Need help deciding between the IV and V?

You'll have no problems retrofitting the 17" wheels on a IV.

Black has no advantage over Silver other than looking more flashy when just washed. Everybody knows black is a high maintenance color. So just get what you like the best. I dislike too much black on silver (including blacked-out SR and dark tint), but then again, SR on Black won't have any contrast. Personally, if I were to get a SR, I'd get Blizzard Pearl and fit it with gunmetal aftermarket wheels.

 

I agree...get what you want if the money is not an issue. I understand the 17 inch wheels may take a bit away from MPG.

I wanted black for my Prius, but red was the color for the deal I got. I'm glad I have red now instead of black.

Best wishes on with your choices.

 

I personally decided to go with the V because of the stock LED lights and 17inch rims. I did not want to worry about getting new wheels and rims, and wanted the better steering.

However i never drove the IV and I decided i could live without the sunroof, although i may regret that during the summer. I figured i would regret stock LED, 17inch rim/wheels and better steering more than the sunroof.

 

V also comes with unique suspension, in addition to better steering.

If you drive lots on the highway at night, then the LED headlights will be a better fit for you. If you don't drive at night a lot, then go with IV esp. since you like sunroof.

 

I also got the V due to the LED head lights. Also liked the 17" tires, I do a lot of highway night driving and the LED's are so much brighter. Also, makes it easier to see during night rain. Test drove both at night and decided I liked the V better.

Either one that you choose, I'm sure you will be happy.

 

We got the Canadian Touring model, which is similar to the V insofar as the LED headlights and 17" rims. One semi-disappointment: the stock fog lights: they make very little difference. Was driving another family member's Honda Pilot: flipping it's fog's on/off made a big difference, by comparison. With the Prius fogs it's almost hard to tell...

 

I opted for the IV instead of the V because I do not like the stiffer ride of a shorter sidewall tire. I've had my fun with sports-styled cars and I opted for smoother (and under $30k) this time around.

I've always had black and silver cars (the Prius is my first white car) and silver is the best for water conservation ; you'll rarely have to wash it! Black is nice and shiny but I've found white to be the worst in regards to hiding dirt.

 

FWIW....

The V will probably be easier to sell in a few years b/c of the rims and the lights. There's a few other gee-wizz features on the V that are nice as well....and if your trying to flip a coin between a V and a IV, then money is clearly not the overarching issue in your purchase.

One disadvantage in the V (as brought up before) they seem to do about 2 mpg less than earth friendlier models...as observed by posters in this forum. I don't have any hours in a V, although I do have 5500 miles in type---and the Prius is finicky enough to care whether the rim is 15" or 17"----despite the fact that the overall tire height is the same.
V owners are a lot more fun to watch in the forum whenever anybody says anything the least bit disparaging about their specific sub type.
If you get the V, you can always tell wide eyed young Prius aficionados that you have your very own page in PriusChat. That's worth thousands all by itself!!

Color:
If you're on the fence...get silver.
Black is da BOMB!!! For about a year...but only If you spend 10-percent of your life or 10-percent of your income in keeping it clean and polished.
After that....it STILL looks awesome at 50-mph or from 50 yards.
Up close....any black vehicle over a year or about 12K miles old looks like a bag of (expletive deleted.)

Again...
JMHO.

 

We (at least i do) respond in kind to ignorant statements made by, strangely enough, mostly Prius II owners. It is almost always Prius II owners who criticize the upper level owners. Jealousy? Strange.

 

If sunroof is priority? And it sounds like it is, go with the IV.

 

I'm sure you're right about II's attitude about V's, but (there's always a but), in fairness to II's, the II is a tremendous value for a Prius wanna-be. Regardless, of which one, Prius rocks.

 

I am sure it is to some, but not to me. But, i don't go out of my way to put down II, like what a few II owners are doing in threads clearly intended for IV-V owners. Common courtesy you would think.

 

I purchased the IV twice, so my opinion is obvious. If your only considerations are the 17" wheels and fog lights, we've retrofitted both of those with no problem. It really is a cool sunroof.

P.S. Regarding the color, if you're concerned with resale value I'd go with the silver.

 

Join the V owners group!!

Forget the 2010 and go for the 2011 (five) black over bisque leather
(new color combo this year) The V is all I know,And it's more than I ever
expected!! 17" LEDs, Leather,JBL,Nav,Yes it's a great car.
When it's hot use the air conditioner!!

 

split the difference on color and go with the winter gray...lol.

 

Just to set the record straight, the 2010 Prius package V does not have its own page on PriusChat.

That page is for the 2011 Prius v which is a different vehicle altogether. For 2011 the ordinary Prius models are spelled out tp avoid confusion, so what is a 2010 Prius V is a 2011 Prius Five.

Now, to be helpful. We had the same dilemma when we were thinking about upgrading our '04. My wife has always wanted a sunroof, so the IV was attractive to her for that reason. But, she likes electronic toys so the radar cruise in the Tech package made her want a V. She makes decisions like a small child (no, i'm not bitter lol) so when she found out she couldn't have both...she no longer wanted to upgrade.

If you don't want the tech package, I say buy the IV, buy the 17" wheels on ebay (I think the 15" wheels are horrible, 17s are a huge upgrade) and call it a day. If you want the LED lights you can always install an HID kit.

Now I'm in the mode of trying to get my wife to trade the Prius on a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We'll see...

 

LOL!
I was wondering if somebody was going to catch that!

I said you could tell wide eyed young Prius fans that the V had it's very own page....I didn''t say it would be true.
I'd be pissed if my model sub-type got supplanted by a station wagon!!
You are right though!!!
A 'V' is a station wagon.
A 'five' is an up-optioned G2 or G3.

Good catch!
Good luck with the Jeep purchase!

 

Its going to be an uphill battle lol

 

The V does have a more powerful brushless steering motor but it is needed for the faster steering ratio (almost one turn less lock to lock) rather than the 17" tires. The old style steering motor seems to handle the wider tires OK. I think the faster steering and the larger wheels and tires make the V a better choice, but as you mentioned no sun roof. The radar cruise control which is available only on the V with Adv Technology Pkg is a good option.

I think the dealer is correct about the colors. Black cars are a lot harder to keep up but they do look good when they are clean and shiny. I would pick silver or white for practicality.

Of course my opinions may be subjective, I have a V in silver.