I visited a local Toyota dealer and they had a 2023 Prius hybrid XSE there to see and drive. This one had fully tinted windows. Is that an option consumers can select when buying one?
Window tint is done locally; they don't come from the factory that way. It's usually cheaper and you get what you want, if you get it done locally on your own. There's usually a huge markup; that's why the dealers do this - high profit margins.
Might have been a sale that fell through. Extra tinting is purely an aftermarket thing. Personally if I was considering a used car and it had tinting, that’d be a negative. It’s a plastic film, definitely not as durable as the factory tint that’s actually part of the glass.
Has anyone tinted their Gen 5s yet? I’ve noticed that our cars get exceptionally hot while parked under the sun, even with a sunshade behind the windshield. The long shallow-angled windshield and glass roof doesn't help. As dangerous as it may be, I’m considering installing a light tint for the front windshield to reduce the greenhouse effect. However, according to the owner’s manual the ice defrost feature supposedly makes this pane super hot, which may mess with a tint film. Also the front side windows are treated with a UV coating that can be easily damaged by stuff as innocuous as glass cleaners. Not sure if this is on the interior or exterior. Thoughts on window tinting our cars?
I tint all of my cars. Ceramic type at a minimum. Otherwise the interior would be unbearable in peak summer heat. Not to mention your AC will be working extra hard without help from the tint. Tint is first and foremost for function, especially for hybrid. It just also happens to look good. I went with 50 on the windshield, 35 for driver and passenger, 15% on the rest with 3M Ceramic IR. 90-95% of the performance of their topline Crystalline(or topline of any manufacturer) for about 50%-60% of the cost. Again, look at the spec sheet of any tint, and look at the TSER. It's the cliff notes in % of it's total performance. The darker you go, the more heat it rejects. Cheaper, dark tint will perform like an expensive, but lighter tint. Example would be you'd need 15% cheap tint to perform as well as a 70% expensive tint.
Factory tinting is included with almost all new cars this day and age including the 2023 Prius. However, it is not at all effective in reducing interior temps as is. I tint all my new vehicles having lived in both FL and NC. Helps substantially and looks great!
