2012 Prius+ 7 mpv, Northern Europe edition

Hello all. I was happy to find this forum a few days ago, as our family has just purchased our first Prius (2012 Prius+ 7 mpv, dealer demo).

After wanting to buy a Prius for years, the recent news of twins after Christmas pushed a new larger car into the sudden "need" column. (Previously, we have been driving a very low mileage 2001 Carolla.) The final decision was choosing between a 2-3 year old Ford S-Max, or a new Prius+. With space and price, as well as usability, durability, and dependability in mind, we finally decided the Prius+ was the by far the best choice for us.

We pick up our car next week, and I have already been trying to read up on the basics and tips on the website. But perhaps I have overlooked something...I have few quick questions that hopefully someone can help me with.

Can someone please tell me the general differences between a Norwegian/Northern European version (Prius+ 7) vs the Prius t4/Spirit of the UK, or the Prius V (various models) from the US....Other than the seat configuration is different in Europe vs the US? I notice that Europe has a standard 3-seat 2nd row configuration, while the American has the 1 + 2 config in the 2nd row. Anything else noteworthy?

Also, does anyone know if the ipod classic 6th gen 160gb ipod works in the 2012 Prius models (fully functional ipod options on the touchscreen)? Or would a person have to upgrade to a newer ipod touch?

Although we have driving in the Prius+, we only did so without anything on the roof. We will be having the roof rack included with our vehicle...How does that affect wind noise and mileage? Do people just leave them on, even if they are not using their roof box? Or are they easy to put on and off, and so should be left off if only used on trips?

Any help would be appreciated. Always wanted a new Prius and....Now the time is almost here! And with a little more space, too.....

 

Just picked up our car last night. All I can say is: Wow. Such a nice ride! And such a wonderful driving experience.Where to start? It was a bit of a drive between the dealership and home, and I had to make a few stops along the way. Handling in heavy traffic excellent and smooth....quiet. Good acceleration and response, low cabin noise at all speeds...comfortable seats for long drives. Spacious...and an automatic? Thats just an extra bonus considering almost everything is manual stick-shift here. The only thing that took me a half hour to get used to was the panel layout being more "centralized" and higher than to the "left and lower". (And my only complaint so far? Nothing new...I dont like the emergency brake. Wish it was either made into a button or something pulled or pushed with the hand, but I knew about that before I bought the car.) Getting spoiled now....hard to step into the old Corolla

I have driven Prii before for short rides, but.... just have to say how wonderful it was for my first long drive. And to finally have a Prius....and with so much space! Simply thrilled. Will post pictures later on...