Which to choose? Prius Pkg 4 w/Solar & HDD Nav. or Pkg 5

Solar Moon Roof - Does your car sit in the sun a lot? If so, is it almost too hot to handle when you get in? If not, then do you want it just cause it looks cool (and yes, it does look pretty cool )? My car doesn't sit in the sun very often. So I wasn't going to pay an extra $1500 just for a black top. But as a valet, I do have experience with a Prius that does have the Solar Rood. And I gotta say, it really does make a big difference especially if the cars been sitting in the sun for 6 hours.

HID Headlights - The 5 actually comes with LED headlights, not HID. And I am pretty certain it will come with fog lights as well. If there were 2 things I would love to get most on my 3, it would be the LED headlights and fog lights. But the 5 was just too far out of my range.

HDD Navigation - I don't have any experience with the HDD Navigation, so I don't really have much of an input on this. Although, I don't really have much to complain about on the 6" navigation. Heck, all I wanted was the backup camera.

17" Wheels - I'm not a big fan of those wheels, but a lot are. Which makes it easy for you to sell them if you do decide to switch them out.

As for me, I would go with the 5.

 

I didn't do exhaustive research, but I made my choice... bought a Four with Solar Roof Package about 3 months ago. The touch screen interface has a few "quirks", but overall I'm very happy with the car. I test-drove models with the 6" display audio nav a couple of times and while I didn't spend a -lot- of time using the nav, I really didn't like it as much as the 7" HDD nav screen and interface.

For more about what I like about the car:
Review of 2012 Prius Four with Solar Roof Package, and 2012 Prius hatchback in general | PriusChat

 

I would go with the IV with Solar and HDD Nav. I really can't stand the small 6" screen of the non HDD model.

 

Faced with the same choice, I went with the Four with the Solar roof & HDD nav. I'm really happy with my choice. My car does sit in the sun, and the solar roof makes quite a big difference. I have to admit that there are things about the HDD nav that I don't like, but I'm comparing it to the nav in my 2005. I have no experience with the 6" nav.

And besides, the black roof looks really cool with Seaglass Pearl and with the wheel covers off to show the black rims.

ETA: Also, the Four comes with HUD and the Five does not unless you spring for the advanced technology package. HUD is one of those things that I now never want to do without.

 

I chose the 4 w/ Deluxe solar and have had it for a little over a week now. First off, I like the HDD display a lot more than the models I've been in with the display audio. The HDD display is a great upgrade and I am very pleased with it. In my experience, it doesn't seem to have as many of the same glare issues as the 6inch. In regards to the sun roof, I have always enjoyed sun roofs and have had them on all my cars so far, so I'd say it's worth it. In regards to the HUD, it took me a few days to get used to it and I went back and forth turning it on and off. I have gotten a lot more used to it lately and love it, especially in conjunction with the GPS. Overall, I am very pleased with my 4 and extra pleased with the Deluxe Solar package. Unfortunately I haven't driven a five yet, but I would imagine the larger wheels are nice. For me, I'd rather have the sun roof. Hope this helps!

 

I decided to copy the parts I agreed with (I chose Blizzard Pearl, and prefer the stock wheel covers)

I have to repeat - I love the HUD! 7.1 Nav is good, have not experienced problems with it. This package has the JBL sound system, which while not perfect is very good. I would not change anything about my choice.

 

I'm really confused about these option packages... is there a way to get the HUD without getting the solar roof?

Is there a simple chart that breaks down the option packages in a easy-to-understand chart or something? Even Toyota's website is hard to understand...

 

The HUD is available only on the Four with the Deluxe Solar Roof package or on the Five with the Advanced Technology Package. So in order to get the HUD without the solar roof, you'd have to get the Five with the ATP.

 

I find that on sunny days the solar roof fan does significantly cool the interior of the car. The interior is still warm but pleasantly so. I'm glad I got the IV package. The car comes with a lot of other really amazing little smart features, too.

 

The sun roof is nice and makes the car look better. It's great for parking in the sun. No more leaving the windows down on hot days. The power seats, HUD, auto-on-off headlights and auto dimming mirror are also good.

If the 5 came with the sunroof I'd say get it all but if it's Sunroof vs. radar cruise and lane keeping (two interesting but not that useful and somewhat odd option), I'd go for the sunroof.

 

