Touring vs. Non-Touring- need to decide within 2 weeks

I believe I've decided on the Touring MOSTLY for looks. I also like the idea of having a little sportier (although it's not much at all) car and larger tires. I say this having not driven a Touring Edition though. I like the rims (plastic coverings) better on the Touring.

If you don't really care about those things THAT much, I would just go with the regular Prius ... PLUS you can probably deal a little bit better on a non-Touring???? Just some thoughts.

 

I thought the Touring basically threw in the HID headlights, too. I'd go with the touring, it seems like a real bargain, but I lean towards better handling more than ride comfort.

 

You get the HIDs on all Pkg #4 and above on the non-Touring model as well.

Good point for you pola ... if you don't want all the goodies like Nav or leather (#5 & #6 pkgs ... I think #4s are a little harder to find???), yet still want HIDs the Touring may be the way to go.

Good point Beryl

 

I drove the touring and non-touring editions back to back several times -

Played a game with myself and had the salesman lead me into a prius - not knowing if it was a touring or non touring..


I was able to tell the difference..

It responds differently, tighter turns on corners - if you drive with any gusto - you will appriciate the suspension.


And it doesn't cost much more.

 

Pola ... if you think you want the HIDs, the pkg #4 non-Touring has them ... that is one w/o Nav, Leather. You probably know that though ...

 

Picked up my Touring about a week ago.
Very solid & tight. The upgraded suspension and 16" wheels make it worth it. Plus you get HID headlights & Foglights. Had a Chrysler 300 M before W/perfromance pkg. The Prius does not take a back seat to the 300M in any way. Room, handling, and quiet interior make it a standout. And of course the mpg!

I'd surely go for the Touring w/leather pkg6.

 

The best way to answer your question is to go test drive both, just like you did. Just pick whichever one you like better.

I went with the Touring mainly because I could get the options I wanted with a lesser package and significantly lower sticker price than the base. After that I found out about the better stock tires, a very nice bonus. I've never been in a base model; after analyzing the feature differences of the two setups, I never felt the urge to reconsider.

Handling is a subjective thing. Some will tell you it's tight and harsh, others loose and soft, and still others just about right. To me, the Touring is a respectable mix, favoring the harsh side just a little to try to cut down on body roll and improve handling. Then again, the harshness could be due more to the poor road conditions I encounter on my daily commute than the temperament of the suspension itself. Whatever the case, I'm plenty satisfied. B)

BTW, the base model has 15" wheels, while the Touring has 16". Since the Touring tires are a lower profile (195/55 I think), I suspect your sales guy was trying to point out that the actual outside diameter (and hence circumference) of the two tires is roughly the same. Someone had the revolutions-per-mile (RPM) for each size and I believe they were pretty darn close; you might find those numbers if you do a search. Just thought I would clarify that and head off any potential "the Touring has 15.25 inch tires?" questions.

- Justifyd

 

Hi Pola -

I higly recommend the Touring model. I just bought one, and love it. I think the overall ride is better than the base model, and if you get a high level package, with the ECO-nomic incentives from Toyota (currently up to $2,000 of the higher packages), then you should get a good deal, and alot of extras with a better ride.

Good luck!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 4 2007, 04:34 PM) [snapback]435751[/snapback]</div>

It will be a bit rattling on bumpy roads. Test drive it to see if you can deal with it. I like it because I can almost feel the paint on the road. Not as good as an Elise which can feel how many legs a bug has.

If you get the default soft suspension it'll cost you $1300 to get the touring handling back in. If you get the touring suspension, it'll cost you ~$500 to get softer "touring" tires, or to just let it ride with lower air pressure.

You make the call.

 

I recently had the same dilemma, touring or standard?... especially after reading the posts from folks who had put Goodyear Comfort Threads on the standard and loved the ride. I’m like you wherein the ride is more important than handling.

I did a search for the size tires on the Touring and didn't find many choices, hopefully there will be more when it comes replacement time.

Pause

I just did a search on the Goodyear site and found an “Eagle NCT5 EMT that fit the Touring that are rated (out of 10)

“Ride Comfort of 8
and
“Quiet Ride†of 9

There was also an “Excellence†tire in that size but all the specs read 0

The Bridgestone Turanza EL400 195 55 R16 tires that come on the Touring are above average tires, but the Bridgestone website doesn’t give detailed specs so I can’t do an apples to apples comparison to potential replacements: http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselector/index_bs.asp

According to comments from folks here the standard Prius tires don’t last very long, so with the Touring you definitely have better tires when you leave the showroom. And the Touring gives you more for your money if you’re interested in the upper-level options.

I’m not disappointed in the Touring and the roads are bad in many areas around where I live, I tried over inflating for mileage but found it too hard, so I went back to the recommended pressure and are happy with them.

 

I have an 07 Touring. My gal has an 05 non-Touring. I drive both all the time. The touring handles a little better than the non-Touring but is a bit rougher on the expressway.

Neither one is as plush as a Cadillac nor as sporty as a BMW. Nor as sporty as my old RSX-S nor the 06 Civic EX Sedan that I drove before buying the Prius Touring.

Good luck.

 

With the 16" wheels it should handle significantly better, but the downside is you will feel more bumps. This is a general rule for all cars. I'd get the touring mostly because 16's just look better.

 

When you get to the dealership, ask them to pull 2 models together.

You will notice the back end on the touring looks better with the big lip...

SOLD!


Also the touring does have better looking wheels, and HID and the price isnt much bigger than the regular. Something like 900 bucks. That 900 bucks will come off from toyota for buying the prius because of the incentives for driving the hybrid.

If you do get leather, make sure its factory... I wish I came here b4 I bought my prius and knew that, it was installed at the dealer, and the door rests arent leather, steering wheel isnt leather... and the back seats towards the door (like where the battery vent is) is not leather. But i still payed the same price. I wish I could get them to change it all

 

I got the touring primarily because I wanted the HIDs and fogs regardless of option package. It didn't hurt to have the tighter suspension and better tires. I finally decided on the Package #6, so I could have gotten the HIDs on a non-touring version, but now I have a tighter suspensions, better tires, and more attractive rims.