regular vs. touring

Regular has 15" rims, Touring has 16" rims, alloy wheels, and (I think) slightly better handling. Oh, and the spoiler is a little larger.

 

I don't think the so-called Touring "European tuned suspension" means anything, if one has ever driven a European car with a telltale European tuned suspension. It is still quite floaty. And you don't get any better seats, which would stand to reason a "Touring" model should have if a better suspension, wheels and tires are part of the package. I'd just as soon choose my own 16" or 17" rims to the stock ones that even the Touring model comes with, though I admit they do look better than the 15"s.

Anyhoo, you do get HID lights with integrated foglamps. And it's nice the "spoiler" is tastefully integrated, so it doesn't look like a tacky add-on common to so many Japanese cars.

 

I have a Touring and will say it feels quite nimble, you can really take a lot of speed into corners. Don't know how a regular Prius drive as I've never driven one.

 

The differences are, as stated - slightly larger wheels (Touring comes with low-profile Bridgestone tires instead of the standard Goodyears on the base model), stiffer suspension and a larger spoiler on the rear. Also the Touring has HID headlamps and spots as standard where on the base they're included in the optional packages.

Having driven both, I found the stiffer suspension in the Touring model helped in faster cornering, but gave a rather rougher ride on the poorly maintained streets that seem quite common here. In the end I went for the base model since the softer suspension didn't seem that much softer - it does roll a degree or two more than the Touring when cornering, but still allows for very precise handling - and the ride is less choppy.

And that's from someone who generally prefers the stiffer 'european' type suspensions.