Contemplating Prius 4 or Prius 5 - Help!

Liked your post. If I went and got a gold tooth, tattoos and lowered my pants, would this Grandpa look "hip" dog?
The Prius is what it is. You can make it look nice up to a point.
But most I have seen look pretty cool. I guess if you put a racing stripe on it that would be to much.
SCH-I535 ? 2

 

You can always change the wheels. You can't easily add a solar sunroof. The glass roof looks really cool. Then add wheels if you want to go really big. The Prius 17" wheels look pretty mediocre in my opinion but that black glass roof is good looking from both inside and out. Different headlights are a non issue to me. Either type will light the road better than the car I replaced.

 

The Plus Performance wheels with the Michelin MXM4 tires look and drive nice.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

I have had my 2010 five for just over a year. Firstly, I can say that I am very happy with the LED headlights. They are very bright and produce a very white light. I don't get much fog where I live so I cant speak on their effectiveness and I keep them off to draw less power. I love the look of the wheels, they really make the car stand out, and they handle pretty well! The negatives would be that they are very prone to curb rash vs the 15" (I have scraped 3 of my wheels but admittedly Im not the best at street parking), the 17" tires will be more expensive when it comes time to replace, there is a 2-3 mpg penalty with the 17". My Biggest complaint is the ride, It is pretty harsh. I feel every little bump and road imperfection on my 72 mile commute which drives me crazy. I have never driven a Prius with 15" wheels so I can't say how much smoother it is. I would suggest test driving them both back to back and try to get on some bumpy roads to see the difference. Do you want a firmer, sportier ride? do you like the look of the 17" and the cool head lights? and don't mind spending a little more to get it? Then go with the 5. Do you want to get the absolute best MPG? do you want a smooth ride and not have to worry about messing up your wheels when you park next to a curb? Then go with the 4.

 

I have a horse in this race now since I'm in the market. The solar roof looks awesome on the 4, but for some reason I can't get over LED headlights on the 5. I think it's because my (totaled) 2005 Prius had the Xenons or whatever at the time - the ones that "pop" white when you turn them on. Seems foolish but the idea of going back to yellow bums me out.

If the 4 package or options upgrade came with the LED lights it'd be a done deal for me!

 

Buy the LED headlamps and install them in a solar Four. Honestly the lights on the Four are not yellow. They are very white and wicked bright. They have a nice clean pattern.

Mike

 

Nice idea, perfect compromise. Or I'll just buy one exactly like yours - your Prius looks awesome!

 

This is the best pic I have so far. I like the looks. Pretty neat



Mike

 

How many months ago was that taken?

 

I think summer of 2012. I only got to drive it about 100 miles last season and it was just wandering around in the boonies just to drive it

Mike

 

Wow! Your sig isn't lying!

 

Mike has the Ultimate Garage Queen

 

Travel was practically non-stop this year. Me thinks 2014 will be the same. It is fun seeing the country ;-)

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

Mike, your Prius looks great. Why so few miles?

I've had a few of those. Three years ago, my wife and I had six vehicles for two people. More vehicles, less utilization. I had a 2005 SLK 55 ///AMG for four years and I only put 4,000 miles on it before I sold it. I had a 2011 Lexus IS F Sport on lease for three years (gone) and put less than 14,000 miles on it. I've had my 2012 Prius Plug since January of this year and I'm three miles short of 5,000 miles. Between work and home demands, I don't venture far. As of three weeks ago, my Prius is my daily driver (put me in the game coach). It's my choice. We're down to three vehicles and I'm happy. I love cars, but at this point in my life, less is best.

 

Insurance costs of multiple vehicles is substantial. We currently have 6 vehicles.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

Missed the question I travel with my wife alot so my car sits in our garage mostly. All traveling is done in rental vehicles. I have more miles driving rental Prii than I do on my own car

Mike

 

You must get some sweet upgrades from whatever company you use. Or do you opt for the eco class and drive their Prius?!

 

We drive anything from compact to mini vans. Depends upon if we are driving rentals as a long term test drive or just something different for a trip. I drove rental Prii for easily 20k miles before I ordered mine. I actually did a long term test drive (rental cars) with the Prius & Elantra to decide which car I liked more. Our last test drive adventure was with mini vans. Now we are buying a Sienna to replace my SUV and for our winter get-a-way vehicle. Next week I am actually staying home and letting my wife drive herself around Wisconsin. I need to get some stuff done around the house so I am staying home for a change. Speaking of eco class, one of the neat little cars I drove last summer was a Ford Fiesta hatchback. That car drove awesome. Even got to take it on some gravel roads in western Minnesota running 50 or so mph with the dust flying like crazy. It handled very well. Oh and the mpg's were easily 40+ driving normal posted speed limits. Impressive for a regular gasser car.

Mike