2007 Prius Touring has arrived in NoCal, Oregon.

A salesman told me the car is stiffer, and bumpier (due to larger but lower profile tires). Comfort gone down, especially on freeways with expansion joints. But more tightly strung for higher speed or windy roads.

But I rather take it from a fellow driver. So any impressions? Is it worth the extra money?

 

We are going to be a two hybrid family adding a Prius to the Camry but have the Touring Pkg (or not) choice to make. We'd like the HID lights and alloy wheels but don't want too much compromise on the ride comfort. Anyone have feedback on this original post yet?[Guess we'll find out on test drives this weekend and post later!]

 

LThompson, I'm sure you know this already but the non-touring Prius also has an HID option. My wife's '06 Prius has them and they are nice. It's funny that my more expensive and more upscale TCH doesn't have an HID option while the Prius does.

 

I have had a touring edition for about 20 days. I have had several rides and drives in a family member's 2005 model to compare it to.

So far so good. My spouse thinks it handles well, esp. around corners, which he attributes to the improved suspension. I find the car to be perfectly comfotable. We have the pkg 6 (leather interior) and I feel just fine... havent noticed it to be bumpier or a tougher ride.

Would say that other prius owners have stopped me several times to ask about the (bigger) tires. They seem pretty interested. I really like the look of the enlarged rims/tires... its a subtle but sportier appearance. The much touted "spoiler" is a non-issue... it doesnt look much different from a regular prius.

I say thumbs up! Truth be told, I didnt order the touring... we waited 9 weeks for my color and package to come in, so I wasnt about to turn it away due to the unexpected touring package. But I am not regretting it!

 

yes..i have one. i love it! it handles very well and looks a little sportier than the other prius due to the large spoiler and bigger wheels. i have only had it for 2 weeks but i think its great.

when i decided to go with a hybrid i did my research and discovered the touring...i waited several weeks for a dealer to get one with my color. (they tried daily to sell me the regular prius with pkg#6 but i was stuck on the touring pkg). I waited and waited and the day it came in i got the call...i was so excited. Anyway, The car is very comfortable, roomy and drives really well. I have only had it a couple weeks and am currently only averaging about 42mpg. I guess I need to change my driving style and also I hear there is a "break in period".

all of the gadgets are very handy for someone who drives alot.

 

Indeed - it appears that at Toyota, Engineers decide the options on the Prius, while Marketing decides the options on everything else. The Prius is a real poupourri of innovative items that don't necessarily fit, except if you're a tech geek... like me. It's interesting the US Prius has the auto parallel park option removed, but the Lexus has it.

The Touring version has a larger spoiler? Is there a photo of this? Last visit to the Toyota site didn't have images unique to the Touring edition, that could look cool... .

 

OK... we drove one of each today at Ft. Bend Toyota outside Houston.

The Touring's 16" wheels and 55 series profile tires look nice. The rear spoiler is a little bigger but not overdone. The rest is stuff you have to feel rather than see.

On the road the Touring is just more "sport driving" oriented. The ride is firmer and transmits more feel of the road surface to your seat. Some smaller bumps that the standard version soaks up in the springs and struts is passed on in the Touring. Not so firm that fillings shake out of your teeth, just stiffer. The car is happier doing maneuvers like fast lane changes and initiating turns.

So which is better? Neither. They are just different. If you want smoother and to be more isolated from the road go standard. For a ride with more feedback and firmness go Touring. I'd say it's the same difference and choice as Camry CE/LE/XLE vs. SE offers. It's just nice to have a choice!!

 

It seems Toyota's hybrid strategy with the Camry is to load in a lot of options (Bluetooth, upgraded JBL stereo, etc) as standard but price the car the same or lower than loaded gas Camrys. I think this is a great idea to help move cars. Basically with the half tax credit the TCH is a little cheaper than a V-4 XLE with VSC. I dunno why if you wanted a loaded V-4 Camry you wouldn't get the hybrid instead. In my case my non-hybrid option would likely have been the V6 XLE which is 3K more, 5.6K more if you include the then tax credit I got.

 

So what would it take to tweak a regular Prius suspension to that of the Sport model?

 

I have the '07 Touring. I'm generally not into FWD cars. My last car was a Nissan 240sx, which is RWD and has unbelievable handling. But, so far, I'm really happy with the Prius. I've driven quite a few front wheel drive cars and the Prius Touring out does them all for handling qualities.