Please help us choose a USED Gen III

The solar package has a sun roof and a small solar panel that runs a fan to blow hot air out of the car. It would keep the car cooler if you park in the sun.

 

I am no expert but do know that there is a solar panel sun roof package offered on the Prius Four, I am not sure if it is also offered on the large Prius v. It is a really neat feature and one reason I am loving the Prius

Hopefully others can chime in to answer the remainder of your questions.

 

Sounds to me like you are going to have to just physically go out and do some "car shopping" and comparison. Yes, the 3rd Generation Prius 4 has an available solar roof package, which is basically a moon roof option with solar panels that power a fan for circulation on hot days.

Others can give you more details on the specifics you seek. If you already own a "regular" Prius, and this is going to be the Husbands vehicle, or an additional vehicle, and you like camping? You might focus your search on a Prius V. But of course it's your budget, and if you've been able to handle the camping trips with the Prius you already own?

Well search well, and good luck with the sitch, The Hubs and any Niggles you might find along the way.

 

Look for the USB port in the center armrest. It's not necessarily a package selection. Early 2010's do not have one.

The nav & bluetooth work well enough for me. Very few problems with voice commands.

Heated leather seats come in the IV (Four) and V (Five) which are the standard hatchback. The v is a larger, different car.

Sounds like you are looking for a Four-Solar, Four-Nav, Five-Nav, or Five-Advanced Technology. A Three does not have the heated leather seats.

Take the stuff you expect to haul to the dealer & do a test load. Since it fits in the Gen2 it should fit a bit easier in a Gen3.

If the Hyundai is having problems under warranty why look forward to a maintenance/repair nightmare in the future? The Hyundai owners in the office may have had a lower purchase price but certainly spent more over the years when the maintenance is added.

 

In the 2011 Prius Three you had to get navigation to get a USB port. Mine is a 2011 Three with no nav, and there's no USB port. I have a 2010 Prius brochure and there is no mention of USB with the nav package.

My has voice recognition for the handsfree phone system. It doesn't recognize my commands sometimes.

The 2010/11 four and five had heated leather trimmed seats. The 2012 four and five get power adjust driver's seat and Softex trim seats.

 

Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota should help w/picking '10 and '11 Priuses.

USB came a little later on the '10 Priuses (USB and Safety Connect Are Almost Here! | PriusChat More on USB/Safety Connect | PriusChat) but yes, you need navigation on a III (or Three for model year 2011) or higher to get it.

 

The heated seat will bump you up to the next package of Four and it sounds like that's about the most important option you're "needing" based on your husbands wants when compared with the Sonata.

We were in the market for a new vehicle late last year and I tried my best to convince my wife that we should get another Prius but the fact that these just don't compare to a fully loaded full sized sedan in comfort and overall available options was the deal killer. And she doesn't drive often enough to even consider mpg as a factor. When I purchased mine '10 a while back, all I wanted was leather and it's the only option on my Prius that I have which doesn't normally come with in a II package.

Never been in a Gen II, but rear visibility in the Gen III is terrible. I'm used to it now but the small rear window split into two pieces with a very thick mid section is a safety hazard, especially at night when the mid section blocks the headlights of most cars it sometimes becomes difficult to tell how far a car is behind you. I used the back up camera on a '12 we last considered and it works well, but it lacks the reference lines on the screen to tell you how close you are getting to any particular item in view.

I've used Toyota bluetooth before and it works well, not sure if it's identical to the system in the Prius, but I don't see why it wouldn't work similarly.

Not sure about the USB port option, but don't let that be on top of your list as there are many ways to play digital files and it's simply a matter of slight adjustment in habits on your husbands part.

The solar is a set of panels on the roof and it, in my opinion of course, is NOT worth the money required to get one. It simply is used to circulate air in the cabin for the summer to keep the interior cool. Nice feature no doubt, but having to pay such a price for this option? Not worth it in my opinion.

