HUD vs blind spot monitoring - Looking at used Prius

My 2016 Prius 3 was equipped with the advanced electronics so it had the heads up display, sun roof and Navigation, but no blind spot. My 2021 AWDe has blind spot (among other safety features). I miss the heads up display, but would miss the blind spot warnings even more as they have prevented several driving errors so far.

JeffD

 

Mine has both. To be honest, the HUD is amazing and helpful, but the blind spot can save you from an accident.

If I wear polarized sunglasses, I can't see the HUD - yet I prefer to protect my eyes. So, the HUD is dispensable.

The blind spot monitoring is an absolute safety feature.

 

I would agree that the BSM is way more helpful than the HUD. Wife has BSM and once I drove that, I started wishing I could trade in my mid trim Prime for the top trim to get the BSM.

 

I will not buy a vehicle without BSM. Period. HUD is nice, but hardly necessary, and I don’t find Toyota’s implementation particularly useful. I would have much rather them put in a birds eye view 360 camera, which along with ventilated seats and a height adjustable passenger seat (short spouse) are the three options I wish my Prius would have.

 

When My spouse and I were buying our new 2020AWDe, I wanted the BSM (her Subaru had it and my 2016 Prius did not) and that clinched the purchase.

JeffD

 

I have all the features in my 2017 Four, but I had had to choose, the BSM is a must-have. The HUD is nice, but I could easily do without it.

 

I have a three with the HUD, NAV and moonroof as well and I have driven a few cars with Blind Spot monitoring and my vote is for blind spot monitoring. Could save you a potential accident. Sorry to hear about your accident. Just wrecked my dads car with someone who made a left right in front of me without noticing I was driving down the road...sigh!

 

The HUD is nice, and it's true as previously mentioned if you are wearing polarized sunglasses the display is almost invisible. I usually don't wear sunglasses though as the windshield and surround glass more than adequately filters UV. Evidence of this is my glasses are photo-gray activated by UV and they don't even begin to tint in full sunlight when inside the vehicle. The BSM is also useful, although I typically maintain a hyper-awareness of all other vehicles in my vicinity anyway. It's a failsafe for me. A second feature of the BSM though, the rear cross-traffic alert function, has been very helpful and probably helped avert disaster on several occasions. Hopefully this feature is available in the BSM for that model year.

 

Probably the BSM, but as I think several of us have discussed before, a warning sound would be very useful as the mirror warning lights don't grab your attention very well in the daytime.

 

Nice!!! That's just what my wife has. She LOVES it! I like it too. Not as much as my Prime, but still terrific. Hope you get great smileage.

 

I have both, blind spot monitoring is far more important and useful, to me, IMHO.