What trim should I get?

Our personal preferences are just that, personal. No one can say what you might like. When we go to a restaurant, my mother-in-law will invariably say something like, "what should I get". My better ½ once answered her saying, "a backbone?
That said, my better ½ does have issues with people manifesting codependency.
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I didn't have an option when mine became available.
LTD.
That said, I'm glad to have it with all the bells and whistles.

 

XSE Premium is the easiest to get model, and there is a lot of stock of it in dealer lots.

I would get the SE or LE, but that's my choice for fuel efficiency, BEV range, and affordability. They do compromise a crucial safety feature that is auto-on lights and the important convenience feature that is the garage-door opener. Nevertheless, I would not get the LE either because I would only get a Prius Prime.

There is no spare tire on any model. The delivery fee is mandatory. You can negotiate down the overall price and get a dealer discount. There is also a hefty lease discount. Get whatever accessories you would like. Avoid the dealer-installed accessories.

 

The difference between an XSE Premium and LE is huge in ameites and price. Yuur preferences are diverse. I think the 17"wheel package on the LE is preferable. But like some of the standard items on an XSE. I would not bother to get a Premium model. Just my preferences.

 

There is also another problem. LE and SE are extremely hard to find. However, it is currently higher trims galore at the dealer lots.

 

Driving in the BEV mode is great if you have an outlet to plug in to. It is also less wear and tear on the gas engine, as you can eliminate gas driving for short trips.

I find the auto-on lights to be a great safety feature, as everyone forgets to turn the lights on at some point.

 

I bought the FITCAMX integrated dashcam for the G5 prius. So far it has worked great; very very minor visibility hit, and I often forget it's even on there now. It's a lot cheaper than the OEM one, even with the added cost of a sturdier microSD card. I would recommend. The installation wasn't that much trouble.

 

First group of questions:
1. The digital rearview mirror and heated rear seats are automatically added when you get the 360 camera package. The mirror works perfectly fine as an ordinary mirror, so don't worry about that. I only use mine when my rear window is fully iced up(not a problem for you), or if I've got a big load in the cargo area that would normally block the mirror. You're in prime territory for a plug-in(sunny and warm year-round), so it might be worth it if you can find one.
2. This is what I'm driving. I really like the heated/cooled seats and the 360 cameras. For me, they're absolutely worth the mpg hit. I don't think the glass roof will be a major source of failure, but only time will tell. I'd have been far more worried if it was an opening sunroof. But if you go with the top trim, you don't get a choice. I went with the LTD because I wanted AWD and the Prime loses much of its efficiency in my climate. But that doesn't really apply to you, so...
3. I agree that there's not much to gain in the middle trims. If you decide to give up the heated/cooled seats and the 360 camera, you might as well drop to the LE/SE and get the max mpg.

Second group of questions:
1. The reason it stopped in April could either be because production halted for two months starting around April 15 and the owner of the website never got back to it, or it could be because Toyota made some changes to their system that made it harder for outside parties to access the allocation/inventory system. There was also a VIN tracker website that buyers could use to follow their car from build to delivery. That website had to shut down for the same reason.
2. (I have it) Absolutely not worth $500. It still uses a Sony STARVIS 1 camera where most quality dashcams have switched to the STARVIS 2. The Toyota app to view videos is terrible; the best way is just to pull the card and stick it in a laptop. On the flip side, the build quality is very high and it installs well with no exposed wires. It's an acceptable option if you only want it for emergencies(this is my case). If you plan to regularly watch your recordings, there are far, far better options out there. But if you decide to go with the Toyota cam, you can currently buy it for $281.75(PT949-08231) and easily install it yourself(I did).
3. I've got them. I'd give them a 'meh'. If you like the brushed metal look, they dress up your door sills just a little bit. But they're not amazing or anything. If you are just interested in maximum protection, there is a second option out there that is just a black sheet of protective material that covers the area much better. Both options are super easy to do yourself. Just peel and stick. The pretty option is $166.75(PT413-47230) and the practical option is about $40(PT929-47250-02).
4. I'd say yes. Mine were installed at the port, but they're pretty easy to do yourself if you want to. $86.25(PK389-47R00-TP) if you do it yourself.
5. Totally depends on your area. Absolutely not worth it for me, but I have no doubt it's totally worth it for others where cat theft is commonplace. I believe the good cats are high up on the exhaust manifold and almost impossible to steal, but there's a resonator or something where a cat would typically be. I wouldn't be surprised if bad cat thieves might cut it out thinking it's worth something(it's not). The Miller Shield might prevent that.
6. It's impossible to cleanly install a spare tire in a Prime, but you can in the regular Prius. It's easier to do in an XLE or LTD, but you can still do it in an LE. I've got a thread in the maintenance subforum about how to do it and what parts you need to order. Super, super easy install, but it does cost anywhere from $200-$700 depending on how neat and clean you want the install.
7. Pretty sure it's impossible to get rid of that fee. I believe it's from Toyota and not the dealer. You could try to negotiate a price below MSRP to sort of avoid it, but I don't know how successful you'll be. Worth a shot, I guess. I bought my AWD LTD in May 2023 for straight MSRP. I had to search around for a dealer that wasn't jacking up prices, but I eventually found one a couple hours away.

 

Not sure what happened with my post but I was trying to respond about the 12.3 inch screen. That was a must have for me. Just look at Teslas or really any battery EV, the display screen for apps and car functions is so cluttered and necessary that the bigger screen gives you a much better view of what you need to look at or adjust. Don't go cheap on this.

KH

 

I have to agree that the 12.3" screen is very nice, but I would say that it depends on your driving habits and how you use your car. There are many posters on here(Mendel immediately springs to mind) that I doubt would notice a difference. They just don't need or want to use the things that make the 12.3" screen so beneficial.

For me, I use Android Auto. When driving long distances to unfamiliar destinations(where I don't know the best route), I have CarStream(YouTube repackager) in the left 75% of the screen for entertainment, and Google Maps in the remaining 25% to let me know where I need to be going. I'm not sure if I could have both those open with the 8" screen. But situations like that only occur to me maybe 5% of my trips. The other 95% of the time I would only need one or the other app or none at all. So, for me, I guess I'd have to say that the 12.3" screen is only rarely a noticeable benefit, but when it is, it REALLY is.*

I guess that was just an unnecessarily long winded way of saying 'your milage may vary'. lol



*My recent trips from ND to Chicago(650mi each way) and ND to central Ohio(925mi each way) were made immensely better with the 12.3" screen. I'll probably be doing ND to southern Oregon in a month or two(1650mi each way), and I'm very glad I'll still have it.

 

Use the Search Inventory function on Toyota.com. Enter the zip code of the dealership and filter by XSE+ and Solar Roof. That should tell you if it really has it or not. You can also look at the window sticker if the dealership has it on their website. Check the VIN number at the top of the sticker to be sure it's the right one, then look for Solar Charging Roof in the list of options.

Don't worry about it mentioning a fixed glass roof. That's on there whether the car has a solar roof or not. It's a standard feature that's superseded by the optional feature.


I'm not sure where you're at in Texas, but I'm seeing four XSE+ w/solar roof within a 500mi radius of Abilene. All also have the Advanced Tech package.
1. Richardson(Plano suburb) - Guardian Gray - Build Phase - Sale Pending
2. College Station - Cutting Edge - Build Phase - Sale Pending
3. Manvel(Houston suburb) - Wind Chill Pearl - On Lot? - they may have an insane market adjustment of $15k
4. Rogers, AR(NW corner of AR) - Wind Chill Pearl - Build Phase - Sale Pending