Need to decide -- 2 or 3? Red or Blizzard Pearl?

The only issue is it's more difficult to match when re-painting, but that shouldn't stop you from getting it. A good body shop should do a good enough job and there's paintless dent removal for the occasional dings. White paints do an excellent job of hiding scratches and are easy to polish.

 

Well, the Three gets you the 3-door smart key which is nice. Roll cart up with groceries, don't have to reach for the keyfob.

Garmins are nice, but have to plug in, fiddle with cord and put it somewhere, then place in glove box so some whacko doesn't break your window to steal it.

Still don't think backup camera is necessary, but sometimes it's fabulous to have. Incredibly hard to judge distance back there, but the camera is a lifesaver for backing up to a wall or parallel parking, etc...

I think you get xm radio capability with three also.

It's not a bad upgrade for $1500. Certainly could not add 3 door SKS. Only Toyota does that at build time.

 

Hi lindyq,
I went with the III and I also went with the Solar/Moonroof pkg. The Smart Key is REALLY nice, and an added benifit with the Solar/Moonroof is the air circulation feature that when you park your Prius in the sun, outside air is circulated throughout the interior and when you get into your Prius on a warm day it is 20 ~ 30 degrees cooler inside. My wife was skepticle about this feature, but after experiencing it for a few times, she is a beliver.
On the color choice, my favorite car color is red, (I have 1 truck, 1 car, 1 motorcycle that is red) but when I saw how much richer the Blizzard Pearl looks, it was no contest. If the Barcelona Red was a metalflake or a pearl color I would have went that way myself.

 

Get the 3 with the solar roof/nav package.

You get LED Daytime Running Lights which will cut your chance of accident by 20%. They also make the front look better as the fill it out vs. the blanks on the grill with the 2.

You get the moonroof which is nice. The keep the car cool solar panel which is a car interior saver and energy saver (and looks cool).

You get the Nav and Entunes which can be frustrating but, like all new tech toys, is a lot of fun.

If you drive a lot, I'd encourage you go for Prius 3/4 to get the power seats as many find the manual seats uncomfortable very quickly. You also get added safety feature of Auto/On/Off headlights as well as the DRL's. You get a better screen for the Nav and more functions, you also get ability to get XMNavTraffic vs. being limited to your phone streaming it from the internet.

I think getting the Heads Up Display is also a safety feature, especially with the Prius where you are constantly monitoring the power bar as you drivec.

 

Can't be right. DRLs and auto-off headlights are also standard on the Two. Auto-on is available only on the Four and Five.

 

A more important question is whether you normally park outside all day. SR is of no use even in the valley if you're parked indoors all day.

 

Pricing is what matters, I stayed with the II, I saw the upgrades and for $ per $, I'm doing fine, I have great location skills and ca glance at a map on Google and thats all I need, I dont need NAV, if I dont know where I'm going I better not be going there, . I can up grade the radio and things to a better option for less money, may lose the Techy stuff on the screen, but I check that on fill-up, not getting 48.2mpp. I'm not cheap when it comes to spending, but I drive 90 miles pers day 6 days a week. I just want a better sound system.

 

Sun roofs are very nice -- I like them for light the glass roof supplies even more than when open and in use as a sunroof.

With that said -- the Prius is not my only car and I have been surprised that the light gray interior and all the glass in the Prius provides plenty of light.

Our other cars all have black interiors and the sunroofs are needed -- If the Prius is going to be your only car I would drive one with the roof to see the difference.

The way Toyota does the roof -- it is silly expensive. I passed on the roof and went with the five for the LEDs and the wheels.

 

The II will do. Someone noted that for 2012 you get the DRL's so that is real safety feature you want.

The Nav, compared to a dedicated Garmin, none of the car navs can compare and the Garmin's gives you traffic. Prius II is a great bargain.

Go for it. Don't let us trade up techno junkies steer you wrong.

 

Only Prius Four and Five have power adjust Softex seats.

Two and Three are mechanical adjust fabric seats from factory.

I'm fine with the mechanical adjust, but as it turns out, fabric is a little more to worry about than 'leather-like'. Why? What about food stains, or if someone is bleeding and have to drive them to doctors? Yes, you can use a seat cover, but there's still fabric on the doors.

I would think leather or Softex clean up pretty well after a mess.

 

Other issue with the built in nav is that updates are in the $200-$300 range!

You can get a Garmin w/lifetime updates and traffic for under $200.

There's also a lot of things on the nav that you're locked out of if the vehicle is in motion.

Oh yeah, red can show swirls- white doesn't show swirls unless you forget to buff out the area altogether.

 

Or if the neighbor lady gives birth in the back seat on the way to the hospital...eyup gotta pay $10K more for my car in case THAT happens. Get a grip.

Lindyq should get a II at a bargain price to fit the budget. The Garmin is 1000% better than any car nav, Prius or otherwise.

 

It is a personally choice whether you want the extra features and don't mind spending the extra $1500.00.
For me it was worth it to spend the extra money on the package 3. I'm glad I did.
I like the smart key on 3 doors. It is very convenient to access the trunk and passanger door without having to pull out your key fob.
The built in GPS is nice, I don't use the entune though, don't really have a need for it.
I like the back up camera as well, but not essential. Helps with parallel parking.

"If I'm not splurging on the 3, maybe I'll spend a few extra bucks and get the Blizzard Pearl"

It is more money to get the blizzard pearl color? I didn't know they charged extra.

"Red or Blizzard Pearl?" - I personally do not like either color but if I had to pick between the two, I would go with the Blizzard Pearl.

"-- is it going to be more expensive to repair if it gets dinged?"

I wouldn't worry about it. Don't let that sway you in not getting the color your really like/want.

 

The navigation maps are from a preloaded DVD, GPS receiver provides the vehicle location.

Entune is other data services- some of those services are provided via XM Radio, other services are pulled through your tethered phone with a data plan.

From what the dealer told me- If I don't extend my XM contract beyond the three month free trial- the nav still works- but traffic data & gas prices will not be available because those are supplied through XM.

To me- the nav is a ripoff because of the crazy pricing of updates.

 

But nobody really updates every year because of the slow updates, especially in well-developed areas. Most do it every 5+ years, if at all (before selling the car).

 

The last thing you want to do is be tempted into paying more for something that you think is cool, but won't really use. Sure I think the nav and 3 door sks is cool, but in reality, not only do I not need it, but I likely won't use it. I do wish I had the sunroof, which I would use a lot, but the price jump is just too much considering I traded in an upside down vehicle.

As for paying more for a color (if there are any extra fees), I believe you can find a good dealer that can negotiate to get it for you at no extra cost.

 

I thought we were going to buy an 2011 Silver or Blizzard 3, but then my wife saw the Barcelona 4 and everything changed.

Barcelona is growing on me. She loves it. Blizzard White does look great.

Did that help?