I am about to purchase my Prius in the next week or so. I am having trouble deciding on choosing the Barcelona Red or the Black. Anyone who has had a Red Prius, or has knowledge of, please tell me if you found you got tired of the red color or if there is any other intangible that may help me in my decision. Also, if anyone has the same info on the black, that would help me too. Also, the Bisque interior is what I might get. I have read that people have applied some kind of protection to the cloth to keep it from staining easy. Does the bisque cloth usually stain easy anyways? Lastly, does anyone have opinions regarding the comparison of the Touring and the regular models? Thanks!
In Fla. a black car will be too hot. Don't know what color bisque is, but I have a light tan upholstery and it shows dirt very fast.
Go for the red! It does not show dust and dirt like the black. The Bisque interior does not stain easily. It is similar to Alcantara and most soils clean up with a damp cloth. I did buy a can of scotchguard and did the seats and arm rests. Take a look at the leather armrest and console covers that Robin sells on ebay. She used to hang around here but I haven't heard of her for a while. Here is the listing for the leather console cover. eBay Motors: Toyota Prius Center Console Leather Cover Fits 04 - 08 (item 120212789946 end time Jan-26-08 10:02:31 PST)
Go for Barcelona Red. You will never get tired of the great color. Make sure you have a camera handy when it's car wash time; It's hard to resist taking a picture. Every morning I feel like I'm driving a brand new Prius off the lot to work. You will feel like your car is new for many years. Now I dont know if this is any different with a Black Prius, but Black will sure be HOT(temps!) for a Florida car as previously stated. I too use scotchgaurd on the seats and it works very well with the bisque interior. A coke spill was easily soaked up using napkins without staining. Good luck on your purchase!
Though I still haven't gotten my pics up, I'm going to have to vote with red. Granted, I've never been a huge fan of red vehicles, but DAMN it looks nice.
Black and beige is a nice colour combo and a dark tint (which I assume is allowed in Fl.) also matches well with the black. However, red is more striking and with a med. grey tint, looks fantastic. Put it this way, how often do you want to wash the car to keep it clean?
yeah black picks up dirt and SHOWS it! but when it's clean, soooo beautiful. tint it dark. we just did the windshield at the end of the hot season so i don't know how much that will help, but the side windows all at ~30% did help a lot. we got seat covers and the bisque cleans up pretty nicely anyway. hubby's a former mechanic so i know about cleaning up messes.
the barcelona red and black are equally beautiful when new, however, after 3 years the scratches & chips will show prominently on the black model (I had a black 97 avalon, trust me, I know) so if its a purchase, BUY THE RED, no hesitation, you'll only have to wash the car every 10 days instead of every 7 days. if its a lease, the choice is tougher cause you'll be returning the car in a few years so who cares if its got some highway rock chips. since there is no black or dark gray interior, you'll be stuck with light gray or beige, either one look good with the red or black, one word: SCOTCHGUARD!!!
When I bought my truck I wanted a burgundy one and had to settle for Black because they did not have my color in stock anywhere in the local area. I had the truck (yes it was a Toyota) for 12 years and while I enjoyed it very much, I really would rather had the Burgundy. So after seeing the Prius I decided to once again go for the red. Wouldn't you know it, again no one had that color in stock locally, so I bought it from St. Louis and had it transported to Florida. Finally, I have my red car and I love it! It does not show dirt nearly as bad as the Black, and it will probably be cooler in the Summer, but with air conditioning it really makes little difference. Only you can make the final decision. Regardless of the color you choose, you can't go wrong because it is after all, on a Prius.
I chose the Barcelona Red after having had a black Volvo, mainly because my compulsive need to keep the Volvo clean was driving me crazy. So far, I like the red!
i wanted a black touring package 6 bisque int, but waited 3 months and couldnt find one. finally a spectra blue showed up at delray toyota with above options and it was love at 1st sight...good luck finding a black with bisque interior, unless you dont care which package you get ps...no comparison re: touring vs standard, touring is a lot more stable in all driving conditions
Get a blue one. Blue is best. Seriously, most people get used to whatever color they end up with. My Xebra is garden-pest green, a color I hated, but accepted because it was available sooner. Now I love it. The cloth cleans very easily even without an after-market treatment. It is already treated at the factory.
I went to the dealership today and they had a red and a black so I got to see them side by side. The black was a touring with tan leather, it was already purchased but atleast I got to see one up close. It was beautiful but I think the red is more ME! So now that I've decided on red, now I'm stumped on the interior. I thought I wanted beige, but I saw one today with grey interior and it looked good too. I was afraid of the grey b/c I thought it would be too dark inside, but I kinda like it now. Hmmmmm...... Also, I've been quoted $28,350 out the door for a package 5 non touring with no accessories and $29,000 with mats, bumper protector, and the toyoguard. Is this good? I noticed better prices posted on here but they are always in CA. Anyone know where to get a good price in FL? Thanks everyone for posting your responses, it's awesome how ya'll take the time to help out a future prius owner!
Please go "red"! That keeps my Black one looking unique: some aftermarket black alloys/sharkfin/window tint/etc. I'm also chasing down some underbody lights...oh yes! PS - I've owned a black Integra, Pathfinder and now the Prius. This Toyota black is simply the best of the three. Now I've got to track down someone who will install the scotchguard film to protect my new ride.
Such a happy problem! The red is nice with bisque or gray. I have red/gray, but then I'm required by law to support gray. Good luck with the pricing - did you solicit prices from other dealerships to aid negotiation?
I've had a Barcelona/bisque, now have a Barcelona/gray. I liked the bisque fine, but like the gray better.
In my opinion, toyoguard is unnecessary, therefore a waste of money. The car is built with all that protection. Adding more is redundant. As for interior color, I'd flip a coin or take whichever is available. As with exterior color, you'll get used to either. Colors are a minor issue compared to the truly amazing features of the car itself. Strong recommendation: Get a package with all the air bags all around, and if you will ever be driving where the road is slippery, get a package with VSC. Safety is your number one priority. (... says the guy who drives a car with no air bags at all; but that one only goes 40 mph... the Xebra, that is.)
This is my second Prius (I stupidly sold my first one when I relocated. Now I'm back). My first one was the gold color. It was very eye-catching. now I have the barcelona metallic red one with the dark grey interior and leather seats. It's more eye-catching than the gold one, which had the lighter grey interior. I would think the black ones would look dirty quicker. I do not know. I would get any color, it really doesn't matter to me. In fact, the one I bought, it was the only one they had at the dealership - "take it or leave it" Gotta admit, I like the red.