Prius 4 or Prius 4 Touring?! Which one drives better?!

The only opinion that matters, is yours! The Touring guys love their Touring model... and cheap guys like me are fine with a Three model.

It would be well worth your time and money, to go rent a new Prius for a couple days. Or even a week. Some dealers rent new cars right off the lot. And some rental agencies are already renting 2016s. Drive the heck out of it, and test out all the tech features, and go over bumps, and drive 75 on the freeway, and drive on curvy roads, and go up and down a big hill, and see how you like the brakes, the headlights, the stereo, the seats, the cabin quietness (or noise)...

Give it a nice long test. $33,000 is a lot of money to spend on a Four Touring.

 

You have to try them both for yourself. There is REALLY a difference. I prefer feeling the road a little... having a firm, stiffer suspension. Of course, I picked the the FOUR Touring... and have been completely happy!

Which car drives better? The one YOU like best! Because there IS a difference and everybody has a preference.

When the road is smooth... my ride is smooth. If it's a little bumpy (or a rougher road) I might hear or feel it little more. But that's me... it's what I love. Try them both back to back... if you dare! Because you will be hooked! One of them will catch your fancy .

 

Who pays MSRP? I paid $30K for my 4T in February.

 

All I can say is, for the Gen 3, the touring suspension and 17-inch wheels in the Persona offer a much "better" driving experience than the standard setup on 15-inchers of our Two...but you have to drive them both for yourself to really know what is "better" for you.

 

Gee, Glenn, I'm sorry you overpaid! I saw 4T's in February, with all the options for 28K!

 

The key here seems to be "smoother over bumps". The 17 inch tires and tighter suspension are to make the car have sharper feeling handing and cornering. The trade off is that you will definitely feel the bumps more, due to the lower profile tires. You'll feel more (as in every pebble on the road) and big bumps (e.g. potholes) will be more of a jolt than with the normal profile 15 inch tires. You will also be sacrificing mileage, since the 17 inch tires cost you at least 3 to 4 mpg.

 

One reason I went with the Four is the 15" tires. I got a standard Four and am very happy with it. That said, if I had to do it again, I would go with the Four and get the tech package. The Four has enough bells and whistles, but the tech package has a few things that I would definitely use. The Four handles just fine, and on the winding parkway roads in my area it is pretty close to my old Chevy Volt, but with a tighter feel. The 17" are more prone to blowouts, and we have many potholes after a bad winter in the NY area.

 

I was actually thinking of the Three Touring, and if I got it I was thinking of doing a swap with someone with the 15" that wanted the 17" wheels. Another reason I chose the Four and not a Touring model. My son has a 2013 VW Golf with 17's (he originally had 15's) and he's had problems with bubbles on two tires, and a blowout on another. Funny, I hit the same pothole with my '08 Prius, and I was OK. As far as NYC, I'm trying to get as far away from there as possible. Hopefully will be moving to CT soon!

 

Eva Anna, I don't recall the exact name of the threads, but have you read through the: "What do you like about your 2016 Prius?" And the other one is: "What don't you like about your new Gen4 Prius?" There's lots of good information and varying opinions in those threads.

Is this going to be your first Prius? First hybrid vehicle? I never had one before; never even rode in one! It took this retired "OG" at least a month to get comfortable with how everything operates, how it drives, and to read that dang 800 page Owner's Manual! (And I don't even have any of the fancy Tech packages!) Good luck on whatever you decide.

(Note: I had 17" wheels/tires on my old Camry SE. I definitely felt lots of bumps, jars, and jolts. And the car didn't "handle" any better than other cars I ever drove. I chose to just get a Prius with 15" tires. It's a pretty smooth ride. Not perfect, but very good. I don't drive my Prius like a race car... and I don't "throw it into corners"... so I felt I could skip the expense of getting 17s. ( I just wish my Toyo tires were quieter.) On the other hand, the people who bought the Touring models seem to really love the bigger wheel package. It really just comes down to personal preference, and I guess how "sporty" you want your Prius to look. I'm too old now for sporty. )

 

Yep, it's pretty amazing! I'm now getting 60 mpg! I came from a 225 hp Camry V6, that only got 17 mpg in the city.

Now I just laugh when I drive by a gas station.

Here is "Miss Penelope"... she's just a basic Three model. But a great fun car to drive.

 

Not in Southern California, you didn't.

Overpaying is relative. I am driving the car I wanted and I enjoy it. I'm happy with the price I paid and I know I got the best price I could at the time in my area. ::thumbs up::


iPhone ?

 

The 15" rims will be smoother over the bumps. Drive better, meh: not even sure what that means. Toyota hints about different suspension tuning.

We went with 17" on our 3rd gen, for a couple of reasons. First off, couldn't abide the look of plastic wheel covers. And for some reason I felt right at home in the car, on the road. I believe the steering setup is a bit different, for me it translated to confident vs skittish feel. Not sure if that's still applicable in any way, with 4th gen.

 

Test drive both if possible.