Is the "Touring" package worth it??

Hi Craig,

Welcome to PriusChat.

Yes, IMO the Touring Edition is well worth it for the $400 - $900 difference in price between comparably packaged Touring and Standard Editions. Problems are (i) trying to get any Touring Edition, and (ii) trying to get a Touring Edition in the same numbered package that you would otherwise get the Standard Edition in.

FYI, this subject has been discussed extensively. Check out this recent thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/40877-touring-version-worth-extra-money.html

Or, check out all these threads with the word "Touring" in the title:

PriusChat Forums - Search Results

Good luck!

 

I had the same question when I bought mine about 6 months ago. I couldn't get a Touring edition without Leather, so the price jumped about $5k total over the Base edition. I took about $1000 of the money saved and bought toys for the Base edition. I already had a GPS which was part of the decision. I tinted the windows, bought aftermarket driving lights, a wheelskin cover, the shark fin antenna, wheelcover discs,and real wood interior. It looks great. I'll add a subwoofer and be complete. I'll buy better tires when the time comes.

I do wish I had the HID lights, but I don't miss the larger wheels/suspension of spoiler. It isn't, and will never be, a sports car. I average about 45 mpg mixed driving, and have been as high as 70mpg if I cheat on the freeway.

Good luck. It's a fun car either way.

 

Hi flydoc,

In my case, the tuned suspension was about the only thing I really wanted. Not to turn it into a sports car or sports sedan (which it still wouldn't be), but to make it handle as well as the base models of better handling compacts like the Honda Civic or Toyota Matrix, or good handling compacts like the Mazda 3 or VW Rabbit (Golf).

BTW, there are aftermarket halogens that are almost as bright as the Prius HIDs. Tideland Prius, usbseawolf2000 and I have the Philips X-Treme Power Bulbs which are about 80% brighter than the OEM halogens and almost as bright as the Prius HIDs. They retail for around $50 for 2. The only problem is that we don't know how long or how many miles they should last. I'll be happy if they last 12,000 miles -- the light is so much better than the OEMs that to me it would be worth it to replace them every 12,000 miles.

 

Yes, definitely worth it. Got mine quite by accident, but when I compared the handling to our '03 I was glad I got it.

 

I don't know if Touring Editions are available in your area of NY (they're not available in NYC when I last checked), but FYI I see and hear that you can get Touring Edition Package 3 in NE Ohio (around the Cleveland area) for around $2000 less than MSRP. Good deal. I personally would gladly travel the 500 miles from NYC to Cleveland to pick one up.

Good luck.

 

The salesman wasn't going to tell me about the touring because I was not the most willing Prius buyer. I only saw it was available when I took the flyer from him to look at the headlight specs. If Nissan Motor Corp had a marketing target, it would be me. Lead foot and extremely hard on the suspension. Not that I am a tailgater or cut people off - I just like to let the car go when no one is around. I told Nissan in '96 that the Altima was the last standard ICE I was going to buy and I wanted to keep my word. Twelve years later they still aren't selling the hybrid Altima in IL. I held on to my Altima as long as possible but at 220K it is tired.

The touring took a lot longer to come in. I kept going back to try to get my deposit back and cancel the order. They must have all gone to CIA manipulation school because I ended up with the car. That being said, the more I drive itchy, the better we are getting along.

I haven't owned a car with a sport suspension before, but can compare it to standard sedan suspensions. It is stiff - read your head will bounce off off the headrest if the road has any surface abnormalities (quite annoying). It has little less body roll than the standard suspension. There is no upgrade in the engine so acceleration will be the same.

This is not a sport car and should not be driven aggressively. I think I saw somewhere that it has less roll over resistance than standard sedans. For a narrow little car, it is a pretty tall so I can believe that. So, if you do get the touring don't think of it as a license to drive the car hard. You will be getting a little better handling at the cost of a stiffer ride.

The spoiler is only an embarrassment. Double that if you get a red car.

The HCH (not touring) has much better handling than the Prius. If you don't need a hatchback and are OK with the tight interior, it might be worth checking out. Side by side comparisions of gas mileage gives the Prius an edge. The HCH radio makes the Prius sound like AM under water.

 

Oops - found the source for rollover: While the Prius didn't get the highest rating (four out of five stars), neither did a lot of its class.

NCAP ratings for 2008 Compact Passenger Cars

 

I feel the Touring package was well worth the extra cost, in comparing the ride to my first Prius. I think it was only about $300. extra for the Touring items in 2007? I think think larger wheels or part of the stiffer ride. I wanted the taller wheels as my wife doesn't like getting inand out the Pruis. However the actual height isn't much different.

Of course Toyota bundles stuff you don't really want with items you do want in their packages. That makes those items look less expensive. And you have to spend more money to buy the car.

I noticed today on pricing a minivan, if you want running boards you have to get rear mud guards. However you cannot get running boards if you order front and rear mud guards? I know this is off the subject but I felt it was humerous.