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IV vs. V? I need some guidance

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Fred Wacksman, Mar 3, 2010.

  1. Fred Wacksman

    Fred Wacksman New Member

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    :attention:I have a 2008 Prius and am serious about trading for a 2010. I'm keeping my '08 and trading in a 2006 Subie Forester, but after spending some time trying to decide on either a IV or a V, I'm really confused. I have driven a IV, not the V.
    I live in S.W. Ohio, have had many vehicles with a sunroof, but have lived with the '08 and no sunroof and have gotten accustomed to that.
    How does the V stack up on FE, handling, snow, rain, etc. to the IV?
    I need to get a little work done on the Subie, we just discovered a cracked windshied a couple of days ago, and it needs a major cleaning. Obviously, it will depend on money if I can make the deal. There are some new incentives out today and they might help.
    Any thoughts, or experience with either might help.
    Thanks,
    Fred
    [email protected]
     
  2. Tom183

    Tom183 New Member

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    In those areas, I don't think there's any difference at all... The IV also has the 17" wheels, right?

    And for snow, you can't beat having the right tires - better to put your money there than on premium options, IMO.
     
  3. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    The V probably gets 1 or 2 MPG less due to the wider tires, but due to the wider tires it should have better handling and shorter stopping distances. The V has quicker steering, approximately 2 1/2 turns lock to lock vs 3 1/2 for the other versions.

    You can order a sun roof with the IV but not the V; you can order the advanced technology pkg (DRCC, LKA, IPA, PCS, and Nav) only with a V. The Nav can be ordered separately with either.

    The ATP has been discussed at length here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii.../64219-advanced-technology-package-worth.html and in several other threads as well. It's an expensive option but I think it is worth the money. I like the DRCC a lot, I like the LKA but could live without it, the IPA is fun for impressing your friends but of no practical value, I hope I never use the PCS.

    Toyota's Nav system is not as user friendly or as good as a Garmin but it does the job and it is built in. The Nav gives you a great back up camera and a very nice audio interface.

    Wider tires on the V are, surprisingly, just fine in the snow and ice, I was impressed with them. I think the wheel and tire package on the V looks pretty good also.

    Hope that helps a little.
     
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  4. eglmainz

    eglmainz New Member

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    Only the V has the 17' wheels. In reality, they handle a little worse in the inclement weather, but grip much better the rest of the time.

    While I cannot compare the FE to the II-IV models, not owning one, I have seen 2-3 mpg quoted here since the start of the 2010 chatter.

    That said, even as a Prius newbie (delivery on my Prius V was last June), with 26,000 miles, I have averages 53-59 during the warmer months (with a high tank of 63.2 mpg), and in the winter, I am averaging between 39-44 mpg, depending on snow, temps, etc.

    I would say that you should buy the toys that you want. You will pay close to the same price with a IV sunroof model, as you would for a V without the ATP. I would not want a Prius with less in it. I love mine the way it is, although I still wish I opted to wait to the ATP package.
     
  5. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    No Tom, 17" wheels only come on the V, others all have 15".
     
  6. Jim Clark

    Jim Clark Member

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    Have you tried the search function?
     
  7. Fred Wacksman

    Fred Wacksman New Member

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    I do know that the IV has 15" and the V has 17" and I know I replaced the Goodyears soon after I bought it. They were terrible in snow. I replaced them with Michelins from Costco and they are great.
     
  8. samsprius1

    samsprius1 Active Member

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    you are going to miss your subie when it snows.Don't know if you get alot of snow in Ohio.I traded a GenII for a GenIII PKG V they do about the same in snow!
    You will like the PKG V.LED headlights,leather,heated seats,NAV,JBL sound system,fog lights, Go in there with your checkbook in your top pocket and get a good deal!:nod:
     
  9. Rae

    Rae New Member

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    I have the iv and live in MA. The standard all weather tires work fine in the snow and on ice. I would have taken a v, but wanted the roof and didn't care that much about the technology package. I took the navigation package mainly for the backup camera, but the GPS works well and I love the bluetooth system. My other car is a SAAB 95 Aero. Except for power, electric seat/mirror memories, I don't see much lacking in the Prius and the best is a high of 57.7 MPG to date after 6000 miles.
     
  10. lunabelgium

    lunabelgium Member

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    Unfortunately can help : different equipment between US Prius and European one.
    What I heard is that solar roof is not working as well as supposed ?
     
  11. Fred Wacksman

    Fred Wacksman New Member

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    That helps a lot, thanks for the detail. I was so set to do a IV, but after rethinking the V, I became unsure. I'm not interested in the tech package, but like the rest of the toys on the IV or V. The 17" wheels, fogs and and washers intrigue me. Then I found the price without the tech was actually less than the IV.