The above basically describes some of what we went through in our discussions (between my wife and I) when looking for our latest new car. And in the end, my wife didn't like the Prius enough to buy again. She drove mine before and never liked it. In the end, our second car ended up being a '13 Santa Fe which is significantly more comfortable and loaded with creature comforts for all 5 passengers.

I drive 200 miles a day so I'm very happy with the mpg on my Prius. Just miss the thicker seats and less rattle of true highway cruisers! Overall, I would buy my Prius again for the mpg and also because I admire and appreciate the technology that runs it. As "The Electric Me" says, please go check it out for yourself! Oh, and one more thing, I chose a Toyota Certified vehicle over a non-certified one from a non-Toyota dealer or private owner. To some, this doesn't matter, but I trust Toyota's certification process and have had friends and family who've had good results. Best wishes.

 

2012 had a bunch of changes to the trims. Exclusive: 2012 MY Prius - Changes and Additions | PriusChat is mostly right except there is no backup camera on the 2012+ Prius Two. I believe what's at Toyota Prius 2013 | Hybrid Car is correct for '12 as well, except AFAIK, there was no Persona series on the '12.

 

I read SoCal and wonder, why heated leather seats? We have them in our Four and haven't used them. Is there some sort of Climate Change I haven't read about going on down there in sunny SoCal??

I've used a site called cargurus.com that makes looking for a new or used car pretty easy and saves some running around. You can set the size of area in your search (distance from your location), along with specific options and model years. It will also compare the sale price set on the car to the market value as an indicator whether it's a great, good, fair, or poor deal. It's a pretty good tool.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide on.

 

Some people with back problems run the heated seats all year. The heated seat is just a large heating pad.

 

You should be able to add heated seats to any car if that is a tipping point!

 

The budget is where you have to decide, but based on your preferences I would look at a NEW 2013 V or Hatchback. Download the the brochures then have him go touch, taste and feel then at DianneWhitmire | PriusChat to find what best fits his needs and wants. Best wishes.

 

We do. We're pointing out that there are alternatives to factory install. There's stuff in my car that I probably won't ever use. I had to take some stuff because it was packaged with what I wanted. I've found things that I wouldn't have ordered if I could build a car to be useful.

It sounds like it is time to visit the lots to discover what fits. Happy hunting.

 

Last week, I bought a used 2012 Prius Four with solar package and love it. Wife complained once that the inside is still hot..so note that solar roof doesn't cool the interiors but only makes the interior temps same as ambient....You should not expect the inside to be 20 degrees cooler than the outside with solar..fyi

 

My opinion won't exactly be objective, as I bought a 2012 (Gen3) Prius Four with deluxe solar package last May, and I am in love with the thing.

Regarding the Prius V v. regular Prius, unless you go out camping several times a summer would try to make do with the regular Prius. Unless you were willing to sacrifice the fuel efficiency on the V, which I was never wont to do. I haven't tried to pack a tent in it yet, but in ten months of garden shopping and the like I haven't manage to exceed the storage capacity of the standard Prius.

The visibility is rather crappy on the front and rear pillars, true.

For the first month or so when I drove it I was almost afraid to change lanes because I was never sure if there was another car off my rear quarter or not. But re-checked the aim of the side-rear mirrors several times and carefully checked the view while passing alongside other vehicles, and developed confidence in the visibility there.

So now I change lanes just as aggressively as with any other vehicle I have driven, with no vehicles appearing 'magically' in my blind spot.

The front pillar only bothers me on one hard-right down-incline turn, when I am blind to the location of the curb. That can get exciting, but you learn where the curb on your regular routes.

The Prius 4 with deluxe solar and the HDD package has bluetooth to run your phone (voice command) and music stored on your phone. It also reads your text messages to you as they arrive, and proposes about four pages worth of standardized responses that you may send back. I get a good giggle out of reading them as many are inappropriate for professional situations. Ok if dating, sure, but "Can't wait to see you!" isn't something you'd want to text back to your boss or co-worker.

I LOVE my Prius four.

 

ralleria , I did not know the HDD in Prius IV reads back text message..Thats cool..so far I have not received any text while driving..do i have to setup something ?