Midwest availability

So here's my update: for a variety of reasons, I went ahead with the order. I actually really like the Magnetic Grey. The options they added on that I *didn't* want were relatively minor. They did shaft me with a delivery charge for shipping it cross-country, but to be honest, the hours I spent were more easily done in this holiday period than they would be at other times. Sure, could've waited a few months (and prices might come down a bit), but I decided it wasn't worth it for me.

Dealer: unimpressed with Smart Toyota in Madison, but then again, it's about what I'd usually expect from almost any car dealer, and the hassle factor of going elsewhere (and likely *way* elsewhere) wasn't worth it. The usual lowballing of the trade-in car, pressure to buy the extended warranty, etc. Certainly makes me question why I've been getting all the servicing done there for 10 years on my 04 Prius when I could bring my business elsewhere. The Hybrid Specialist (not salesperson per se), John Dolan, was very knowledgable and informative throughout the process, though. (His new Prime was part of this same shipment.) Interestingly, though, when I first enquired about the Prime, the salesperson I chatted with seemed to know next to nothing and didn't pass me on to John. Wasn't until I asked a service advisor for a name of who to talk to in Sales that had a clue that I was passed on to a sales guy who knew to pass me on to John. All I can say is that I'm very glad I don't operate my line of work the same way they do...

Car: much of it is the joy of having a new car after buying a new one 13 years ago. (You mean I can listen to music off my phone via Bluetooth and don't have to use a headphone jack dangling off a cassette adaptor?) Certainly the tech integration is far more seamless. I'd argue that it feels like there's too much data on the displays, but then again there's no rule that I have to actually pay attention to anything but the basics. While the interface is no iOS, it wasn't that hard to figure out most of it without even opening the manual.

Exterior looks gorgeous. One point: that hatch does open taller than on the 2G Prius, and I thankfully checked before the taillight on the spoiler edge smacked into the open garage door hinge. It's fine if the door is closed, but if I'm opening it with the garage door open, it'll hit. I'm going to try to position a bit of foam in that spot to avoid forgetful (and expensive) accidents. (Foam on the garage door, not the car. )

Interior is comfortable as a driver, and my teenage son liked the wider seats in the back (thanks to the lack of a 5th passenger spot). The white accents on the wheel and dash are only a small part of it, but seem oddly out of place. Whatever.

The big minus that I didn't expect would bug me was how many small storage spots seem to have disappeared. My 04 Prius had two glove compartments, one small and one big (we're down to one medium one), there was a deep drawer in front of the central console (no more), a space under the audio (gone now, probably because of the large screen), and not only is the cargo area higher (due to the battery), the space under the cargo floor where I could throw jumper cables and the like has been replaced with a small, narrow space that only holds a couple of items. Again, I understand this was all due to battery, but it did feel like more of a compromise than I had expected.

Ride is smooth and extraordinarily quiet. Drove it home and then on one short errand and the gas engine didn't fire once. (I suppose at some point I should make sure it works. ) I expect most of my trips will be in town (<10 miles r/t), with the occasional longer highway run. The charging cable is a nuisance with that big box at the outlet end — my garage outlets are either ceiling mounted or mid-way up the wall, so I have a jury-rigged support for the box right now. I'm going to try to put ceiling hooks in, but the drywall will need something more secure than simple screw-ins.

All in all, it seems like a good car with a few compromises for the plug-in ability, but it feels solidly-built and planned. I think it'll be a good vehicle.

 

Not sure it was eight. I heard six originally, then it sounded like there were three actual cars that showed up. The number changed multiple times. And these weren't part of an allocation, but rather part of a trade deal with a dealer in Long Island.