I hear time and again of customers' agonizing wait to be sure and get a MY'02, yet specs and likely body style seem to be identical. Only significant difference seems to be that cruise may be standard on the MY'02 which is becomming an easy add-on to the MY'01 for a couple $hundred. I must be missing something. Anyone?

All the reasons given for ordering the 2002 so far have been to get options not available on the 2001. Now compare a "base" 2002 to the 2001. Identical features, identical MSRP, but a few years down the road a 2002 will have higher value than a 2001 with identical mileage. If you don't want NAV or side air bags, there's no reason to wait until November to get a Prius - you can get a 2001 much sooner. I suppose that's the difference in value - trading a small bit of future value to shorten the wait.<br><br>Sounds like a bunch of '01's are suddenly being freed up as people switch their orders to the '02. Today's 3 month wait may drop considerably. '02: 5 month, '01: 1 month?<br><br>Sam

There 2 new colors in the 2002 models for those picky customers. Also there is NAV in the 2002, the 2001 is not wired for the NAV system.

I guess it is the idea of getting the Cruise factory installed, being able to get the air bags and the blue color. The additional wait is not really a problem. Possible that when it comes to trade in time that the 2002 will be worth just a little more than the 2001.

Cruise is a $250 option, about what it costs to add on to an '01.<br>the only real reason to wait is if you want NAV (which alot of tech oriented people might) and if you are dying for the two blue colors.

what is the 2002 price on NAV?

And I forgot to add that the 2002 has side airbags. An option I wanted on the one I ordered today.

Nav costs $1900.

It was the color and. more importantly, side impact air that did it for me. If I'm going to start using my SUV for only SUV appropriate activities I want something to make up for all that extra metal around me.

Three words: Side Air Bags<br><br>In this land of SUV's and 4x4 pickup trucks down here in Dallas I'd like all the added crash protection I can get!

'02s can have DRLs, Cruise, Side Air, Nav...<br>Mitch

60/40 fold down rear seat......NOT!!!<br><br>One of these things belong with the others, one of these things does not.<br>Landcruiser<br>Camary<br>Celica<br>Echo<br>Prius<br>4runner<br>Sequia<br\ >Highlander<br>Rav4<br>Guess yet? Prius, no fold down rear seat. The only Toyota model except pick-ups and Mr2(no trunks) and Avalon(that has lockable pass thru). Unless you live anywhere else on the planet, we are special for some unknown reason. Oh well Japan has even told Priusman 3 or 4 different tales of fiction, I wonder what the real reason is? I would have traded mine in. Maybe next year the mystery will be resolved.<br>Charlie

Couldn't care less about NAV & side air; what's "DLRs"?

I'm selling my 2001 and have ordered a 2002 just for the NAV, CC and side air. Actually I only really want the NAV. :)<br>-Jim

I just recieved my 2-4 week notice a few days ago.<br><br>After much thought I have decided to stick with the 2001 model.... probably.... I think....<br><br>Anyway, the Prius is still fairly new technology. Each year there are going to be engineering refinements. These may not reflect themselves in the marketing list of features, but they are still there. Maybe the electric motor now has 6 more winds of wire, or maybe they discovered that a differnt type of solder, or possibly a heat shield added here or there.<br><br>The point is, even if all the specs and features are listed the same there are bound to be improvements which result in either cost reduction to toyota (which doesn't matter to buyer) or improvements in quality, or in performance.<br><br>The main reason I can think to get the 2001 over the 2002 is to be different. Just think, in the long run you will have one of the only Prius cars that isnt Blue !!!! ;)

To add to your points:<br>The small improvements and refinements you refer to are not just distinctions between the 2001 and the 2002, they can change from one month's production to the next! For example, we already know that 2001's being delivered now have a different software version than the ones delivered last fall.<br>Sam

So what's probably happening is that Toyota is evolving the Prius on an ongoing basis and simply starts calling it a MY02 at the point where cruise becomes standard and blue color becomes available. All the more reason to ignore the MY02 label as an issue in of itself.

I think the nature of engineering is that two things are happening with improvements.<br><br>There very definately are changes that occur on a monthly basis. But there are also improvements that are held until the next year's model. Maybe it involves too much of a change to the assembly plant the way it is tooled and they wait until plan re-tooling (such as a complete wiring harness that supports nav and such?).<br><br>So I think both are happening. Minor changes and bigger yearly changes.