Advice on Exterior and Interior Colors

I ordered my IV's with SR with Blizzard Pearl and Misty Gray interior. The car seems more roomy with the Misty Gray. I will use the Scotchguard from 3M and spray it on all the carpet and cloth area when I first get the car to prevent getting it dirty. We had a red car before, but after a few years the color seems to change and get darker. It will look old faster than light color.

 

Well after reading your post and taking note of all your concerns my advice is "Good Luck".

Make sure your Exterior color choice is on the outside of your car and your interior color choice is on the inside.

Okay, honestly, your color choices are going to be your own to make and accept. You can ask for opinions and you are going to get them all. Sometimes when it comes to indecisiveness, I think people can outhink themselves. So I tend to say go with what your gut was telling you originally.

As far as fears of vandalism? You probably know your neighborhood better than anyone. You can buy an the upgrade alarm that will sound if the vehicle is impacted. But the risks of ownership in any neighborhood are the risks of ownership.

I owned and do own a vehicle with an alarm that sounds if the glass is broken or the door is forced open. I don't think it would react if the vehicle was keyed. My experience is that you can never know. Has my vehicle been passed by as a potential target because of the blinking alarm light? Who knows? On an older vehicle I owned, my alarm went off when a driver clipped my bumper. I was able to watch him bend it horribly. The good news was I could then and there get his Insurance Info and he paid for replacement. Had I NOT had an alarm and he was sneaky, he could of simply drove away and I might not of ever known until it was too late. That one incident paid for the cost of Alarm. So in general I'm a fan. But there is no way to protect your vehicle all the time, from all types of vandalism or threat.

 

Hi Vela -- I have Classic Silver and Dark Grey and I love the combo. It was not on my list of favorite colors but I'm very happy with it. My previous car was red with a bisque-ish intrerior and I wanted something different. The dark grey is not so dark that it is hot and the silver makes the car look like a spaceship

Good Luck!

 

I agree. It's a little tricky when you are choosing color for yourself and someone else. But, go with what you want, not what someone else recommends.

For example, Let's say you hear Silver is very practical, hides scratches, etc... You sort of like Silver, but it's a little bland to you. Then you buy Silver. Well, it's always going to be a little bland to you. It won't change unless you repaint the car.

Hopefully you can see all the colors on the road. Get the one that makes you go ... ooooooohhh!

For me, that was Spectra Blue Mica (same as Blue Ribbon on 2010).

I kinda liked Barcelona, sometimes, but as said above, my gut told me it wasn't right for me. And i was right. I really would not like having that color.

I sorta liked Seaside Pearl ... from certain angles, when really clean, blah, blah .... but again, so glad I didn't get that one. Overall, I don't like it that much.

Do a process of elimination. Rule out the one's you don't like. You probably have a favorite color, the one you suits you (and the DH) the best, wait for that one.

To blab some more, most things I have a dark blue - my drums, motorcycle, car, it just works for me. Dark Green and dark red I also like.

Soooo, buy what you really like regardless of the practicality. Then put in some work to keep it up.

 

I don't think the color choices are very exciting, but there aren't any real "bad" colors, either. When I saw it in person, I found the Sandy Beach to be much more appealing than the pictures I'd seen.

My favorite was the Blue Ribbon Metallic (hence the color of my 2010!), but I found the Blizzard Pearl to be a gorgeous color -- and I've never liked white cars.

The Barcelona Red is VERY nice, too.

Interior: I like a lighter color. I would have gone with the light grey, but it wasn't available for the BRM exterior, so I went with bisque. I had bisque leather in my 2007, and I like it. It did show wear/crease lines in the driver's side seat, so if that is a real concern of yours, then you may find the dark gray will conceal those for a while longer.

Given what you've said about your likes, I'd say you should consider the Red/Bisque or Blizzard Pearl/Light combos.

Have fun!!

