Toyota Prius

tomlilly

I got up to 100 mph without trying too hard. I still had room, but not the balls to keep testing fate.

morey000

What are the real differences between the 'touring' model and the base model.
I'm looking to buy a package 5 or 6 anyway.

does it really handle differently?
HID lights?
spoiler?
Different Wheels and tires? (are there photos somewhere?)

pathstar1

The only things different are the wheels (16") and tires (lower profile to get the same diameter), a slightly larger spoiler, and a slightly stiffer suspension. All the other options are available in either model, though the packages are different, and you may not be able to get a touring without some options (they are optioned higher than the standard model). You can get a standard model with all the same options as the touring, you just don't get the 16" wheels/tires, larger spoiler, and stiffer suspension.

Both 15" and 16" wheels are aluminum. Both have plastic "covers". The 15" has aluminum colour "rings" that cover only the outer portion. The wheels are aluminum colour. The 16" has a full spoked cover - chrome coloured. The 16" wheels are gun metal grey if you remove the covers. Both wheels look fine without the covers, though the grey touring wheels look better with certain vehicle colours.

You also loose about 5-10% in fuel economy due to higher rolling resistance of the slightly larger tires with the touring. So, for example, instead of 50 MPG, you could expect to get 47 MPG. But you get better traction.

philmo

Drive both before buying. Depending on where you live you may want to ask the dealer to throw in a kidney belt with the Touring edition.

PF_Flyer

If you are a long-term hybrid owner, our Senior Editor, John O'Dell, would love to hear from you! A short email with your maintenance experiences and concerns would be great. Please send to John at jodell@edmunds.com by close of business Wednesday, August 22, 2007. Be sure and include your Forums username.

morey000

We've driven both, and without a doubt prefer the handling characteristics of the touring model. I guess our roads are relatively smooth here in Arizona.

thanks for the info.

smr36

According to a couple posts on priuschat, the '08 are being delivered to dealers now. One was purchased Fri. 9-6-07.

PF_Flyer

Be sure to check out Senior Editor John O'Dell's newest addition to our lineup, the Green Car Advisor for news and commentary on environmental automotive trends and technologies.

Looking forward to all your comments!

smr36

I compared prices and specs on an Altima w/ tech pkg at $32k with a Prius - Touring w/ Pkg. #6 at $28k. Besides the $4k addl cost for the Altima based on current 9-16-08 prices, here's what I noted:

'08 mpg: 42/36 for the Altima vs. 48/45 for Prius.
The Altima is 550 lbs. heavier but has 162 vs 82 (more)torque
The Altima has a wider turning circle 37.4 vs. 34.1 ft.
The Altima has smaller luggage space 10.1 vs 14.4 sq. ft.

There are other differences, but for me the above are what's important. It appears that except for the more powerful gas engine, the Prius has the advantage.

What do you think? How would you chose between the two?

Steve

jaxs1

The Prius is practical, but ugly.
The Altima is good looking, but impractical due to the tiny trunk. You can't even haul a rake or large mop in it.

kdhspyder

I had the same decision between the Prius and the Camry hybrid when it first came out. I went with the Prius.

A significant benefit to the Prius which is often overlooked....it's a hatch and it can carry more stuff than a Camry, Altima, Corolla or Avalon. Only the Matrix is close.

I've put a 43" flatscreen, golf clubs, briefcase, two pizzas and two humans in mine....easily.

pathstar1

Last spring I took the Altima Hybrid for a test drive. Nice car. Looks nice too. I don't think the Prius is ugly, I think it also looks nice. In the end I got a Prius because:
1. Best mileage of any current car for sale (more for bragging rights, not to "recoup the investment", which you will never do - it's still a car).
2. Most efficient use of space - outside it's about the size of a Corolla, inside the size of a Camry.
3. It's a Toyota - reliability, reliability, reliability!
4. Nissan Corps. attitude - pres. said a few months ago "We don't need hybrid cars". Now, after licensing the Toyota technology for the Altima, he says "We're going to develop our own hybrid system." Does this mean the current Altima Hybrid will be an orphan?

With an Altima, Camry, or Civic, nobody will know you are driving a hybrid. Is that good, bad, doesn't matter? With a Prius, anyone who knows what it is will know you are driving a hybrid.

south4

I started this question on another forum and realized that this might be a better site for feedback on the nav system.
I have a 2007 Prius with nav system. The system makes lots of mistakes-to the point of being a family joke.I am in the southeast and wonder if it's a regional mapping problem. It has been right only a few times and often takes me WAY off course. A friend with an Acura said her system is rarely wrong and she loves it.
On the other forum it sounded like the older models had more accurate systems. Does anyone else have a 2007 system that they use regularly?
What part of the country are you in?
How often do you update the software and does your dealer do it for free?

bennb

The correct fuel economies for '08 to have a fair comparison are ...

