joining the club but which to buy?

The Touring Edition seems like a real bargain, it includes springs, struts, 16" wheel/tires and HID headlights and was only a few hundred dollars if I remember correctly. It might be easier/cheaper to add the leather seats aftermarket to a T/E than to upgrade the handling of a regular model with leather seats.

 

I drove them both, and I could not tell that much difference between the two.

I think you should be able to find someone to add the leather that is as good as or better than factory, and at a lower price.

At first, I was going to buy the Touring for the 16 inch alloy rims, because I thought they looked a little better. Then, the sales people pointed out to me that if you remove the beauty rims, the 15 inch rims look more like the 16 inch rims, and I found IMO they both looked better without the rings.

Since I bought my non touring Package 5, I have heard that the rear spoiler is a little bigger on the touring edition. I may have went for it if I knew earlier, because I am a Wing Man.

Whichever you buy, I think you will love the car.

 

<_< If you are upgrading from your sports car, I would recommend getting the Touring for the improved handling. Later add the BT stiffening plate to tighten it up further. Good luck, let us all know what you get. B)

Lee

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NoMoShocks @ Mar 15 2007, 11:11 PM) [snapback]406558[/snapback]</div>

Looks aside, I'd pick the T/E just to avoid the experience of driving on the Integrities that come with the base model. I like the 15's without the trim rings, too, I see about half the Prius's here have removed them. The OP should probably try to drive both versions and see which one they like better.

 

Touring model


my $.02

 

I would say touring all the way, but definately get a Prius with the Nav already in it. I just like factory options makes it funner to use and looks better then a Garmin sitting on your dash. my $.02

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 16 2007, 05:53 AM) [snapback]406684[/snapback]</div>

The consensus on this seems to be that, while the Toyota nav is acceptable, many other (aftermarket) nav units are superior when it comes to the navigation software. However, as TomorrowMatters points out, the fact that the Toyota Nav is integrated into the car is very nice and gives a much "cleaner" look.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably pick the Toyota Nav, since it gets decent reviews and the "integrated" factor would be a big one for me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ Mar 16 2007, 10:31 AM) [snapback]406728[/snapback]</div>

The integrated factor is a huge one for sure, but damn, the price is steep. You're going to spend 2k or so on integrated nav. Check over in the Audio and Electronics Section, I just posted a link to Costco.com where they have the Garmin Nuvi 350 for $349 until March 22, that's a hell of a buy.

In the end, I opted for no nav simply because I travel alot and having a handheld GPS made the most sense. If you don't travel a lot, will want nav primarily in the Prius, then it's hard to argue with the integrated GPS, although the price still stings.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 15 2007, 11:59 PM) [snapback]406546[/snapback]</div>

Prius is not a sport car rather is a sub-compact car. So don't expect a sporty ride. My last ride is a Mitsu Evolution 8. I can tell you from my experience, it's a 'HUGE' difference.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 15 2007, 11:59 PM) [snapback]406546[/snapback]</div>

Yes, most dealer have 3rd party manufacturer option which can install leather seat. There will be a huge price different. My local dealer charge up to $2k for customized leather seat while getting a Package #6 Prius only cost me $800 more than a package #5 prius. That's no brainer.

IMO, The OEM leather is not as nice as the customized leather seat. If you get the money, go for the customized leather seat.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 15 2007, 11:59 PM) [snapback]406546[/snapback]</div>

Better hurry, you have about 2 more weeks before March 31st.

BTW, Conglat to you if you join the club. I just joined the club for a few days.

 

You can get aftermarket leather for under $1000 installed. You will have options re colour and leather quality, not the very limited choice Toyota gives you. Check out Katzkin. There are others as well, and they all have local installers. I wouldn't let the dealer do it, as he will most likely send it out anyway (and charge you more after adding his cut).

As posted above, the Touring is the best buy as it gets you away from the lower quality stock 15" tires and gives you the upgraded suspension plus the larger rear spoiler. I like the Touring rims without the covers - sort of a "gun metal". The colour of the car will matter in this case. Search this site for posted pics. of the 16" wheels that come with the Touring. I suspect if you added the BT brace to the Touring, it would make the handling "acceptable" to a sports car person.

