Prius v trim level and year questions

Probably not. They stick pretty close to the $36-37K figure. However, 0% financing, if available, negates small differences in price.

It seems pretty useless for front seat people, back seat people will enjoy it. I have it and have never used it.

You can leave headlights on regardless, they turn themselves off when you shut off the car. I have the auto-on feature and never used it because it tends to turn them on when I don't want.

Of course, the Softex comes standard in the v-5. I absolutely love it because its near indestructible, comfortable and a snap to clean. If you have any members of your family who slobber and shed, you'll appreciate Softex.

 

Wife has auto-headlights in her Avalon. She doesn't use them. I do when in hers. There are conditions they can be annoying.

She has a moonroof, never uses it. Had it in her Acura, never used it except to test it. Between the two cars, that is zero uses for 14 years.

I intensely dislike a moonroof. Waste of cost and interior height IMHO. Consider the safety aspect in a rollover. I would have bought a five ATP except for the forced sunroof and the 17" wheels. But those are my/her preferences and no reason our tastes and yours should match up.

I wanted SofTex so badly I had the dealer add it to my '12 v three. I knew there would be times I'd climb in and have sunscreen on my arms and didn't see the cloth arm rests liking that very well. The kit they used came from the distributor with a Toyota part number on it and covered all cloth surfaces. My seats have survived three grandkids and lots of drinks and foods.

Prius v 2015s are advertised in the $27.5-30k range for threes and fours. Doubt the $31k for a five ATP as a 2015.

 

I don't know about gasoline prices going up that much since most forecasts I've seen have gasoline prices stabilizing for many years to come due to the incredible oversupply of oil. A huge concern of the oil industry is that a number of companies are working on battery technology and even a moderate breakthrough could drive a stake through the heart of oil.

Back to the subject of buying a Prius v. We have a 2012 Prius v with ATP and wouldn't consider anything other than a 2015 Prius v with ATP if we were buying another. The 2015 Prius v has significant safety improvements and its reduced content ATP comes at a lower price. Plus, the 2015 Prius v with ATP has power front seats - it's impossible for many people to find a comfortable seating position with the manually adjustable seats in the lower trim models.

I don't care for the feel of Softex - seems clammy in humid summers and is nothing like real leather - but it might be nice if you have small (messy) children.

The Prius v non-opening panoramic roof is a matter of taste My wife likes it (it's her car) but I don't care about it and close it when I'm driving. (I have dual opening sunroofs in the Sienna Limited van I drive but rarely open either. ) Automatic headlights are a great feature. The 2015 Prius v/ATP even has auto dimming headlights like my Sienna - this system works unbelievably well and keeps your high beams on as much as possible.

The coolest parts of the ATP is "dynamic radar cruise control" (DRCC) and "Pre-Collision System" (PCS). The IIHS dinged the 2012-14 Prius v PCS for not being effective enough but maybe that has been addressed on the 2015 since Toyota addressed other safety issues. PCS on my Sienna is extraordinarily effective and probably saved me from a crash last fall when someone pulled out in front of me - PCS nailed the brakes hard and tightened my seatbelt super-tight before I even got my foot off the gas pedal.

When it comes to buying, I recommend buying through Costco. If you are not a Costco member, join and enroll in the Costco car buying programming. I've bought a lot of new vehicles over the past 50 years but buying through Costco was the best car buying experience I've ever had.

 

I'll offer money that the acrylic moon roof with related frame and bracing is a good deal stronger in a rollover than the flimsy metal roof sheeting normally used.

 

We bought a used 2012 Prius v Three a couple weeks ago, so not a perfect comparison, but...

The dealer had both a used Three (40,000 miles) and Five with ATP (50,000 miles), both with full service records on Toyota's website, both listed at the same price. We test drove them both, and while we both loved the moonroof, we felt the Softex "leather" seats were not as comfortable as the fabric seats. We decided that seats mattered more than the moonroof, fog lights, auto-on headlights, nicer sound system, etc.

I prefer to manually turn off and on the headlights, but if you leave them in the On position, they will turn off by pressing the fob's lock button twice. That's what my girlfriend does with her 2010 Prius.

The 2010 Prius does great in snow and low-traction, only issue has been ground clearance when we've gotten 10+ inches of snow.

The Outback is long, but only about 8" longer than the Prius v. Parking in DC and Maryland was easier in my tiny Kia, but usually not a problem in the Prius. Full-size sedans are about 12" longer than the Outback, and there are plenty of those parked in downtown DC.

 

Maybe, maybe not. What's certain is that all that extra mass concentrated at the top of the car increases the probability that a rollover will occur.