    Having owned the '08 for almost two years, I'm not totally enamoured with the Toyota Nav, but have learned to live with it. I'm surprised they have stuck with the Denso and not gone to a much friendlier update system and even allow for the passenger to operate the nav. I don't think it would be that difficult.

    In some respects, I'd probably do either. I definitely want a bisque interior, so color is limited. I prefer the red, won't do black. Two hundred for the pearl doesn't seem right!
    Thanks again,
    Fred
     
  12. Fred Wacksman

    Fred Wacksman New Member

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    I did, but didn't see anything that had a comparison of the two.
     
  13. Malarkey

    Malarkey New Member

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    I have a V with AT and love it. I was really on the fence about the AT, but knew I wanted the larger tires, LED headlamps (with washers) and other V items.

    I ended up getting the AT because I figured I'm less likely to regret spending more money than not having options that I cannot add later.

    Lane keeping is very well done on the Prius - far better than on an Infinity I have experience with. The DRCC is another fantastic feature.

    As far as snow, I live in CT and we've only had a few storms this year but it's gone through all without an issue. My last car was a 2007 Prius with Package 6 and the 2010 handles snow at least as well and is an upgrade in every other way.

    I'm really happy with the car overall, and glad I bought it - though I wish I had waited a few weeks to take advantage of the current pricing options.
     
  14. samsprius1

    samsprius1 Active Member

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  15. eglmainz

    eglmainz New Member

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    Uhmm... Thank you for posting, but why make a post that says that you cannot help?

    If you have a question about the sunroof, I would suggest searching for a sunroof thread, or posting a new post if you cannot find your information in the search results. Good luck!
     
  16. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    Got the highest end here without the Sunroof. I just love bigger wheels because it looks better. Afterall this is the best lookin Prius and so I wanted the wheels to match it.
    As for not having a sunroof I am not too bothered with it because I am planning to add roof rails on it so I can put bike and other things on top so the sunroof is pointless.
    As for gadget, I don't really like the Satnav at all and wish I didn't have it in the first place because I prefered my Garmin.
    The self parking gadget I find it usless because I never used it so wasted money there and I think if one can't park then one shouldn't drive.
    Reverse Parking camera is ok not brilliant but I do use it in conjuntion with rear parking sensors (installed seperately).
    Bluetooth well it is not that great but better than not having one.
    Radio simply doesnt work properly in therms that the signal too weak.
    IPOD usb connection well I find it not that great either. Very limited in control from the central console to make it fun to use. I hardly use it.
    All in all I am not very impressed and wished now I got a very basic model. hm maybe not just for the 17 inch wheels. I just can't stand the 15 inch ones.
     
  17. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    Just saw this post. RED?! hmm must be a personal choice. I have the black one and I regret it.
    The peral is defintly worth it!!! I love the PEARL. You think 200 doesn't seem right? It will cost you 900(£500) here in the UK just to have the pearl. I would deifnitly get the pearl just for 200. Trust me better paint they use then for the red or the black.
     
  18. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    You can see the stats for my 2006 & 2010. So far I've gotten the parking assist to sort of work once. I believe LKA, DCC & PCS will pay for the package if a collision is avoided. The 2010 is running with a fully blocked grill & 51psi. I believe it handles better than the 2006. It isn't as squirrelly braking on dry pavement than the 2006 at 45psi in the Integrities. I don't know if the difference is in the tires or the car. Most of the other features are nice & I haven't used some. Play with both if you can. IV's & V's can sit on the lot but they are less common than the II's & III's. Go to www.aaa.com to build the car & get quotes. Be patient. Selling prices have been sliding since the Fall.
     
  19. richard13

    richard13 Junior Member

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    I was in the same boat as you when I recently bought my IV. I had a sunroof on my Honda Accord and had grown accustomed to it but I also wouldn't say it was an absolute must have. I looked at the AT package for the V and found that it had a lot of gimmicky adds that I most likely wouldn't use but I would have taken if there was a Prius that had "the works". I don't care about the size of tires so that didn't matter either. So then I thought, was it worth it to forgo the sunroof for LED headlamps? Although I really wanted them, and incidentally I don't understand why they aren't on every single model, I didn't think LED headlamps were more important than a sunroof. I do most of my driving in the day, not night.

    But when you get right down to it neither is "better" than the other. You just need to look at what features are important to you and choose.

    Good luck!
     
  20. hlkc

    hlkc New Member

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    Same here and I was not a cruise control driver and no need for the assist parking. I've headlight washer in my other car today and I hardly use it. But I do like the V 17" wheels, factory fog and LED headlight. But instead of them, I prefer SR over. At the end, I got a IV with SR and adding HID conversion headlight, $70, HID fog light, $70, and maybe a set of 17" style, <$1K, I want during summer days and the OEM 15" will put back during winter. Let me stress this, there is nothing wrong about ATP, just depending on your driving habit, do you need them over the SR or not, simple as that.