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Prime trim level - advanced or not?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by bobzchemist, Jul 3, 2019.

  1. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    Assuming I'll have about $35K in Jan. or Feb. next year to buy a car, is there any reason NOT to buy the advanced trim level? Is it worth the extra money?

    Also, are there accessories I should or shouldn't buy from the dealer? This is going to be one of the few times in my life I've been able to afford a new car, so I want to get the most "bang for the buck".
     
  2. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    This is purely your decision. I went with the Premium trim level when I bought because the difference in price to an Advanced was not commensurate with the features I wanted - I would have liked the heated steering wheel and HUD and Homelink, but the rest of the stuff didn't interest me. So, for me it wasn't worth the extra money. I bought the Premium trim because the seats were more comfortable for me.

    Solely from my perspective - the foglights don't add much to your forward lighting; the LED headlights are quite good. I don't need park assist, and the blind spot/rear cross traffic also didn't interest me - the car has three mirrors and a rear camera already. I can figure out when to turn my headlights and wipers on/off.

    I would pass on accessories offered by the dealer. The floor mat set can be had for less money and higher quality from Weathertech, for example. If you don't buy accessories now and later decide you want them, you still have the option of buying the Toyota accessories from any Toyota dealer. It's not a "must buy it with the new car purchase" situation.
     
    #2 jb in NE, Jul 3, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2019
  3. Tha_Ape

    Tha_Ape Active Member

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    I'm nerdy and want to support Advanced tech so I got a Gen3 with Advanced Tech package, when it came time to get another car I couldn't get anything with less features.

    To be honest though, the Gen3s lane keeping is head and shoulders above the 2017 Advanced I have. That was the only disappointment though.
     
    will the engineer and Bob Comer like this.
  4. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    If you give any credence to. Consumer Reports they recommend you opt for the Premium if only for the Larger Screen.
     
    #4 schja01, Jul 3, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2019
  5. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Premium? Plus has the smaller screen.
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    It all depends on what you value and the final price after all the rebates and discounts. The final price may or may not be what MSRP suggest. In my case, being a minimalist I wanted Plus trim, but my local dealer did not have the Plus trim in stock. They priced Premium trim in stock at lower than the quoted Plus price from far away dealer, so it was no brainer. Advanced trim has features that lower trims do not offer which can not be easily added aftermarket, but I did not feel they were worth $4k more, especially when I got Premium trim for less than Plus cost. Some safety features and remote app are useful, HUD is supposed to be very nice, but they all come with added cost as well if you have to replace them in an event of accident or out of warranty repair. You also need to keep paying subscription fee to use Safety link and remote app beyond complementary 3 years. FWIW, from I have read in another thread, 2020 Advanced trim has lost the Remote App capability.
     
    #6 Salamander_King, Jul 3, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2019
  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I went with the Plus as I am a “point A to Point B” type;).

    If you like bells and whistles (and softex), go for the higher models:).

    Otherwise go Plus(y).
     
    TrailRider, noonm and Prius from Dad like this.
  8. Prius from Dad

    Prius from Dad Senior Member

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    I got the Premium trim because I didn't feel the added features for the Advanced were worth the extra $4k. The only thing from the Advanced that I wish the Premium had, was the rear cross traffic alerts. Backing out of a parking spot with all the giant SUV's and trucks is scary at times and I've had more than a few close calls.
     
    jmarkd7, TGrracie and Raytheeagle like this.
  9. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    It's not "worth." It's "want." I wanted the added features, so I bought the Advanced. We're getting older, and the driver assist features are especially useful to us.

    Be cautious of any accessories the dealer loads on the car. If they can be removed, get them taken off the car and off the price. For a while they were selling many with the roof cross bars ($299!). If you want them, fine. If not, don't accept them. In some cases they left the bars on the car and took them off the price. In some cases the accessories are installed at the factory or the U.S. distribution center. These are tougher to get removed, but you can still work toward a price discount.

    You can always negotiate a discount for accessories as part of the purchase deal. Ask for 40% off and be ready to settle for 20% off if bought within a few stated days.
     
  10. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Thanks. You are correct. I corrected my op.
     
  11. Blauer Glimmer

    Blauer Glimmer Active Member

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    I went with the Advanced package because I wanted all the additional safety and convenience features, and because I got such a good deal on a leftover they needed to move off the lot. I truly enjoy the heated steering wheel (never thought I would), and the cross-traffic alert is great when pulling out between SUVs in a parking lot. The HUD is nice as well, and the blind spot monitor is useful, even though it doesn't signal audibly. I also like the phone app that allows me to pre-heat or pre-cool the car remotely.

    It is true that the fog lights are not much use - can't be turned on without the headlights being on, which defeats the purpose, and the rain-sensing windshield wipers don't always work the way I would use them if they were manual.

    All in all, I am very happy I got the Advanced.
     
  12. will the engineer

    will the engineer Active Member

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    living in SoCal...heated steering wheel confused me when it first turned on.

    I got the advance because I want that make shift auto pilot
     
  13. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    What feature is this?
     
  14. illumiN8i

    illumiN8i Active Member

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    You mean comma.ai openpilot? Don't need Prime Advanced for that. It works on any Prius with TSS-P.
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I went with the equivalent of the Advanced in the US (Upgrade with Technology Package). I wanted the HUD and JBL audio system. Everything else in that Tech pack was gravy (rain sensing wipers, BSM, RCTA, ICS, IPA, LED foglights, LED Clearance lights). So it mostly mirrors the US packaging.

    The reason not to get the Advanced? If you live in an area with poor drivers or small parking spaces. The BSM/RCTA radars are sensitive to small changes in the position of the rear bumper so any parking lot ding may result in an error message.

    I do like ICS but it also comes with Intuitive Parking Assist - it displays the distance to objects in 1-3 bar format on the 4.2” MID but it comes with a cacophony of beeps. I would like to have the display without the beeps.

    IPA is improved over the last gen and can centre the car by asking you to shift into Drive when you parallel park.
     
  16. eroeder

    eroeder Junior Member

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    I love my Advance and would say go for it. More safety equipment the better! I don’t have a lot of parallel parking in Dallas, but when I travel, I’m ready! ;)
    I say the heads up display is my most favorite item.
     
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  17. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    I disabled all the “safety” electronics on my Premium that had OFF switches. If I had the Advanced I would have more things to disable.

    I don’t find that these systems work very well or help me drive the car better. Others may have a different perspective.
     
    jmarkd7 likes this.
  18. eroeder

    eroeder Junior Member

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    Parking sensors are great, sonar for alert for braking works good too. Cruise pacing is awesome. Lane keeping is not as good as our Honda unfortunately, and that beeping it does would be the only annoying thing I sometimes turn off (Honda does a nice gentle steering wheel vibration). The blind spot light nice, I only wish it beeped too if you turn on your turn signal in the danger direction like our Honda.

    Really, each their own, the beauty of different trim packages... :)
     
  19. Marine Ray

    Marine Ray Senior Member

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  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The difference between the midrange and top of the line is smaller on the used car market (so the top of the line depreciates more). However, it can be easier to sell because it has more features for “ it much more money” on the used car market.
     
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