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RED 2022 xle prime question

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by ct prius dedicated, Oct 4, 2022.

  1. ct prius dedicated

    ct prius dedicated Junior Member

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    Need some advice...I got a call and the dealership that has my deposit will be getting in a red xle. It's mine if I want it but I can wait until their next allocation and switch to whatever is on it IF an XLE comes in. Now at first blush I think a red one would be fun because all I've ever bought has been practical tans (they don't show the dirt...etc). I am not a wash the car type of person so low to no maintenance is my motto. That being said, I'm kind of sick of being the predictable practical conservative chick. My question....how bad will the red look if I'm letting mother nature clean it with rain? How hot does the thing get in the summer with all that black interior too? Also, I plan on driving this car for at least ten years (my current prius is a 2007). Anyone out there have a red one for a long time and how has the color held up? BTW I live in New England where winters are very messy and summers are hot. Thanks for your comments.
     
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Red w/Black is no issue. The heat pump is very good at cooling the cars interior.
    I was like you. I only bought tan, silver and white cars. As this could potentially be my last automobile I went with Red and it adds a whole new feeling. My car is garaged when not in use so it doesn’t get dirty quickly and the local car wash does an excellent job a few times a year. J
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What is your current situation; do you have a car now, and/or it's a must have? Between mark-ups, scarcity, and gen 5 pending, might be a good time to wait.
     
  4. ct prius dedicated

    ct prius dedicated Junior Member

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    I have to have a car because my 2007 prius is going to my daughter for her college internship out of state in January. I would rather get the styling of the 2022 anyway
     
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  5. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    If it is the model you want, grab it or you may and up with nothing!

    We've had red, blue, and titanium glow (see our avatar) and love them all, none showing dust/dirt anywhere near as obviously as our darker cars (Mercedes Benz black opal metallic being the worst). BTW, we seldom wash our cars either.

    IMG_3660.JPG
     
  6. ct prius dedicated

    ct prius dedicated Junior Member

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    So does the red show more dust/dirt/scratches than the blue or titanium? How about in the summer...does the red heat up more?
     
  7. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    None of them are bad.
     
  8. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    My mantra is any color but black. Not sure if it comes with the white interior, but if so, I would prefer that. Have you considered the Limited? I know, it is $4K more than the XLE, but the HUD and rear traffic alert plus less important things like blind spot monitor make it worth it for me. When I am parked between two large SUVs and backing out at Costco, many times the rear traffic alert has paid for itself.
    If you are going to keep the car for ten years, it might be worth it to you.
     
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  9. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    My Barcelona red metallic Corolla showed the dust a lot.

    My blue magnetism Prius Prime is very good at hiding the dust and dirt, no worse than my classic silver metallic Prius Prime I had.

    One thing I realized about red cars is that humans have a poor peripheral vision of the color red and drivers to your sides have a hard time seeing your red car, and that almost got me in an accident a couple of times. Once someone made a right turn onto me while I was making a left turn (I had the green arrow), and once someone not seeing me while I was backing out. I think I may have also had other instances where drivers on my sides seemed to not notice me.

    That said, I think the supersonic red is a decent color, albeit not anywhere as great as the amazing Mazda soul red crystal metallic (at a whopping $595 extra cost over regular paint) or some other great red paint jobs, and you will be OK with it.

    Motion-capture sensors create Mazda's soul red crystal metallic paint process on the Mazda6 and more—Kristin V. Shaw

     
    #9 Gokhan, Oct 4, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2022
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i had a 2001 red taurus. never washed it, no problem, no heat build up. current black hycam, looks all white on the doors, hot as hockey sticks inside. i hate taking it to florida
     
  11. Old Bear

    Old Bear Senior Member

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    Go for the red. I doubt that the color will make much difference for either dirt or heat. When I acquired my Prime five years ago, I got it in a nice conservative metallic gray because I had been used to owning large stodgy luxury cars for many years. Since then, while I absolutely love my Prime, from time to time I have regretted not getting it in the sportier "hypersonic red" color. I think it may have something to do with my outlook on the world rather than anything particularly practical.

    Living in New England is going to cause any color to become frosted-white with road salt after driving on slushy winter roads. And in the summer, any car will become hot inside after being parked in the sun. That's why we have car-washes and air-conditioning.

    Some decisions should be made just on the basis of what gives you joy.
     
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  12. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Red is a great color! Gets lots of compliments.
     
  13. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    It is!

    We'd still have ours, but it was a Premium and we lusted for a limited. Also, the rebates etc let us trade up for next to nothing... a no brainer (new car, no cost... sure, why not!?!).
     
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  14. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

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    I have had multiple red cars over the years and never felt they were any harder to keep clean or were hotter in the summer sun. Our’22 XLE NIGHTSHADE edition is classic silver metallic but would have been red if we could have found one. I agree with you on the styling. BTW my XLE has the back up warning system and other safety features mentioned so jumping up to the Limited is not necessary to get those.
    I personally think the red is the best looking.
     
  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The OP's heat concern is with the black interior. The car's exterior color and glass plays a bigger role in how much heat a car soaks up sitting under the sun, but interior does contribute. Car's shipped to the South are more likely to get the light interior for a reason.

    I haven't experienced it, but SofTex is not the vinyl used in cars decades ago. Old black vinyl could burn you. Materials science hasn't sat still. Heat absorption is something it has worked on for these synthetic seat coverings. The factory glass might also have infrared filters to help keep heat out.
     
  16. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Yep, nothing beats the Limited. I traded in my silver-metallic 2020 XLE to an aqua-metallic 2021 Limited almost two years ago. The latter was both the best trim choice and the best color choice. On top of that, I got TSS 2.0 and Dunlop tires with the 2021 model year.
     
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  17. ct prius dedicated

    ct prius dedicated Junior Member

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    So is the supersonic red metallic paint? I saw one in the parking lot and it didn't seem to have much metallic aspect to it...but it was cloudy. Also is the blue magnetism metallic? I'm starting to think the extra 452 for red may not be worth it....
     
  18. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Yes, blue magnetism, which I own, is metallic. The actual global name of the paint is spirited aqua metallic, but it is called blue magnetism in the US for some reason. It is a medium shade of bluish aqua with white paint mixed in that glows under UV light.

    Supersonic red is a three-coat paint job, I believe, with a reflective coat with metallic/pearl flakes as the base coat but perhaps with no metallic flakes in the main coat below the top, clear coat. I don't know it for sure though.
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In 2010 our local dealership wanted $250 CDN ($182.50 USD), for Blizzard Pearl (the colour that peels).
     
  20. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    It peels??