This is sort of a corollary to another thread I just started. Has anyone mounted a GPS on the dash of a Prius? If so, does it work okay? I am thinking about buying a Prius and am considering the one with the navigation system. I am not altogether clear how it works, and of course can find out, but if I am going to spend the extra money, it seems smarter to spend it on a GPS system.

 

Unless the Prius' windshield is somehow so narrow that it doesn't allow a portable GPS unit on the dash to "see the sky" it should work perfectly, just as my windshield suction-mounted Garmin Streetpilot 2720 works perfectly in my Ford Escape Hybrid (with the NAV system, but I already had the Streetpilot and love it, so it's 2 GPS units in the hybrid, for me.)

Only thing to consider is that in a sedan/small car like the Prius, a windshield suction mount is probably not advisable. It tends to obscure the driver's view of the road and/or be too far away from the driver to reach for (at stop lights, when parked!) manual input/route changes. A "bean bag mount" is generally preferable in this case, and is in fact what I used with my Streetpilot 2720 when I still used it in our Toyota Corolla (a sedan).

 

I've used a dash mounted GPS in my other car. It's actually made for use in an airplane, but can also be used in a car as it has hightay maps as well as areonautical info. Used the "bean bag" thing, however I always worry about it becoming a projectile during a panic stop. I'd hate to get thunked in the head by the GPS. If you wre plannin on using it alot, I'd suggest som sort of "gooseneck" GPS holder.