 

Thoughts on colors: I'm going to go with cycledrum. Go with the color that instantly appealed to you. The first 2010 Prius I saw in person was a Barcelona red one and that one made me go "wow." I liked the blue a LOT, too, being very partial to blue, but the red just hit me in the gut. When it looked like it was going to be hard to get one in a particular color, I started talking myself into "almost any color" mode, but then realized that I have to get what I really want. I then went back to a compromise of red OR blue and nothing else. I'm going to have to drive this car and see it every day for years. It needs to be what I want, and I want RED, and I'd still be very, very happy with blue. Long story short, I have tracked down a red II that's on its way in the next couple of weeks.

As for the alarm, I think they're useless. No one pays attention to them, for starters. And in your case, to be set off by a simple keying would require its sensitivity to be set so it goes off at just about everything. Birds, passing cars with loud motors, etc. That's if it can even be set that sensitive. Some people like alarms for peace of mind, but I don't think they really do much. The car is built with an immobilizer, so it's not going anywhere very easily, so the alarm is there to protect the windows and what's inside the car, essentially.

 

Since it is almost impossible to view the different colors on a dealer's lot, you may want to take your time and go through the "Official 2010 Prius Owner's Pics" sticky at the top of this forum. While pictures will never fully substitute the real thing, seeing a variety of pictures taken in wildly different lighting conditions may help you narrow down your choices. I know it was extremely helpful to me when I had to decide on a color.

Bryan

 

I agree. When starting our research the Prius that gave me the "wow" reaction was Barcelona Red w/grey interior. Then CFC hit and wiped out all inventory (didn't have a CFC). Last week we finally made contact with a dealer who had the model we wanted (IV) and just the right equipment (Navi). As luck would have it, it was Red/Gray. Love it!

Bruce

 

My wife and I both like the red/bisque combination. But we have a Passat in that colors. We must have something different. We thought about the silver. But once we saw a Sandy Beach in a dealer's lot, we immediately decided to order that color.

For any color, you have to see it in person to appreciate. So don't rule out anything without seeing it.

For interior, we ruled out any dark color because it looks depressing. But of course, that's a personal thing. Remember, you spend more time looking at the interior than the exterior, unless you are like one of my neighbosr who hosts a lot of parties in the garage.

 

One more tidbit,

Make sure you see the colors in bright sunlight too. For example, Spectra Blue Mica is just dark blue in shade or cloudy weather, nothing pops out.

But, from certain angles, the sun brings out a jewel-like or royal type blue. One of my favorite colors on any car out there (aside from a few custom paint jobs I've seen).

I guess most colors with 'metal-flake' reflect an undertone in bright light.

 

Barcelona Red with Bisque. 'Nuff said.

 

I have never been one for a red car - seems to be trying too hard to attract attention, but in the case of the 2010 Prius, I think I will go for it and live dangerously. It just looks great, especially with the solar roof.

 

Most people don't decide on a New car based upon the possibility of local vandals trashing it, so I'm at a loss as to how to respond to that. Maybe buy an old beater and forego the Prius entirely, or move to a safe neighborhood.

I ordered an almost White, Katzkin Interior called 'Bone', because unlike you I did not want a mud colored interior in my then 2007 Prius. The Bisque color in the 2010 was enough UNLIKE Mud in color to suffice, so no custom leather this time around. Ordering a car interior to blend with Filth coloring is hardly a recommendation I'd endorse. Incidentally the Black Floor mats I got with the bisque Interior on my Prius 5 were removed the day I received the car. They show every speck of dirt like a neon sign, and match nothing in the car, I can't imagine why the Toyota Company employed a clor blind and tasteless designer for their 2010 Prius models, but obviously they did.

Gee, Only 18 years to wear the seats in your old beater, maybe you should take it back to the dealer for a refund.

Buy what you like and store it in a garage to keep it safe, or better yet, Move !

 

I thought there were only 3 choices of interior. Dark grey (almost black), bisque and misty grey. I have seen cars with what looks like misty grey but the inserts on the doors and the cover on the center console were dark on some and light like the seats on others. What is the difference?

Heres a link to the car I just bought with the two tone interior.

2010 Toyota Prius II For Sale | Phoenix AZ

 

The bisque interior does not have two tone panels.