In my case, there is no way -any- car costing less than $100,000 could match my sports car in handling (see below). But who cares, I'm not trying to - I'm trying to get a hybrid that handles acceptably. You can too.

 

I am one of those who added leather to my Prius at an aftermarket shop for $1100.

These shops do 95% dealer business and know that their work needs to look like a factory install. As others have mentioned, besides the cost factor, you can choose many fabrics and colors that Toyota does not offer.

I wanted leather, but knew I needed to ante up an extra $5000 over package #3 for package #6 which includes the leather and other "stuff" I didn't need.

Looking at it that way, spending $1100 on leather seemed like a great deal!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 16 2007, 02:53 AM) [snapback]406684[/snapback]</div>

My original idea was to get one without and get an aftermarket. When I found out (this was 2005) that it was easier to get a Prius with NAV (as well as other items), I decided to "bite the bullet". This is my first car to have a NAV system and know from now on I'll have one. Whether it's built in or not is another matter. I like the fact that it's built in, but the aftermarkets generally have more options, can be used in more than one vehicle and are cheaper to buy and update.

A problem with the built-in is that almost everything is locked out when the car is in motion, preventing your passenger from making entries. You can either cut a speed sensor wire (and install a switch), or get a Lockpick from Coastal, but it's an added hassle.

 

Howdy stonewell

Was it a dealer who told you that the Touring Edition was not offered with 'factory leather?' I admit, I'm dubious about the accuracy of dealers' comments. In the South Central Region {Houston TX disbributer} the Touring comes in several 'packages' including pkg 6 which has factory leather, navigation... all the goodies. I preferred the factory leather because the 'port installed' leather included 'Liquicell Comfort' which amounts to some thin pads installed under the leather which produced a lumpy feeling according to my wife. If your 'aftermarker leather' is more local, or if you can control the specifications, you could specify exactly what you want.

Package for package and Option for option, the difference in the 'standard' and 'Touring' was $270 when I traded my 2004 for the Touring 2007 - an insignificant amount considering the 16" wheels and Bridgestone tires, HID headlights and improved suspension. Compared to my '04 Prius, my 2007 is a firmer ride, corners better and seems less susceptable to crosswinds. The Bridgestone Turanza tires provide more 'footprint' which increases traction and brakeing friction {a safeth feature in my opinion}. After delivery of my '07 T/E, after trying higher tire pressures, I found I preferred more nearly the Toyota-recommended pressures: 37/35 psi.

Not sure of your Region, but here I logged in to Toyota.com and was able to see the inventory and 'enroute' Prius for all the dealers. As I recall it's Toyota.com - Locate a Dealer - ZIP - Model Year - Search New Vehicles - Prius. As I say, it may be different in your region.

Touring Edition is my choice.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chinalfr @ Mar 16 2007, 11:00 AM) [snapback]406781[/snapback]</div>

The Prius is a mid-sized car. The only (polite) word I can think of when describing Toyota's NAV DVD upgrade is "exhorbitant".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stonewell @ Mar 17 2007, 08:20 PM) [snapback]407652[/snapback]</div>

I'm not an expert, but, in my thoughts a vehicle with wider tires and that sits up higher (Touring Edition) will have poorer gas mileage. Also, when they only cost about $800.00 over a regular Prius, just how much more are they giving you for $800.00 - In my humble opinion, I don't think much. A regular 2007 Prius would be just as good in thinking.

 

You should drive the base & touring Prius back to back on the same route to judge for yourself. I did that and did not feel much difference between them. Since the dealers I was looking at were overflowing with "regular" models, but only had a couple of touring in stock, I decided to skip the touring and go with the options and color I wanted.

WRT nav systems, I already had a Magellan Roadmate I was using in my last car. One nice thing about a portable is that you can take it with you and use it in rental cars. Another nice thing is the price -- you can buy 3 or 4 full-featured portables for the factory unit price. While the factory unit looks "cleaner" than the unit attached to the windshield, I keep mine in the secret drawer under the cupholder 99% of the time. It's invaluable when in strange territory, but the reality is that I don't need guidance telling me how to drive the same route to work every day. Once the novelty wears off, it gets annoying to hear the voice telling you when to turn when you already know where you're going.

I do highly recommend the Bluetooth option if you've got a phone that supports it. It works really well with my Verizon/Palm Treo 650.

Happy shopping.