I am on the market for a new Prius and will be buying one on late April/early May. I want a Touring model with everything but leather seats, which means Option 5, but everywhere I look I can only get the Nav system with the dreaded leather seats (Option 6). I am looking to buy at either the Nashville, TN area or San Francisco/San Jose, CA area.
We were discussing this in another thread; in the SF Bay Area, the only Touring available have Package #6. http://priuschat.com/forums/ca-san-...nyvale-toyota-interesting-ca-only-option.html You might try going to the Toyota website and checking available option packages for the Nashville area. You can do this by entering the zip code for the area that you want to check.
I have tried the Toyota site to build Priuses in North Cal, Nashville, Miami, LA, etc and the only way I can see to get the nav system is to get the leather seats. I don't understand why manufacturers make an option if it's not available anywhere, seems stupid to me.
There's a limited supply of the Touring Edition (I think it's 5% or less of the Prius shipped to US). In a lot of markets, you can't get any Touring Edition period, e.g., last month when I checked for Touring Prius in the New York City area. You can try expanding your searches to all areas where you would be willing to go pick-up (or have delivered) the Prius. For example, in New York City I cannot buy any Touring Edition. But I can go within 500 miles of NYC, e.g., Cleveland, OH, and pick one up in the exact package that I would want.
Right now I am doing that. I will be going to school in Nashville in April and then move to North Cal, so I am looking in those areas. I have just searched all over North Cal and it does seem that the Touring is only available with Option 6 there. I gotta check in So Cal, Reno, Las Vegas too, as I can fly back from Nashville to one of those cities.
It seems that the closest place I can find an Option 5 is Portland, OR, even as far as Las Vegas, SLC or Denver I cannot find a Prius Touring without leather!
Is the Touring Edition an absolute necessity for you? You just get a bigger spoiler and bigger wheels...doesn't seem like that much of a difference. You could always just buy a Package 4 and purchase a separate Nav system (Garmin, TomTom, etc). You don't get the "built-in" polish of the factory-installed system, but some people like the handhelds better.
It's neither the larger spoiler, nor the bigger wheels. I want the Touring for the suspension. I have rented base Priuses before and I have driven a Touring Prius for three days and I like the Touring better, it is not as soft and takes winding roads better, with less body sway and less under steer.
Yes, and for the ~$500 difference in comparably optioned standard vs Touring Prius, it's a bargain. It's by far my biggest regret -- not getting the Touring Prius.
You are able to get the Touring Prius 5 in IL and IN. If you are willing to make the drive to pick them up here. I shopped and ended up getting a pkg 6 since I wanted the leather when I sat in a pkg 5.
I just got a Touring package 5 here in the Boston area, even though (last I checked) the Touring in any form isn't listed in the Toyota website configurator for local zipcodes. Luckily I found a dealer (Anthony Clarke, Acton Toyota) who was willing to do a search through inventory in transit and reallocate something that was still on the boat over. I was originally told two months to get it in the color I wanted. I waited a month to get it in another color, but then at the last minute by some fluke got my color choice after all. So hopefully you can find a local dealer who'll help you grab a Touring #5 as they trickle in. -Matt
