Package 4 MFD vs. Package 6 MFD - buttons?

On the non-nav system there are two on each side instead of four, and the steering wheel is missing the four buttons on the right side.

 

Think of it this way (for a 2005 Prius, at least):

Nav in Package 6 (BC) has 7 buttons on the display.

No-Nav in Package 4 has 4 buttons on the display.

The #4 can still be called a MFD because it will show you your Energy and Consumption screens, as well as Audio and Climate. It has four large buttons on the left and right sides of the display, labeled Climate, Audio, Display, and Info.

The #6 has these buttons plus Map and Dest. Four on the left, three on the right side of the screen, thus smaller than the set of four above.

A picture can be found in the PDF labeled 14 of the set that makes up the Owner's Manual, but I don't have one available to upload. Both screens are shown on page 146. Just ask any friendly Toyota dealer (there are quite a few) or Prius owner (even more) and they will show you the page.

 

I just recently (4/20) had to make this same decision (though I didn't own any GPS prior), and I've been pretty happy with my selection of package 6. Of course I'm still very much in the n00b stage myself and playing around, but I think it is worth mentioning my favorite thing that I can get with the onboard navi that can't be had with external units is the bluetooth/cell interaction. Press a gas station icon on the map, and one more button press on the steering wheel has the stereo muted and the phone ringing there. Juggling a GPS and a cell that way seems a lot less safe.

As everyone will tell you, the JBL audio system sucks. I try to be an optimist and think of the fact that at least it has the (I think 9) speaker positions already wired and platformed, so replacing them with similarly sized units and adding a subwoofer should require minimal headache.

 

I went for package 6 because package 3 (only 1,3,6 are offered) because there was more negotiating room. Package 3's are hard to find, so you get no discount, whereas package 6 I was consistantly getting $500-1000 off MSRP...

I think the navigation and bluetooth will be extremely useful. In CA, you can't talk on a cell phone without a headset or bluetooth. (legally)

 

OT: smoking in car

Isn't smoking in a car just about as distracting as talking on the phone. Smokers are the worst drivers I have to be around. People talking on their phones are the second worse. Let me take that back. The worst drivers are ones who are smoking and talking on the phone all at the same time.

If states are going to outlaw driving while talking on a non-hands free phone, why not also outlaw smoking, and let's also outlaw dressing, shaving, putting on makeup and primping.

 

That is not correct. There has been plenty of talk, but as of yet no law was enacted to that effect. I wish it were.