My only black car was my last one ever. It was hot in the winter, hotter in the summer, and was a beyotch to keep looking nice. I'd wash and dry it, and the part that I'd just dried would start showing dust before I finished drying the rest of the car. Not to mention the chips, swirl marks, etc. And did I mention how hot the interior would get. Smokin' hot.
Yes they are little more work to keep clean. Also when clean they look awesome. A metallic Silver is the best color for hiding dirt. I got my 2010 in Blizzard for the reason of fuel mileage. BTW Hanna Montana, Miley Cyrus has a Black Prius. :rockon: Now the down side since we are talking about a Prius. I have a Black Volvo 960 and when it is hot out it is even hotter inside the car. If your looking for fuel mileage and I see you live in North Carolina don't get black. You will be using the AC all the time when the temperature gets above the low to mid sixties in the day time. You can tell me no you won't, I'm telling you yes you will. Bright sunny day in the mid forties and the interior is a nice comfortable high 60's low 70's.
I was hesitant until I went down to the dealer and saw it in person. I was instantly sold. Plus, they can have a V with ATP a lot sooner in black than any other color.
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Everybody here has chimed in on the cleanliness and look of black. Allow me to chime in on the thermal component. Black is black because if absorbs nearly all parts of the visible spectrum. In bright sunlight it will get quite hot. In the summer the heat rise of the metal body due to the heating effects of the sun will make your AC work harder and possibly feel uncomfortable when driving. I cannot speak for NC, but in AZ it is a real factor. As a matter of fact, the paint gets so hot here that if you accidently touch it during the summer months, you likely will end up with a 3rd or 2nd degree burn! So, white is the best color to avoid thermal heating, but least favorable because it has no pizazz. Personally, I would pick any color other than black or white.
I guess us Californians are lucky and get to drive black cars with no problems. Not so with Blizzard Pearl! All my cars have always been black or white I think the 2nd gen Lexus RX350 looks best in white. Blizzard Pearl is probably also the best color for the Gen III Prius, but I couldn't bear the thought of having two white cars.
I kind of like certain black cars but the facts are: - Scratches show easily - Harder to keep clean - Will expend more A/C energy to keep it cool in sunny areas (may be actually a real issue in the Prius) - Black Prius from previous generations do have a lower resale value By the way... I had the winter gray as first choice but changed my mind instantaneously when I saw the Blizzard Pearl!!!! It's all very personal but I do think the Pearl is the BEST color for the new Prius... no wonder they picked it for marketing! My dealer said they are selling the Pearl a lot more compared to the other colors...
I've owned just about every color out there on many vehicles and I'll tell you that Black definitely is the most high maintenance. If you don't like your car beign dirty then dont get black.... it'll always feel like the car is dirty. After you wash your car it'll feel clean for about 12 hrs. White and Silver cars generally are the easiest to take care of. Silver being a bit easier than white however a clean white car looks 10 times better than a clean silver car IMO. A silver metallic or pearl paint would look great while still providing that ease of maintenance. Its personal preference.... silver cars look boring to most so if you're ok with it, go with Silver.
Good to know that the winter grey doesn't show off dirt as much as the black. That's probably going to be the color of my new car.
Yes. I have a black (flat not metalic) 2008 Honda CRV and it looks great until you get close. The area above the door handles are one big scratchathon even though I have short nails and use the key fob. They appear just from touching the area. I have not had a swirl problem, perhaps because I had the dealer put on a protectant (that has kept it really shiny but no fingerprints). Also, I use a car wash that touches since no touchless around here. Most Prius owners on this site say don't. So if you don't plan to baby it, I would get silver or DP. Too soon to know if the metalic in my blue will make it easlier to care for...will follow-up in future.
Picked up my black II last night and it looked amazing (til it rained today). I knew it was gonna be a bear to keep it looking good but its stunning when its clean. I say if you want it - go for it.
Maybe I'm biased and just deluding myself, since mine is black, but I like it. All the comments about keeping it clean are true, though. Regarding temperature, I'm not knowledgeable enough regarding the tech stuff to weigh in on whether or not it's an issue with electronics/battery longevity. Regarding comfort, though, I can conclusively say that the *inside* color matters more, for me anyway, as I am not particularly inclined to sit bare-naked on the hood on a sunny 95 degree day . My last two cars were metallic grey and silver, respectively, with very dark interiors. I got the Prius with the light grey interior. Despite the huuuuge front windshield, the interior stays a lot cooler than the previous rides. A *lot*. Bottom line, get what you want; you'll like it.
That's a good point. A light-colored car with dark interior may heat up more than a dark-colored car with light interior, so getting a dark interior will defeat the purpose of staying cool. However, a dark-colored car with light interior will heat up more than a light-colored car with the same interior.
