Need your opinions on color please!

I got a blue but partly because my old car is black.

After I ordered blue I tested some random cars in a parking lot to see which got hot. Was surprised to find many colors got close to as hot as black!

For heat absorption clearly White was best and Black worst. But Blue or red were closer to black than white.

Best colors other than white seemed to be silver and gold.

Note my testing methods were very rough. Just felt each car in the sun. Some I could keep my hand on and others were to hot and I could touch for only a few seconds. Should have brought my infrared thermometer but didn't think of it!

 

I got blue and it's great--I would not trade it for any other color. It's even nicer than I expected.

What about silver? I expect that that would reflect pretty well and has a grey interior.

 

I really wanted the Tideland but kept getting offered a White.
I waited nine months and was offered a Salsa. I was just happy to just get my Prius. Had I waited another three weeks I could have gotten the Tideland but I'm very happy with my choice of Salsa.

 

Chill Reesdude...

Since you're not getting Salsa Red, it really doesn't matter what color you get - the rest are all equally good. :mrgreen:

There's a black Prius in my neighborhood and it looks wickedly cool as all black cars do, when clean. Would be awesone with deep tinted windows.

 

OT...

deh2k

Wow I really like your Avatar image. Did you do the effect? If so, how did you do it? Well done. Do you have a larger version?

I am getting Blue soon, also like the Red a lot. Also concerned about the interior. Will be my first tan interior.

Thanks,

 

I have a black '04 with gray interior and a white '04 with grey interior. You can also get either the black or white with brown (tan) interior. I think heat aborbtion for the outer sheet metal should not be a factor. It would be more important for interior color if the car had vinyl seats (remember the bare skin on hot vinyl seats?), but since we have cloth or leather, heat absorption is a moot issue.

My wife personally doesn't like black because it is hard to keep clean. I can attest to the excessive water spots after a wash. I like black because of the look. I have an aversion to red, due to fading, and Toyota's tendency to pair red exteriors with tan interiors. FYI, a survey several years ago said white was the most popular color (think resale value) and green was the least popular. Color preference also changes every few years...think appliances. I would like the fingerprint proof stainless steel if Toyota ever offered it as a skin option. It's the preferred appliance color at the moment.

 

I have blue and I like the color a lot. But what does it matter whether I like the color of your car? Get the color you like. (Or your significant other, if you have one.)

I suspect that there's a small difference in interior temperature between outside colors, due to the insulation in the body, but living in a hot climate, you definitely should get heat shields for both front and back windows. Prius Chat is a distributor for Canvasworks heat shields, so you can order them through the link in the "global messages" section, or shop around for something cheaper.

 

Just a note in terms of wait...

if you decide you want the grey interior, you might end up waiting longer (which might not be a problem for you, I don't know) because the black comes in both tan and grey. So your dealer might get a black car with the right package, but tan interior. It seems like people waiting for grey have to wait a bit longer, but I have no evidence for this. Many people say that the interior fabric is extremely easy to clean (I haven't had the need to try yet), the manufacturer of the fabric even has a pdf of how to get out different types of stains.

 

PS. Any color Prius makes me think that :mrgreen:

 

Nice to have a choice!

I opted for any color to minimize the wait. When they called after 6mo. it was white model #7. When I asked about waiting for a different color they said I be moved back to the bottom of the list - another 6-9mo wait. Yikes. But if I had asked for a specific color up front they said it could be up to a year!

I am very happy with white anyway. But I think other colors look better.

Al

 

My red/brown-ivory car replaced a similarly colored car I had ten years ago. Remember that the light color near the floor is countered by the darker color up near your shoulders. Many comments I've seen about "stains and smudges" of the interior have turned out to be unfamiliarity with the textures of suede materials and their imitators.

If you're looking for votes in the OP's choice above, I'd go with blue and tan. It has a beautiful yet comfortable feel to it, like denim clothing.

 

Here's what color I chose...



<--------------------

 

If you concern about interior heat build-up, definitely look into window tint that rejects infrared. I tinted my Prius all around (including the windshield 100%) by Huper Optik as I hate entering a steamy cabin. And I live in the NE which heat is a problem for only 1/2 of the year.

Just in case you wonder, you don't have to 'limo-tint' your Prius to achieve the heat-rejection effect. Even their 30% or 40% (visible light transmission) has the iR-blocking effect already.

 

[Broken External Image]:http://home.earthlink.net/~macreative/prius/Prius-1-Images/10.jpgWHITE IS nice

 

Reesdude, tough choice Blue or black... I can understand the fear of a black car.. been there, done that... I think all the colors of Prii are good and that you'd be happy with any of them... I have a Driftwood and wouldn't trade for any other color...

Bob Andersen

 

Go for the blue - don't worry about the interior color. I have a salsa red on order now, but I initially hesitated because of the ivory interior. However, after reading several threads here and on Prius Online, I'm convinced that it should be possible to keep the seats and carpet reasonably clean. I also just remembered that my sister's Avalon has a beige interior and that even with two young children riding day in and day out, it still looks brand new!

 

I still like my silver, but I also like both Black and the Brown (tideland?).

I just like grey interiors rather than beige.

Dave

 

I'm with you on the Grey, Dave! I waited a bit longer for the exact combination I wanted and it was well worth the wait (a little over a year and 1 months..but who was counting!? haha). I had a TRAC of a beige/tan and it got SO dirty from just everyday usage. I LOVE the seaside pearl, but I just couldn't hang with the lighter interior. it's all a matter of your personal choice. Every color of the Prius, thank goodness is GORGEOUS

 

I chose black because it blended with the plastic skirts and also because I think it makes a nice offset with the chrome tail lights. I also got it with grey interior which I added leather too. As for having to wait longer for a black/grey color combo it was my first choice and also the first Prius my dealer offered me after 5 months waiting. I can't really say how hot it gets inside during the summer because I got it in October.

Justin