Very nice! I was surprised there was no tachometer - I used the FE gauge instead... There is a 2010 with 'package' II arriving at the end of this month with 17 inch wheels, and I'm supposed to be first on the list (even without a deposit!) Nice car!
Funny how the wheels are either 15" or 17", even with an aftermarket 17". All the while, 16" would look and be a splendid size for the Gen3. I saw a regular Civic EX pull up next to mine at the gym today ... 16" wheels with 205/55-16 tires ... looked fabulous. catch the clue Toyota.
I don't know why Toyota went to 17" tyres? All three specification grades of the UK Gen 2 came with 16" tyres.
Why not? It's a sportier and has a lower profile than the 16s. It's the same size as the Gen 1 IS300 back in 2001 and the new Corolla XRS (in NA). My favourite wheel for the 2010 Prius. It's from the TRD Sportivo collection. It's more of a "luxury" design wheel than a "sporty" design wheel like this one:
Well you gotta admit, it does look sharp with the larger wheels. Just like your 16" look a lot sharper than the 15"s that we get (until 2006 in US and 2008 in Canada)
Er, no, I don't personally like the look of low profile tyres. I've been paying attention as I've been walking around the past few days and there are various hatchback cars with low profile tyres, and to me they do not look nice. I think the 16" were just about right.
In the UK, the 16" wheels don't look low profile to me, they were the standard specification for the Gen 2 along with a better suspension setup than the USA and an 8yr/100k miles warranty. The 2010/Gen 3 UK specifications seems to have gone backwards, offering either 15" and 17" wheels dependant on the model, and with only a 5yr/60k miles warranty.
A pity. We still get the 8yr/160k hybrid warranty and we did get the better suspension and 16" alloys (2006 for the US, 2008 for Canada). They're 195/55R16, right?