I went a slightly different route than others around here I have a Four Solar but I dropped some more change on the table and got the Plus Performance Package. It has some slick looking 17's but I must caution you on that, the gas mileage is not going to be like the Four with 15's and the acceleration is slower. But it does look saweet and handles very well for not being a aftermarket suspension. The 7.1 audio/Nav system does have it's software bugs but there are work arounds and it does sound nice for being a factory system. Something on the Five no other Prius model has is headlamp squirters so you can spray windshield wash all over your hood and make it pretty Serious, it is supposed to wash something up there. The Five front bumper has a pair of nipples which squirt the cleaning juice. I preferred a smooth bumper so the Five was not on my radar. The Five also has a quicker ratio steering rack. I am an old school autocrosser and can not find any issue with the regular rack in the Four. It turns plenty quick. To note there is a rear swaybar and shorter higher rate springs in the Plus Package along with a body kit that is supposed to lower the cars wind drag. I can guarantee you will find places you can't take the car with that Plus Package as it rides lower and the body kit sits lower to the ground than a regular Prius does. You have to be careful or it will get ate by curbs and those silly speed bumps. It does look slick and handles damn nice, not like a track car, but damn nice for a street car. Was it worth the extra change, hell yea Everyone has their reason's for buying a specific model. If my wife did not insist I order what I did, I would be rolling in a Three with fabric seats and 15's just to be sensible. You wont go wrong no matter what model Prius you purchase. Their all super cool and hold their value way better than other common cars on the road today. Oh and that cool looking solar roof; it works incredible. If it's slightly warm and sunny outside and you have the solar fan switch pushed on, it will be blowing filtered outside air inside the car while it sits which maintains the interior temps near the outside air temp. No more frying hot interior to sweat in until the AC gets things cooled off. You can't get the solar roof on a Five but you can get it on a Three or Four. It does cost some extra change on the Three and a whole lot more change on the Four (it's bundled with some other fancy stuff) but it is nice and works flawless.

Mike

 

If you are comparing a Solar to a base anything else it sounds like you want the solar roof. If not, you'd be comparing a base Four to a base Five. If you want the roof & the "leather" then get the Four Solar.

The roof does work & makes a difference. The LEDs are brighter & whiter. The fog lights are useless. I leave them turned on just because I paid for them.

Is the nav worth the price? Very decent portable units are $200 or less. Even the most expensive unit is cheaper than any in-dash factory unit. The bigger screen is nice. Displaying the current street name is nice. I prefer the Garmin's screen on top of the dash. Overall, generally they work about equally well (or are equally retarded).Usually when one is at its worst the other comes through.

17" wheels are nice but if I had the choice I'd stay with the more efficient & cheaper 15". No experience with the HUD but it sounds good.

 

After recently test-driving the Four+Solar and the Five+ATP (and sitting in a Three to play with the audio/nav) here are my impressions:

– The Solar roof is nice, I liked it way more than I expected. If the ventilation feature works as well as peeps here say, bonus.

– The HUD didn't initially impress me, it seemed really small and so close to the dash speedo, I was like, 'what's the point?' But using it with the Nav, when the animated directional arrows would pop up, that was awesome. That's where the HUD really becomes useful I think– using it for nav prompts. But then, how often do I need Nav prompts in my day-to-day driving? We'll see....

– The JBL audio didn't sound as good as I expected it to (seems to lack low-end) but compared to the standard audio (which really sucks) it's WAY better. I listened to the same song on both. Huge difference.

– The LED headlamps are WAY better/brighter than the standard halogens. Huge difference when comparing them side-by-side (I took pics). The foglamps seemed dim and yellow sitting under those bright LEDs. I'd think they need an upgrade to match the whiteness of the headlamps.

– Didn't really get the chance to test the LKA, radar CC and other ATP features... not really interested in those anyway.

–Difference between the 6" standard nav screen and the 7" "HD" screen was noticeable, but not by a big margin. I'm skeptical of their use of the "HD" designation, but maybe I'm just spoiled by the retina displays on my iPad and iPhone.

After feeling everything out in person, I've decided on the Four+Solar. Now I just have to decide on a color and find the best deal out there...

 

You will quickly become addicted to watching the bar monitor of performance which shows up in the HUD. This is great in the HUD vs. always looking down at the dash. A huge bonus.

The power seats are a huge plus. You will never know it as you have them but the seats on the Prius get rated uncomfortable on 30 minute plus rides by a large proportion of owners.

The auto/on/off headlights are big safety feature and the auto dimming mirror is also nice.

I'd lobby for the 7" HDD nav vs. the 6" but the 6" is serviceable.

Now for color, the Blizzard Pearl stands out the most. The other colors are kind of drab, don't stand out in the parking lot. You'll have same color as Lexus and other high end Toyotas plus the black/white of the all black roof looks good. Utility wise, the most reflective white is good if you park outside.

 

oh yeah, forgot to mention the power seats also impressed me. Especially the adjustable lumbar support. And I still had headroom to spare, impressive since I'm 6'4" and some cars just don't have enough headroom for me (Jetta)

You make a good case for the blizzard. Right now, my order of pref is 1) Blizzard 2) Winter 3) Black. But I keep changing my mind.

 

Here's a couple Blizzard Pearl pics to get you thinkin





That's my Four Solar Plus Performance. So far the best car I have ever owned. Highly recommend this package.

Mike

 

Look through the Blizzard Brigade thread, it really is a Pearl vs. straight white.

 

Around 50% of Prii that I see on the road are either Blizzard Pearl or White. Another 30% are Black or one of the grays. If you go with Blizzard, you'll blend right in.

I personally love my Seaglass Pearl and think it looks great with the solar roof. I haven't seen another car this color in my area. It does stand out in parking lots amongst all of the white/gray/black.