I don't know why Toyota doesn't allow the solar roof on the Prius Five. If they did, it would be perfect. But I would still go with the Five for the LED headlights and bigger wheels.

I don't use the moonroof much either on my cars that have it. If it's available, I'd probably lean towards getting it, if not saves me some coin.

It is weight. Basically, a Prius V with ATP is right at the border for its class weight. If sunroof/solar was added, then the Prius would have to be classified in the next class weight. In Europe, this is a non-issue and thus you could get this combo. So, in the USA, you will never see this combo due to weight classification criteria.

It is truly a fantastic car...8 days till being 1 year old with me. I still stare at it in the garage. And this is my latest pic of my car with new Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 tires (and after carwash):

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This is what my Prius gets with runs to gun range, parent's house, shopping, etc. (aka mixed city and highway driving): (sorry for bad Ipod camera...228.3 miles, 52.7 mpg average, average speed of 47 mph)

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Quote:

After the first couple weeks of driving the 2011 Gen III Prius as a taxi, both Xopher and I agree that there is no going back from a hybrid; the design is perfect for driving, perfect for taxi service.

You can say a lot of good things about the car, but let's face it; the real appeal is in how it affects the bottom line. So check this out: taxis do a lot of city driving and the Prius gets 50+ mpg city or highway. If all goes well and we can drive this car 300,000 miles, (shoot the moon!) we should experience an incredible(!) amount of fuel savings. For instance, over that many miles, at $3.95 a gallon, our Prius will be $55,300 less expensive to fuel than the car we retired, all the while generating the same income!

Mega win!

Besides winning at the pumps, the Prius has other benefits:

- The regenerative braking system is basically the electric motor running backwards. That not only means you can slow down without friction, (no need to replace brake pads etc) you even generate electricity. Wow.

- Most frequently I am driving alone, or have a single passenger; now I feel much more efficient than before because the vehicle matches my load.

- I've driven some big, tall people already. One guy sat in the front, must have been 7 foot, 300+ pounds with his 5 inches of spiky hair, but he fit, got the seatbelt on and everything. I don't think the car could have handled anyone else, and we were both glad he was alone, but our fleet has some huge vans that would be more ideal for extremely tall customers. Those Scion xB's have a lot of headroom too...anyway the Prius can handle the other 90% of taxi business perfectly

- The hatchback allows more flexibility in cargo space. I can put the seats down and have room for a bike in the back and the rider in the front. I've even lugged a vintage dining room table and two chairs to a storage space! Couldn't ever do that with a standard sedan.

- Taxi drivers get paid to idle. In a Prius, I am still paid the waiting time without wasting gas.

- It is so quiet! Passengers appreciate the quiet as well.

- Being smaller and shorter with a better turning radius, the car is much more navigable and extremely easy to park.

- The joystick (yep, I'm calling the gear shifter a joystick) is a futuristic trackball-like device on a control panel, making the driving experience feel more like operating a moving computer than driving a car.

- The built-in Ecodriving meter is responsive and informative, making gas saving easy. The statistics make it a game to try and stay in electric drive and get the best efficiency. Not a bad thing to be encouraged to do but easy to ignore if I just want to get somewhere quickly

The list can continue, and when I think of more I'll add them

Overall it is stylish, comfortable and has been getting really good reception from all age groups and demographics, even people who have previously avoided hybrids for "political" reasons but like it and seem shocked I tell them it is a hybrid. Quite a few people have said they began to consider purchasing one of their own during the ride

If you are a taxi owner facing that sad, yet inevitable replacement of your vehicle, get a Prius.

My friend James Kelly from LivingTheGreen.tv shot a video with me and the new taxi, I get to see the finished product tomorrow! I'll post a link as soon as I can We took some high quality photos as well that I am excited to share, stay tuned

Jackson Cafazzo

and still the best selling hybrid by alot.

Unfortunately, there is scum dealers charging over MSRP for Prius these days....

Link: Some dealers get more than sticker price for Toyota Prius - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com

Quick excerpt:

"The best-selling hybrid, the Toyota Prius, is in such demand that its average sales price is higher than its original price, say two new surveys. But unlike two years ago, when high gas prices drove out-sized demand for high-mpg car, this time publicity about possible supply shortages this summer because of Japan's disaster also is bringing in buyers.

