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Prius Prime Plus vs Premium. Final decisions.

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by LilyHere, Feb 5, 2019.

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  1. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    Hello there, Prius friends!

    I have been looking at purchasing a new Prius Prime Plus and just trying to find the best price.

    Now, I am trying to make sure that I want to stick with the Plus.

    I don't care either way about the larger screen of the Premium. But I have read that if anything goes wrong with the screen, the larger one of the Premium might be a lot more expensive to fix than the Plus one. Is that right? Do you prefer it for some reasons?

    I don't care about smart key, since I am a paranoid person and I actually deactivated automatic proximity door unlocking in my previous Prius.

    I don't care about wireless phone charging either.

    So, mostly if I were to splurge on the Premium, it would be for the more durable Softex seats. All seats feel fine for me, but from what I gather, Softex is way more durable and easier to keep clean than cloth. Your thoughts on that?

    Anyway, any thoughts on Plus vs Premium worthy or unworthy splurge for me?

    For me, decisions get made based on practicality, so if I decide to splurge on Premium it would be for practical reasons, like durability of seats.

    Thank you!
     
    #1 LilyHere, Feb 5, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2019
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    The 11” is very expensive. More than the smaller one.
    Consumer Reports recommends the Premium over the Plus.
     
    #2 schja01, Feb 5, 2019
  3. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    Is it a lot more expensive than the smaller screen or just a little?

    Why does Consumer Reports prefer the Premium?

    Thank you.
     
    #3 LilyHere, Feb 5, 2019
  4. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    8CE81C52-1006-4635-ABDB-0139802D80F7.png
    The 11” screen new alone is $4,000 give or take.
    See attached screen shot as to why CR suggests Premium over Plus.
     
    #4 schja01, Feb 5, 2019
  5. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, 11 inch display is expensive, but so is smaller display on Plus. IMHO, not much difference in repair cost if either one goes bad.
    Annotation 2019-02-05 073323-vert.jpg

    I forgot to mention in my PM. Softex is indeed much easier to clean. It is plastic and does not absorb liquid quickly. You can wipe off most stuff you get onto it. That said, I don't know about the durability part. It may be durable, but don't know if it is "way more" so than cloth. One thing I fear about Softex is if you have a sharp/hard object on the seat and pierce the Softex material, it looks almost impossible to mend it. There may be something that can fix it but it will look more prominent than mended cloth upholstery, I think.
     
    #5 Salamander_King, Feb 5, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2019
  6. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    If I really wanted could I "retrofit" my prime plus with the smaller screen and install that bigger screen?
     
    #6 EyePrime, Feb 5, 2019
  7. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    upload_2019-2-5_9-13-58.png
    It says it fits the prius prime plus
     
    #7 EyePrime, Feb 5, 2019
  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yes, I saw that but I think it is an error. The small display also says for Prime Premium and Advanced. Don't know for sure, but I did read somewhere that underlining software is different between smaller display head unit and 11.6 display head unit.
     
    #8 Salamander_King, Feb 5, 2019
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  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i would shop for the best price and include that in your decision. does color availability matter at all?
     
    #9 bisco, Feb 5, 2019
  10. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    I am sticking with Silver.

    Blue is gorgeous and I love it. But I think Silver is the most practical and subtle color, which is why I decided to go with silver.
     
    #10 LilyHere, Feb 5, 2019
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  11. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    Thank you! So much to think about!
     
    #11 LilyHere, Feb 5, 2019
  12. bamike

    bamike Junior Member

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    Buy the plus. The prices you see for the 11 inch screen are new from Toyota. By the time yours fails, if ever, there will be tons of them on the market from salvage cars that you can buy and use in your car.
     
    #12 bamike, Feb 5, 2019
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You cannot retrofit without a new dash.

    For one thing, the shifter/Park/EV/HV/EV Auto buttons are actually mounted lower on the Premium/Advanced vs. the Plus. And you'll possibly new new piping for the air vents (since they come out from the sides rather than from the top).
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Feb 5, 2019
  14. bamike

    bamike Junior Member

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    I don’t mean retrofit, I mean if you have a premium or plus, either way if you need to buy a new unit it won’t be as expensive as buying oem from Toyota.
     
    #14 bamike, Feb 5, 2019
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Ohh, sorry.

    Yes that's correct.

    For the 2nd Gen, a brand new one was $4,000 for the 7" MFD. A refurbished one was $2,000 and salvaged ones were in the $1,000 range.
     
    #15 Tideland Prius, Feb 5, 2019
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  16. KP7

    KP7 Member

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    I went with the plus for the physical AC etc controls. Being able to change settings without taking eyes of the road was what I wanted.

    Also, having been a longtime driver of silver and gray cars, I'd urge you to go with one of the more vibrant options. For years I've been annoyed that so many people were pulling out in front of me and cutting me off even with daytime lights on. Then I went with the red prime and suddenly no one pulls out in front of me anymore because I'm no longer in a pavement colored car.

    Good luck and let us know what you choose!
     
    #16 KP7, Feb 6, 2019
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  17. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    And Hypersonic Red is da bomb.
     
    #17 schja01, Feb 7, 2019
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  18. prius4owner

    prius4owner Member

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    If you are old school like me, plus comes with 1 cd changer, which is not available in premium and advanced.
     
    #18 prius4owner, Feb 7, 2019
  19. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    Oh no, a logical reason for blue. Omg, now I have to think. I have actually never had a silver before. I have bought blue, because that's the color I like. But I decided to be super practical and go with silver. But your reason is really making me reconsider. Thank you for sharing your experience. Now I am back in decision mode. Hmm...

    So, in fact a non-silver car is the safer vehicle by virtue of being seen better?

    And you are right about the convenience of those physical controls. Plus the Premium is not a trivial amount more. Had it been $500 more or something like that, it would be easier to choose Premium, but it's not $500. And Advanced is very cool, but it's a whole bunch more expensive unfortunately. So, likely going to go with the Plus, unless I get a really great deal on a Premium or a stupendous deal on Advanced relatively locally.
     
    #19 LilyHere, Feb 8, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2019
  20. LilyHere

    LilyHere Junior Member

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    Definitely a good point. Saw that in some of the review videos.

    I have not used CD's in a bunch of years now. I am a very digital girl. So, no sway either way as far as CD's are concerned. I likely won't use the CD player, even if I have it.
     
    #20 LilyHere, Feb 8, 2019
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