Close to Buying: Touring or not?

Only 5% of Prius brought to the US are Touring, so yes, they are harder to get. I am a Touring owner, and before that I rented three different base model Prius, drove them extensively. Now my Touring has over 5500 miles, mostly highway, and I can say that I think the Touring is worth it. Its suspension stiffer than the base model but it is by no means uncomfortable. What Toyota did to the Touring, apart from the larger wheels, tires and spoiler, is stiffen spring rates and add larger sway bars, maybe even change dampner rates. Where the base model sometimes feels floaty on the highway, the Touring feels solid; where the base gets pushed around by the wind and turbulence from passing trucks, the Touring gets a light jolt; where the base front end feels like wandering around (twisty mountain roads ring a bell here), the Touring feels sure. So:

Pros: better braking and handling due to wider tires, larger rims and tuned suspension.

Cons: slightly worse fuel economy due to wider tires and larger rims. You will lose 1-3mpg overall, but to tell the truth I really haven't really felt the difference here. It's harder to find a Touring for sale, even harder to find one that is not fully loaded; I wanted mine with package 5, but had to settle for package 6. And to tell the truth, salesmen don't know much about the Touring.

I think the Touring is worth every extra penny I paid for it.

 

with no Prius to even test drive I ordered a grey touring with package 2, the salesman told me no one really orders them but I like the idea of improved handling, he also said I have an eight week wait...oh well, guess I'll look for the June issue of Consumer Reports to kill some of that time

 

I test drove them both back to back and IMMEDIATELY preferred the Touring over the base/standard. Like above poster said ... the Touring felt less "floaty" and more connected to the road imho without being "rough". It's also a way to add a little sport to a very un-sporty car ... yet, the Prius Touring will never be confused with being "sporty" in the least. I liked the slightly larger spoiler as well although it's not overly noticeable.

I say I immediately preferred the Touring ... I'm not saying it's a HUGE, HUGE difference, but I preferred it right off the bat.

I also liked the idea of slightly bigger wheels ... from what some have said, the tires on the Touring seem to be of better quality as well???? Keep in mind there is no Package 4 with the Touring b/c HIDs come standard on ALL Tourings. Depending on where you live Package 6 may be the only way to get a Touring as well.

I just put down a deposit on a Pkg 6 Black Touring. For the record I'm a 33 year-old male.

 

33 year old male with package 6 2008 Touring here too... don't tell me yours is Spectra Blue Mica with gray interior too?

 

I just use more air in the tires on my standard and it feels almost like a touring. Lots cheaper, too.

 

You can't go wrong either way. I have the standard and like it just fine, but I don't drive my Prius like a sports car. I did put on good tires, which makes a huge difference over the OEM Goodyear Integrities. With the new tires, I can take turns way faster than I'm willing to go. Perhaps if I were still twenty years old the Touring model would be a must-have, but not now. I would be happy with either.

Tom

 

Black w/gray interior ... but I don't have it YET ... If it takes too long I'm gonna pull my deposit and play the wait and see game on the remodel that MIGHT be out in the spring from what I hear now. Also heard the Lexus version could be out at that same time as well (but I'd imagine it'd be a little behind the Toyota possibly).

 

I'm not the kind of driver who takes corners fast or the like ... I did in general feel more connected to the road in the Touring ... I could immediately tell the difference. It wasn't choppy or hard, but just less "floaty" in general.

 

back to square one, my dealer just called and said the factory is not making anymore touring models this month......

 

My wife and I just purchased a 2005 package #6. We just drove a round trip from Az to Cali with an average highway speed of ~80 mph. We felt min, if not any, "floating". The tire psi is 40/38 (non-touring). We decided to purchase used since we would pay less depreciation, so we took what was available. I would recommend purchasing a model, to your liking, ASAP. All used models are very hard to come by (We bought ours 10 min after meeting the previous owner and looking the car over) and the waiting list for new is getting longer, in AZ at least. We love the car and will purchase another Prius soon.

 

Touring

If you can find one or if your ordering a new one, go with the Touring.

When I started looking for a Prius, the first dealer I went to didn't have any Touring models and kept telling me that the ride was bad and that's why they chose to order more non-touring models.

Went to a different dealer and the Touring model is just an awesome driving car! I run the tire pressure at 44/42 and have been averaging 52MPG with our crappy, cold Chicago weather.