The average transaction price for a new Prius was $64 more than its average sticker price of $25,926 in the first week of May, Edmunds.com says. Even a used 2010 Prius with 22,500 miles on the odometer was selling on the private-party market for an average of $24,705 last month — not bad for a car that, when new, has a starting price of $22,150, according to Kelley Blue Book."
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Wow, talk about resale value!!

The Prius name by itself outsells many manufacturers of their entire line up.

Dated article, but I'm sure most of it still holds true.

Toyota Prius: A Niche Vehicle...Outselling Entire Brands

Link: The 200,000-mile question: How does the Toyota Prius hold up?

"....Based on data from over 36,000 Toyota Prius hybrids in our annual survey, we find that the Prius has outstanding reliability and low ownership costs. But we wanted to know if the effectiveness of the battery degraded over the long run. So we hooked up a 2002 Toyota Prius with nearly 208,000 miles on the clock to our testing instruments and compared the results to the nearly identical 2001 Prius we tested 10 years ago.

Conclusion: We found very little difference in performance when we tested fuel economy and acceleration.

Our testers were also amazed how much the car drove like the new one we tested 10 years ago. It certainly didn’t seem like a car that had traveled nearly the distance to the Moon. We were also surprised to learn that the engine, transmission, and even shocks were all original.

If the battery ever did need to be replaced, it would run between $2,200 and $2,600 from a Toyota dealer, but it’s doubtful that anyone would purchase a new battery for such an old car. Most will probably choose to buy a low-mileage unit from a salvage yard, just as they would with an engine or transmission. We found many units available for around $500.

So is an old Prius a still a good value? We think so."
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So, after 10 years and 208,000 miles, the original battery is still in near perfect condition. This is why there are plenty of stories of cabbies running well over 300k miles on the original battery and still going!

Durability AND reliability...and efficiency.

Pretty good article comparing the current hybrids (Prius, Volt, and Leaf): 2011 Chevrolet Volt vs 2011 Nissan Leaf SL vs 2011 Toyota Prius III Comparison - Motor Trend

Despite the summer heat, this is what i got yesterday in my Prius with mixed driving using these techniques: ‪Prius 2010 MAX MPG Secrets‬‏ - YouTube

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From info gathered from the new, the Prius Five has these unique features (as compared to the other Prius models):

1. LED headlights + Foglights
2. Factory 17" rims
3. Unique suspension (including shocks, springs, & alignment specs)
4. Quicker ratio steering ratio (brushless motor)--2.5 turn, lock-to-lock vs. 3.5
5. Additional rear wheel well liner for improve sound dampening
6. Availability of Advance Technology Package (dynamic radar cruise control, lane-keep assist, pre-collision system, and self-park assist)

Prius Five is the way to go. The Five is also the only one with foglights.

IMO, I wouldn't get the Two cause it has no options. I would consider the Three and be able to pick other options like Nav or the solar moonroof, but it's garbage how it only has the smart key button the driver's door. I wouldn't consider the Four because it mainly adds leather (and the plasma ion filtration system) over the Three. I would forgo the solar moonroof and get a Five with its goodies instead. But with the Plus package, it does makes the Four a bit more attractive now in the looks dept and solar moonroof.

Ooopps...edited my post. Thx.

If i were to buy right now, then i would be like you...IV PLUS + solar vs. V + ATP. I will probably still get the V simply because i drive at night a lot and need bright headlights...and with tons of highway driving, ATP is helpful. If this was not my primary car for commuting or if i did not have to drive so much on the highway, then IV + solar + NAVI + PLUS would be the way to go.

NAVI is pretty good, but the updates are expensive. Luckily, i just picked up an updated DVD (used) for my Prius NAVI on ebay for $100. But, for me, the MAIN reasons for NAVI are that it includes these features:

1. USB connection along with BT Audio streaming--USB rocks with my Ipod Touch (and future Iphone 4S). Playlists come up.
2. Backup camera...i have two toddlers running around; and backing up is always easier with it.
3. Phonebook transfers along with SPEED DIALING. Speed dialing is the best thing since slice bread for me! (I hate voice control in my Prius.)
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4. Navigation...for me, the least useful feature of the package, but it is decent nonetheless.

I was driving to my parents place and saw something that Thai would like.... I wouldnt be surprised if there were two more in the garage!!

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