Nissan Altima Hybrid - 35 city, 33 highway
Toyota Prius - 48 city, 45 highway

bennb

I personally like the looks of the Altima moreso, but the Prius has a significant advantage in cargo room and fuel economy. You can get HIDs with the Prius and can't with the Altima Hybrid (I don't think you can get fog lamps with the Altima Hybrid either).

I haven't driven an Altima and have not driven a Prius enough to know, but given what I've read ... the Altima is going to ride and handle more like a regular car and is quicker overall. The versatility of cargo with the Prius is a big deal imho. You cannot get heated seats in the Prius and are able to in the Altima Hybrid.

Right now you can still get >$2000 tax credit on an Altima Hybrid. Very small to none for a Prius ($0 after the end of the month I believe?).

Just a few things to throw out there ... in the end I personally would choose the Prius b/c of cargo versatility and significantly better fuel economy. I will say that I do so against my own wishes for the best looking and most comfortable car. I am to the point where I don't care about looks so much and want solid fuel economy, so that overrules the look to me.

IF the Prius offered a telescoping steering wheel and more seat adjustments, this would be an absolute no brainer to me. Heated seats would be nice as well. The things holding me back from buying a Prius right now are seat comfort/controls and the steering wheel ... not huge deals, I know, but I found it makes finding a comfortable seating position all the more difficult ... most likely especially on longer trips.

Still the Prius wins out for me ... fuel economy and cargo options make it the choice in my eyes. Of course it's a personal opinion only you can make with all the info available to you.

pathstar1

You can have seat heat installed locally as well as a lumbar air bag. Cost would be less than $1000. I was considering this before getting my Prius, but after getting it the end of May and driving my Prius to the coast and back twice this summer (1300 km each way) I don't think messing with the seat will be necessary for me. It -would- be nice if it were about an inch lower though.

When I test drove the Altima hybrid I noticed it is quite powerful, more so than the Camry and Prius. Fuel economy about the same as the Camry (in fact, it appears that is the car it is aimed at competition wise).

I'm happy with my Prius.

toyotasales72

At my dealership 90-100 days is the typical wait on a prius although the package 3 cars are availabe on the lot. Package 5 and 6 are the most sought after and our allocated units are all pre-sold for now. I am in PA at Faulkner Toyota in Harrisburg

weldfixer

I have an 05 prius and change my own oil . the main reqd light came on after the second oil chage. Does anyone know what to do to get it off? TIA John

baron64

Can anyone comment on how good the regular headlights are on the Prius? My wife's night vision isn't the best and I am wondering if I need to spend the extra cash for the HID/foglights package. Thanks

tnel332

I think I asked this before and did a search but it didn't come up, so.....
What is the difference between the new Standard version and the Base?
I noticed that the base is about 2000 bucks more than the standard and thats with out any options. Get the base without any of the option packages I don't know why the price difference.
Thanks,
Tom

bennb

I cannot speak for the Prius, but in my experience HIDs are nice oveall ... some things to be aware of though ... sometimes it seems like you can't see AS far with the HIDs b/c they have such a distinct cut off point. The light emits out to a point in front of the car and then nothing past that point. As far as fog lights, they don't really help you see anything any better except for the road lines along the side of the road close to your car.

bennb

For 2007 Toyota basically added the standard package which is essentially stripped of some options ...

The Standard model does not come with equipment such as cruise control, upgraded wheel trim, heated outside mirrors, tonneau cover or rear seat pockets

akg

I own a 2006 Subaru Outback. I live in a rural area and often find myself on gravel roads. The Outback is great except driving to the store means a long drive and at around 22mpg can be an expensive carton of milk! Most hybrids are way out of my price range, but I am considering the Prius. My Subaru at this point is valued at what a new Prius would cost me.

I am concerned that the clearance won't be high enough. I don't have much snow. Are there any other dirt road prius owners out there? Or just anyone with a yay or nay? Thanks!

railroadjames

This just might be of interest for those who would like to know about replacing a burnt hd lt bulb.....they're a real pain in the butt. Left (dvr's side) is the easier one while rt side is real complicated (remove fuse box 1st). It also helps to have iddy-biddy hands otherwise pay Toyota to do it. FYI... there are a variety of replacement bulbs to choose from ranging in price from $7..to near $18. I know because I've replaced both hd lts in these 4 yrs of ownership of an '04 Prius w/ 68K miles. One last note... Replacement bulbs were better than original equipment.

chadx

Outback ground clearance is 8.4 inches. Prius ground clearance is 5.6 inches. However, gravel roads are not a problem unless they have VERY big pot holes or frost heaves that you can not avoid and you have to slowly drop into and drive out of. Regular bumps and washboards won't have an impact due to ground clearance.

