2016 Prius v headlight options + carseat quandry

Hi all! I just joined to post this.

We've owned a 2008 Prius for over five years now, and my husband still loves it. The problem is we now have three kids, and with our Prius's leather seats, it is physically impossible to get three child carseats in the back. We own an Odyssey, so we have the minivan covered, but my husband is looking at a long commute starting sometime next year. He wants another hybrid, and neither of us are huge fans of SUVs.

Enter the v. I know it's not a lot wider than our Gen II, but the back seat is much more flat. We test drove a 2016 Prius V Three over the weekend and I got a good install with our three carseats in the back.

Since we know leather=trouble for getting a tight install with carseats, I don't want to get a Four or Five. However, I've heard bad things about the non-Five halogen headlights.

Is it possible to improve the headlights with aftermarket parts? We are not particularly car-handy (although I have replaced the aux battery in our 2008 Prius myself with the help of a YouTube video).

 

Thank you for your detailed response! I was only considering 2015-2017 models anyway because of the crash test results on prior models, but the headlight information is very helpful, if discouraging.

Unfortunately, more effort (pulling harder on the belts) usually means the child seats slide back toward the center, leaving no room for a third seat. However, there are a number of other issues with the Gen II backseat (including the way the shoulder belt comes down from the pillar about 2-3 inches from the door, cutting useable space from the backseat), so maybe it's worth trying at least. The seat looks more contoured in the SofTex models than the cloth models, which is why I worry. Contour+slippery+seatbelt install=a tilting seat that won't stay where you want it.

The other complicating factor is Prius v's from 2015-2017 aren't terribly thick on the ground. Currently, there is one model for sale in my area that isn't from a questionable source, and it was just listed so the price is pretty high on it (about $1300 higher than KBB). It does have the advanced safety package (so many Five's don't! I don't get it. If you were going to buy the most expensive trim level Prius v when it was new, why not add on the entire reason for buying the Five--i.e. the advanced safety package). /whine) so maybe we should give it a look. It's just so much higher than our budget. I definitely would wait to see if the price came down (which is unlikely now that we're heading into warmer temps and higher gas prices). Sigh.

 

Thank you. That's disappointing, but I suppose the U.S. is addicted to SUVs. I do love all the safety features coming out with newer and newer cars. Unfortunately it clashes with the "drive it 'til the wheels fall off" mentality I was raised with.

I appreciate your help!