New Prius II or III

I bought a II and don't miss having a III at all. Mine did come with an XM radio so I'm good. I might upgrade to a new head unit one day with bluetooth and nav, but I'm not in any hurry.

 

I have a Prius II and honestly I prefer it because now I will be able to install a head unit of my choice instead of being stuck with their NAV system.

 

'plain' Pruis Three does not come with Nav, but has JBL and bluetooth.

I wonder what aftermarket headunits would look like in the Prius. How do they fit. Check around in the audio section here.

 

I think the Three is worth the $1k. If you want kinda lamo sound that's missing lows and highs, and clarity, get the Two. The JBL is much better. Can likely do better than Toyota JBL with aftermarket system, but at what cost? I've talked to shops that say it can get up to $3k for a fine system installed in a car.

A $1k audio install parts / labor at Joe's shop may not be as good as Toyota. And with Two, you still don't get bluetooth for phone which is realllllly nice to have. Do you want to have to use a dumb bluetooth earpiece in the car or just talk using car's mic and speakers, plus have the buttons to answer / make calls.

 

I like how the (factory) Bluetooth seamlessly hooks up to my iPhone. I also can change (to the next song) through the buttons on the steering wheel.

 

The sticky in the audio/electronics section is pretty good. I'm satisfied with the radio in the II, but I admit that I was tempted by spiderman's results. His setup looks nice.

 

What about if the II has the bluetooth option the window sticker for $299? IS this the same bluetooth as the III?

 

I have a 2011 Prius III and would probably get a II. A much more acceptable system can be had for under $1000 that would blow that thing out of the car. It would pay for itself with the $1000 lower price.

I am looking for a IV when they become available again, and still intend to get rid of that lamo (good description) boom box in there and put in a good, but not ostentatious system.

Good luck with yours!

 

I should clarify that The Prius III belongs to my wife.
Smart women, eh?

 

Definitely go for Bluetooth. Too many states are banning holding a cellphone to your ear! As far as a Nav, get yourself a GPS and keep it in the center console.

Better get a Prius soon, as I think prices could be skyrocketing!

 

I concur the Blue Tooth is great.
I also like the JBL Radio.
I do miss the homelink and auto mirror.

 

I picked the III to get the steering wheel bluetooth and the "real" audio system. The II audio was not acceptable to me, and I didn't want to go out and immediately replace it. I've got a 70 minute commute and it's easily worth the price difference to me for these two things.

 

No one's mentioned the USB port. That's the only reason we're considering the Prius III. I hate to pay $1000 for it, but I think it's a cool thing.

Has anyone used the USB port? Does it work with a standard flash drive?

 

The III doesn't have a USB port unless you get the Nav package.

 

And according to the Toyota website, you basically pay about $3000 total for that. $1000 extra takes you from II to III, then the Nav package is another $1930. Is this right?

I'm seeing dealer inventory of the III that's only about $1000 more than the II, but all it says is something about JBL Premium or 6-disc, nothing about USB.

p.s. I cannot fathom why anyone still puts CD changers in cars. What year is this?

 

I use the changer for MP3 CDs. You can put 6-12 CDs worth of MP3 music on each CD depending on bit rate, so you have in essence a 4GB hard drive in your dash.

 

I only went with the III so I could get the solar roof. Now that I have it, I love the Bluetooth option. I think it's worth it.

 

Do you have the USB port in your car?

 

I don't have Nav so I don't have USB. But you can think of the CD changer as a fixed USB drive that's 4GB because 6 MP3 CDs equals about the same space as a 4GB drive.