had already been installed. The dealer, Galpin Honda (California, Mission Hills), honored the TRUECAR price. They actually did better than the "fair price". I carried in a 2 week old printout with a fair price of $21,471. When the salesman verified the price on the website, in front of us, it had gone up $280 unexpectedly. They ended up honoring the lower price, rounded the numbers and gave us the OTD price. I learned a lot about "haggling" this time around. ALWAYS tell the dealer you have another appointment waiting, even if you don't.
The Mazda was offered at $22,350 OTD and really was a fair deal. I may go back there if I decide on a CX-5.
The 2018 Prius Two with the added red color ($395 extra) was offered at $25,988 OTD. Seemed too high to me. I can only assume we could've lowered that some but we never got to the haggling stage because my son had to go to work.

Long read, I know, but I wanted to thank everyone here for taking the time to share your experience and knowledge. The Prius is definitely a good car and helps the environment by using less gas, but in a young man's eye's (very responsible/not a boy racer) the Honda's Extra power, great handling and that loud RED!!! won over. Thanks again and I hope we all have a great, healthy and prosperous New Year!

 

Regarding the haggling...this isn't clearing "2018 plated stock" as one member suggested (we bought a 2019), and I've never heard of Honda or anyone not willing to negotiate, but I'm hardly a seasoned car buyer. I've only previously bought 3 new cars in my 62 years. One for me, a 1995 Blazer that I still own, one for my wife, a 2007 Chrysler 300 and my older son's 2014 Mazda 3. Looking back, I got taken advantage of when buying my Blazer, getting only $350 knocked of MSRP. That was my first new car and I had little leverage because the Blazer was all new that year and selling for MSRP at first. My wife hates haggling and so I meekly asked for an additional $1,000 off her car, though it did have a $2,500 rebate at the time. That salesman came right back from his manager in about 3 minutes and said "sold", no real haggling. It was a small dealership and the salesman said it was the only car they sold that day. We did get a good deal on my older son's Mazda, but with help from TRUECAR.
You guys sound like you have a reason to believe Honda won't haggle. I was determined this time to get a fair deal. My opinion is that it's a good time to buy a new car just as it is to buy a new house because most people are spending their money on other things this time of year. I also relied a lot on TRUECAR pricing. Last, I made sure that ANY dealer I spoke with knew he had competition, be it real or made up. The combination worked for me.
Some dealers don't work with TRUECAR, period. The dealer I bought from, Galpin, does honor TRUECAR and I knew from my experience in 2014 that the TRUECAR price is based on actual prices people recently paid in my area. The dealers know that too. I brought the TRUECAR printout with me. The Toyota dealer wouldn't honor the TRUECAR price and as I said earlier, quoted us a high price. The first Honda dealer we visited also wouldn't honor TRUECAR. That dealer quoted us $24,800 OTD after some haggling. We left, saying we'd come back the next day, which we did intend to do.
Figuring you MUST go to at least one other Honda dealer, we went to Galpin. Galpin does honor TRUECAR. We test drove and then got a quote based on the latest TRUECAR fair price, about $21,721. According to TRUECAR, that "fair" price is dead center of the lowest and highest actual price paid. That range is almost always below the MSRP. I told that dealer in all honesty that I didn't expect to get the car for the lowest price on the TRUECAR range, but I wasn't going to pay the highest either. It had to be no more than the average price paid and lower than that if they didn't want me to visit the other dealer. I made it clear that we'd have to think about it and needed to keep our appointment with the other dealer. THAT got the manager coming over in a hurry. He was a solid 300 pounder but moved like a gazelle when he thought we were leaving. A few minutes later, they knocked off a few more hundred $ and we met at $23,500 OTD including a $500 savings for College Graduate. We also got an already installed $200 option (door edge guards) for "free".
TRUECAR factored heavily in this deal, but just as important was my making it clear we intended to meet another dealer who "guaranteed" us they would beat Galpin's offer. Had that other dealer not tried a shady way of making us pay $700 for a Lowjack alarm, we may never had ended up with our deal.
Just as a side note, the Prius dealer was selling remaining 2018's only and had no 2019's yet. I know the 2018 Prius sales (and 2016/2017)are suffering because many people don't like the styling and they've seen the more preferred 2019's arriving. I read reports that poor '16/'17/'18 sales, by Prius standards, is the reason Prius was given more exterior changes than it normally would after only 3 years of the latest style. Knowing all this, I was surprised they quoted me such a high price, though that's from a dealer I now realize isn't a dealer I'll ever visit again.
One other side note for hybrid buyers, I briefly read about and looked at the "new" 2019 Honda Insight. I liked it. The mpg's are very close to the Prius. Up front, it looks like you get more car for your money. According to popular testers, Honda isn't focusing on pushing the Insight as a hybrid/high mpg car as much as they're pushing the Insight as a comfortable, well equipped car that just happens to give good mpg. Somewhere between an Accord and the Civic. I was impressed but this car wasn't for me. Honestly, I probably would hesitate to buy ANY car that's as all new as the Insight. Honda's hybrid stopped production in 2014 due to poor sales. Now, after 5 years, it's back. I'm sure Honda has done all it can to make sure the car will take sales from the Prius but I don't think I'd buy it yet. That's just me. The only negative thing I read in reports was that the engine was noisy. Other than that, it really did look like more car than the Prius.

 

Oh, one other thing that could effect haggling, or not. Galpin, who sells several brands, has been the world's #1 or #2 dealer many times in the last 2 decades (as per their advertising). The salesman said they were always busy and when we walked in on a weeknight, it looked to me that nearly every desk had a customer, about 15-20 desks. Being an obvious "volume" dealer, haggling should be the norm regardless of what brand you're negotiating.
I keep saying I'm retiring the old Blazer but it keeps on humming along. But when I do I'll probably head straight to Galpin. I'll bring the TRUECAR printout and use the same strategy we did this time. For the first time I'll walk into a dealer feeling confident instead of fearing pressure and a stressful overall experience that results in a price you later regret.