Touring package

The ride is stiffer. It's up to you to decide whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Tom

 

The ride in the Touring is a bit stiffer than in the non-Touring. To me, it feels more like a Civic. Since I have been a Honda driver for 20 years, it feels just right

 

If you can find a touring model you like I would recommend it. Having spent sometime in both, I can tell you I'm really glad I made the change to the touring version. The stiffness of the steering wheel is nice and feels more stable on the highway. The larger wheels definitely make for a noticeable improved ride not to mention that they just look better.

Try both and see which one you like best...

 

I have a touring, I'm can't really compare against a normal prius as I've probably driven 3 miles in a regular one but 55,000 in my touring.

However, I am impressed by how well it drives. I dont understand when people talk of the prius driving like an appliance or being really floating in handeling. My touring is neither but again I have nothing to compare against

 

I test drove a couple non-touring on my purchase quest. We wound up buying a touring, mostly by fate. I can't recall how different they felt. But i can tell you i like the touring. It seems responsive enough for any cornering i throw at it.

Also people tend to acclimate to cars fast. Like everyone else mentioned, see if you can drive both.

 

We have a 2009 base and a 2009 touring, both package 6. I can't tell any difference at all.

I think that, if you're an "enthusiastic driver," then you'll appreciate the difference. If you drive sportingly, tackling the twisties with a spirited pace with the goal of maintaining a high level of momentum, then the touring would be the ticket. A person like me, who just uses a car to commute and run errands, won't really notice the touring's better handling.

 

We test drove a non-Touring because the dealer had no Tourings on the lot. It was definitely a softer ride, but I didn't get too much of a feel for the handling on the 5 mile or so test. Of course, he tried to talk us into the Package #6 non-Touring he had on the lot, but we knew we wanted the Touring model after reading Consumer Reports and this forum. The nimbler handling and safer braking distance were what sold us.

 

That's because that's exactly how the non touring models drive. Some people don't realize the massive difference because they've never driven a car that can handle so they drive the regular prius very conservatively and go around corners slowly.

Those of use that have owned mostly sports cars and gave up our street racers because of economics and also just plain maturity and have driven both the touring and non touring know that the difference is night and day.

I take on and off ramps in my touring at speeds that would flip the standard model.

There's no comparison between the two.

 

I test drove both models back-to-back, driving extensively on a variety of roads, before buying our standard w/ package 2. I was very surprised at the time that I couldn't detect a noticable difference in either handling, or ride quality.

If you did a "blind test" in either model, I think you may be hard pressed to tell which is which.

I came to the Prius from a Miata, so I know what a good handling car feels like. And while the Prius is not a sports car, both of the Gen II models are certainly well controlled, responsive, and fun to drive, appropriate with the mission.

The only legitimate knock on the car is that the power steering doesn't provide an overabundance of feel or feedback. But it is nicely weighted and linear, with good, solid turn-in and predictable response. The level of handling is consistent with the car's mission. Again, to me, the steering felt the same in either model.

I suggest there may be a "placebo effect" going on with people who say the Touring has a dramatically different feel, or level of capability.

Just my $.02,

Dave

 

TOURING rocks!

 

The difference is far to dramatic for placebo to play any part. Just because you didn't drive the two models to the 8/10s limit and just because you came from a Miata, doesn't mean you drive in a fashion that you're going to notice. If you don't corner, the most you're going to notice if you're conditioned is the obviously much stiffer supsension over bumps.

Having owned a *variety* of sports cars and at the same time and being intimate with the characteristics of each driving different cars each day, it becomes more obvious. I've also driven dozens of cars including my own at track days where a bunch of friends and coworkers get together and rent a track like Thunderhill for the entire day. You almost always swap cars so every can see what everyone else's car handles like.

If you just get into the base and touring prius and drive in a straight line, you're not going to notice much of a difference placebo or not.

 

you also cant discount the fact that the touring model has a much shorter stopping distance then the regular car

 

suspension upgrades -> always better

 

I ordered my touring model without ever having driven one. We had rented a regular Prius for a few days about 6 months before I got my touring model, and at the time, I thought driving the regular Prius felt a lot like driving my 2000 Camry - kind of soft and cushy.

But the first drive in my new touring model I thought felt very sporty. And I don't remember feeling that at all about the regular Prius we had rented.

 

I wanted a Touring, but the powers that be in the Hudson VAlley area said a loaded Package 6 Touring was not available for this area.... even though it showed it as available in the brochure @ the dealer. At that time a Touring (in my area) was not available with Leather or Navigation. WHY wouldn't that be available on a TOURING car....but...alas I ended up with a standard with everything that was available. Had to special order it, but the 4 week wait was worth it.

 

Ditto! I have several Civic hybrids and have test drove the standard and I do like the touring but the tires are hard and stiff at high pressures with no option that I know to get LRR tires later/yet.

But I have no regrets because it kicks A** in mileage and handles great.

 

anyone know any numbers as to how many tourings there are as a a percentage of prius gen II sold?

 

someone posted 5%

 

I went ahead an bought a 2009 Touring with package #6 instead of a 2010. I was able to get a substantial discount, cheap financing, and have not looked back.

I had a 2007 package II with 45,000 miles that I traded in to get the Touring model. I can say with certainty with the Touring model handles a lot better than the standard Gen II model.

From what I can find out, even the Gen III does not have a Touring variant (BUT, it does have 17 inch tires).