Bottom line: Don't let a gravel road stop you from considering this vehicle if it meets your other needs.

gagrice

The Chinese are not as easy as the US buyers. I wonder who they sold the remainder of their 3000 per year production to?

Toyota also suffered huge losses in China with its Prius. The Toyota Prius had half-year sales of only 176 units. Such low sales numbers were primarily due to, one its prohibitive price and two China’s lack of a truly eco-friendly automotive consumer population.

But with a 300,000 RMB price tag and only an offering of a 1.5L engine has discouraged Chinese consumers. People here would rather buy a well-equipped high-or-medium-level sedan.

The Prius was put into production in China in late 2005 by Sichuan FAW Toyota, one of China's joint vehicles.

Top10 Most Unpopular Cars in China

seeko

anyone have any comments on the 7.1 upgrade? good or bad price etc. are they available? approx how old are the 5.1 nav in the 2006 prius"s ? is everyone going to upgrade? just curious,

stevegold

I'm not going to bother. I haven't had any issues with my 2004 (It has been upgraded gratis once or twice to fix other TSB's). If they did away with the "I Agree" screen, I would upgrade.

pathstar1

Uh oh! Well I guess you will have to bother then.;) They did away with the "wait until you agree" screen. That is, the screen goes away after a few seconds. Just like the Garmin units. No user input required.
At least that's what other owners have reported. I have a Garmin Nuvi.

pushan

I have Prius (bought new in Feb 2005) with about 12,000 miles on it.
I have exactly same chirping noise issue. This started just a month ago so I decided to search the forum if anyone else has this issue.

My Prius makes the chirping noise whenever I press the brake pedal. This chirp is definitely new - I know that there are lot of other standard click and clack that goes on when we start or stop the car.

I see that some of the Prius owners have similar chirping noise, and I am interested in knowing if this is an issue and if there is any solution.

Why was this noise not there when it was new?

vu2000

Has anyone here used synthetic oil on thei Prius? I just started to use Penzoil 5W20 synhetic oil on my 2007 Prius with 20K miles. My car is at 24,600 miles and was wondering of I could go 10K between oil changes. I checked my oil today and it looks great(dark amber color). Before this, I have been using regular oil with 5K change interval. Any advice would be appreciated.

pathstar1

Your engine warranty could be voided if you extend the change intervals, or at the very least, you would have an argument if you wanted/needed warranty. Until the warranty is up I'd stick to the called for change intervals.

Synthetic is fine in the car. I use Mobil 1 5W30 in mine. You won't see a mileage improvement in the Prius due to the synthetic, like you can with other cars. It may be there, but too small to notice. If you do decide to extend the oil change interval, do change the filter at the standard interval and top up the oil afterward.

vu2000

Thanks for the reply pathstar1. I do see the mileage improvement 2mpg better using the synthetic 5W20(my 05 Accord required 5W20 and this is all I bought) rather than the dino 5W20 oil. When you said wait until the warrantee is up, do you mean the 3yr 36000 miles bumper to bumper or the 5yr 60000 miles powertrain warrantee.

pathstar1

That would be the powertrain warrantee, as the engine is part of that.

jaxs1

They point to sales numbers to try to prove their point that more people buy the Prius than the Civic, Altima or Camry Hynrids because they want to attract the attention the weird styling brings. "Look at me saving the planet!!!"
I think more buy the Prius because the others aren't a practical alternative to the Prius.
All the sedan hybrids have tiny trunks and the Prius gets better mileage than the others.
I wish there was a Prius alternative with "normal" styling, but also normal cargo capacity and similar mileage to the Prius.
Another vehicle that did everything the Prius does, but was good-looking would blow away the sales numbers of the Prius.
I wonder if they have any idea how many sales they are losing from people who were close to buying a Prius, but won't go through with it because they absolutely hate the styling and won't buy a Camry Hybrid either because they don't want to deal with the impractically small trunk?

pathstar1

Well there's no accounting for taste. -I- like the styling!

But I bought the car for (in order of importance to me):
1. Very efficient body design re interior room and adaptability yet small size outside.
2. Toyota reliability record, especially with the Prius.
3. Better mileage and use of space than any other hybrid.
4. The technology.

Styling didn't enter into it. It isn't ugly, just modern.

matthewm

Hello. I'm a grad-school student who is producing a multimedia story on what it's like to drive a Toyota Prius in the Midwest during the winter months. If you own a Prius and are willing to be filmed answering questions about your car, please contact me. I'd probably only take up 15 minutes of your time. I'm willing to travel within a 75-mile radius of Chicago. Thanks!

railroadjames

I'm an owner of an '04 Prius with obviously 4 winters under my belt. I live in Valparaiso, Indiana and have 74 K miles on my blue hybrid. I'm available. I'll check my web profile ....should be able to contact thru it. J. C.

matthewm

Hello, J.C. Please contact me at matt@destewart.com so that I can follow up with you regarding my Prius project. Thanks! -- Matt

sb15x

Looking for any info or assistance on installing a front bench seat into an 08 Prius for a disabled customer. Any Ideas on where I could find a seat or adapt one from another manufacturer or is there a company that does this? or sells somthing in a kit form?

