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Took my 2015 prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) five in for an oil change...

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Mike Moon, Jan 31, 2017.

  1. Mike Moon

    Mike Moon Member

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    ...and left with a 2017 prius 4 touring. Here's why...
    I had 20K miles on the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) I sat in the new prius and fell in love immediately.
    I THOUGHT I was happy with the Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon)muntil I drove the new prius.
    The new car handles so much better. It's a lot more fun to drive.
    And I love the adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams.
    I bought a black prius and removed the plastic wheel inserts, so now I have solid black wheels. They're not perfect because they show the holes where the inserts used to fit into, but I still have black wheels without having to replace the factory ones!
    The big difference between the two? The prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) felt like yesterday's technology. The new prius feels ahead of its time in many ways. I know I can keep this car until it's paid off and not get new car envy because this one is at the front of the technology curve. It really won't feel dated for many years...
     
  2. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Nice!

    And that is why the dealer constantly sends mailings that they need more used cars like my Prius. They really want me to upgrade. Let's see how sure you are about keeping the car when you see what Toyota has cooked up for the 2018 or 2019 mid-model year change. Maybe auto steering or AWD?
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that would be radical for toyota, it's usually tail light material, or console hinging.
     
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  4. Mike Moon

    Mike Moon Member

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    You got me there. I'm a technology geek and a sucker for gadgets. So I probably would upgrade if they came out with auto-drive technology like the tesla or something. Plus, my business pays for my car, so I can easily upgrade as long as the payments stay the same... :)
     
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  5. MAGARIVAR

    MAGARIVAR New Member

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    congratulation but have to share with you my experience with black cars. they look sleek and sexy but when it comes to noticeability they have a very low noticeability especially in the dark. I have seen black cars rear ended when they were in their lane driving normal legal speed but they are hard to see for other drivers so be careful and make sure your headlights and rear lights are on even during the day because that will give you extra protection that you need in the black car. One other downside is it attracts more heat and will heat up more in the summer than lighter colors. Good in the winter but not so much in the summer. Its okay though, you'll get more intel as you move forward.... Cheers!
     
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  6. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    I know what you mean. That's why I pointed it out. I always tell people I will drive the car until it falls apart. But looking at my car purchase history, I'm averaging a new car a little under every 5 years which means I haven't even paid the car off yet if I financed 60 months. The new bug sure is addicting.
     
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  7. tucatz

    tucatz Active Member

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    Congrats on your new car! I bought a 4 touring, and am loving the bigger wheels and improved ride. Much improved car. I think the 17" rims look awful without the aero inserts. Spindly with weird tabs and screw holes. My opinion. Maybe purchase black inserts or paint the inserts...
     
    #7 tucatz, Feb 1, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2017
  8. Mike Moon

    Mike Moon Member

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    I don't agree. Here's why: At least people won't confuse my alloy wheels for hubcaps, which they will if I keep the inserts in. They're not as nice as a real set of black alloys, but they achieve the black-on-black look for no extra charge and eliminate the awful plastic inserts to boot. 99.9% of people won't even notice the holes. Among those who do, they won't know what they're for or that I removed anything. Only other astute Prius owners will. When I used to own the first Scion XB and was sponsored by Toyota (heavy in the tuner industry at the time) there was a large community of owners who did little free "mods" on their cars. This is just a simple free mod that sets my car apart from most and achieves the black-on-black look inexpensively for now. I'll get new wheels when I drop the car a few inches.

    Congrats on yours too! I think I'm going to have my inserts painted matte black and then reinstall them.
     
    #8 Mike Moon, Feb 2, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2017
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm glad I got in when I did: our 3rd gen touring has nicely sculptured 17" silver rims. I DON'T get where Toyota is going, with this blacked-out and plasticized nonsense.
     
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  10. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    I absolutely adore those wheels. My sister has a 2010 silver touring like yours. It's gorgeous! Toyota really made some nice 17 inch wheels!

    Here's my 17's
     

    Attached Files:

    #10 Aaron Vitolins, Feb 2, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2017
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Here's a (bare) 2016 touring rim:

    upload_2017-2-2_9-21-54.png
    To me this looks like something that'd be at home on a Hummer, black, and utilitarian.

    Here's ours:

    upload_2017-2-2_9-23-34.png

    I also like the look of the PIP rims, and the variation used on the v is nice too:

    upload_2017-2-2_9-24-59.png
     
  12. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Man that bare black touring wheel looks rough. I'm sorry but that doesn't look nice. I think the wheel looks good with the inserts. Most people wouldn't even know they are inserts. I just saw a white touring 2017 at the grocery store. It was gorgeous!

    I've always like the plug-in Prius wheels. Smaller, but still clean and classy
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah it always puts me in mind of teeth with crowns: the finished product looks good, but hooboy: when the dentist pops the crown off it's a sad sight. :(
     
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  14. tucatz

    tucatz Active Member

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    Toyota really can do a better job with their alloy wheels. Honda has some nice ones for civics and accords. Oh, and I remember seeing a few corollas lately with nice blackish rims
     
  15. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Gen 3 17" wheels were the easiest to clean (y)
     
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  16. tucatz

    tucatz Active Member

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    There ya go. There's a thread about plasti dipping the inserts. They look great.

    Another comment about black - it looks cool, but in the sun is exactly the opposite. The blacker the car, the more radiation it absorbs, and the hotter it gets in the summer sun. Have you ever had the experience of touching a black car on a hot day - the paint is so hot it burns your skin. Get inside and it's so hot you can't touch anything, in 2 minutes your bathed in sweat inside your clothes. And have to sit in it. Ick.
     
  17. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I don't mind the PRIUS v wheels - better than the standard PRIUS:
    upload_2017-2-3_10-53-11.png upload_2017-2-3_10-53-34.png
     
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  18. Mike Moon

    Mike Moon Member

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    Stop the press: Black cars are hotter than white ones when you touch them? No way! I've owned other black cars in in Seattle and here in Atlanta. Georgia summers are brutal and the color of the car makes little difference. You're gonna sweat no matter what. Black cars are beautiful and sporty and I love it.
     
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  19. Mike Moon

    Mike Moon Member

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    I think the more realistic photos of the wheels with inserts removed are ones of the whole car. I agree that awful photo above of the wheel closeup isn't great. But that's not how people see them. The see them on the car as a whole. Here's some examples that illustrate my point. I challenge you to see the "troublesome" holes in these photos...
    113967_IMG_0346.jpg 113966_IMG_0347.jpg 103250_IMG_0012.jpg 103249_IMG_0010.jpg 113967_IMG_0346.jpg
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it is said that black attracts the sun, and the car gets warmer inside. not sure if any studies have been done, but boy, they do look sharp!