Prius v or Prius for my needs?

not likely spec'd anywhere. maybe new car features? tires can make a big difference, and road construction

 

Rodro: How is the new Prius V three working out? I have been thinking of you, as I purchased my second Prius V 30 days ago today, and I remembered two annoying things that you may want to fix.

1) How to turn off that annoying beeping when in reverse:
This is a really annoying "feature" that Prius V's (Maybe all Prii) have. Shifting into reverse causes an overly loud beep beep beep, that can only be heard inside the car. IMHO, it serves no purpose, other than to induce headaches. If you have an ODBII adapter that can connect to your phone, there are a number of apps that can remedy this "Feature". I most recently used the "Dr. Prius" app to turn off the beeping. Despite what other posts in this forum state, you need the paid version of "Dr. Prius" to turn it off.

There are free apps out there that will change the beeps, but the paid version Dr. Prius is something you may want anyway. Still cheaper than getting a dealer to do it. Note that there are actually 3 differant options:

- Constant Beeping while in reverse.
- One beep as you go into reverse.
- No sound at all.
​

The current paid version of Dr. Prius only offers the single beep vs. continuous beeping. The single beep is fine with me.

2) Replacing the rear speakers:
The OEM rear speakers are a total joke. I was not too upset when I bought my 2013 two, that such awful speakers were used. I was really not happy when I found the same POS speakers were used in my 2017 four. Even my non-techie wife noticed the difference ("The rear speakers in the new car don't sound as good as the old car. Did you upgrade them on the 2013?"). I think the only upgraded speakers are found in the JBL Audio Upgrade package available for trim level five.

When you decide to replace these speakers, you will find 6.5 inch speakers that have a magnet the size you would expect from a cheap clock radio. I honestly don't know why Toyota bothers with the labor of installing them. I would have preferred no rear speakers at all to these.

You will need adapters to hold aftermarket speakers in the doors. Don't bother with the wiring harness adapters, you are not going to bother putting the OEM speakers back in when you sell the car. Just cut the OEM connector off, and crimp / solder to your new speakers. To save you the hassle of taking the door apart twice, here is the link to the adapters on Amazon:

Edit:
I don't think Priuschat liked the link I put in. Search amazon for:
Metra 82-8148 6" to 6-3/4" Speaker Adapter for Select Toyota/Lexus/Scion 1998-Up Vehicles, Black

Good Luck!