Thanks in advance!

netgator

The 2008 Prius has a $449.00 option for XM tunner with antenna which is option number RX60. Does anone know if this option has an external antenna or is it an inside dash antenna that was used in prior years. I will not buy a aftermarket XM radio due to a very bad experince on a 2005 Accord with Sound Advice.

Thanks - Patrick

hhogas

A couple years ago, I started tracking some news reports (including CNN) on a guy who claimed to be able to convert water into fuel. The inventor, denny klein, was featured on numerous news stations, newspaper articles, etc. So, i started consolidating links to all the info online.

Aquygen or HHO Gas

Interested to see what the typical Toyota hybrid consumer thinks of the possibility of utilizing water as a fuel alternative. More importantly, I'd be interested in talking with anyone who has tried to build one of these converters or tried to buy one especially for the Toyota Prius.

tiff_c

Interested to see what the typical Toyota hybrid consumer thinks of the possibility of utilizing water as a fuel alternative.

It might be a good idea to check and see just how bad water shortages are in the US right now. It's pretty bad in some areas and getting worse.
Water as fuel would be bad unless you could use unfiltered sea water

jmoose

We're considering the purchase of a 2008 Prius. Has anyone driven both the standard and Touring models, and have an opinion on whether the extra cost for the Touring model is worth some degree of better handling (can you even tell the difference?) There doesn't seem to be much that separates the two versions, and I'm thinking the additional cost might not be worth it.

Also, although the Prius literature from Toyota mentions a Touring Package 2 configuration, I have yet to find one. Does anyone know if this is a regional variation, or are there just no Touring Package 2's made?

Thanks!

stevegold

What nonsense are you talking about, and what area of the US doesn't have enough water? Alamosa, CO has salmonella in their water distribution system but even they have an abundant supply of pure, fresh well water. You can truck water easier than gasoline and you wouldn't have to import crude or refine it. Water as a fuel is even more silly than Bush or McCain saying that plug in hybrids will solve the energy crisis, in their lifetime. Not unless they live another 25 years.
I have a 2004 Prius which I love for it's economy and its wonderful design but it will be a long time before the all electric feature gets me more than the 1/2 mile it can go now before the ICE comes on.

tiff_c

We're considering the purchase of a 2008 Prius. Has anyone driven both the standard and Touring models, and have an opinion on whether the extra cost for the Touring model is worth some degree of better handling (can you even tell the difference?) There doesn't seem to be much that separates the two versions, and I'm thinking the additional cost might not be worth it.

I drove both a few days ago. The Touring is a bit nicer looking BUT it gets less mpg as the wheels have more resistance to give you that sporty :surprise: feeling.
Of course sport and Prius in the same sentence do not go together. You buy a Prius for fuel economy not sporty driving. The extra money is better off in your pocket IMO.

tiff_c

What nonsense are you talking about, and what area of the US doesn't have enough water? Alamosa, CO has salmonella in their water distribution system but even they have an abundant supply of pure, fresh well water. You can truck water easier than gasoline and you wouldn't have to import crude or refine it. Water as a fuel is even more silly than Bush or McCain saying that plug in hybrids will solve the energy crisis, in their lifetime. Not unless they live another 25 years.

You are sadly ill informed and I suggest you start with the article I have a link to and then use Google to add to your fountain of knowledge. :P
Really.... just driving a Prius doesn't mean you are well informed. Oh and there are a lot of articles out there about just this sort of thing dealing with car manufacturing.
Water is used for many things and as a fuel, no idea but unsalted water is in abundance, fresh water is not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2966322.stm

vu2000

For those with 04 or newer Prius. Does this car have a timing belt? And what is the change schedule for it. Also how often does the transmission fluid need to be change?

kdhspyder

All 4c Toyota's here since 2003 have used timing chains including all of the current Prius'. The timing chains never need to be changed except possibly in mega-milage situations well over 200,000 miles. Nobody is there yet AFAIK.

There is no traditional transmission in a Prius. There is a transaxel connected to the PSD ( planetary gear set ) that has a coolant that should be drained and changed every 100,000 miles or so.

The spark plugs are good for 100,000 miles plus

Change the oil and filters every 5000 mi or so and that's all you'll probably need. An air filter according to your driving characteristics as well.

vu2000

Thank you kdhspyder for the quick reply. I have been changing my oil every 5000 miles and air filter every 20,000 miles. My 07 Prius now have 29000 miles and I am very happy with it. It is good to know that this motor has a timing belt.