I’ve been considering an electronic shifter for the Prius for quite some time and finally jumped the gun. Only thing that held me back was the pricing. At $240+ USD, the switch is a costly investment for a purely cosmetic upgrade. I was ready to order the Electronic Shift Switch (ESS) by Stage-10 and was seconds from ordering a silver body/green LED unit a little less than a year ago until I discovered the Intelligence Position Switch (IPS) by OGS Japan, which stopped me right on track seconds from hitting the “submit order” button. I also thought the Prius outline and Stage-10 branding on the ESS took away the clean look of the electronic shift unit. Sorry Stage-10.

After much contemplation and learning that LSD Motorsport of Cypress, CA has the OGS IP Switch available for left hand drive Prius at the price of $225 for immediate delivery, I went with the OGS unit. My reason is simple: color configuration. The OGS unit boasts a total of 343 permissible color combinations.

Review

The OGS unit is available in three finish: wood grain, carbon fiber and silver. But as far as I know, the LHD version is only available in silver.

Right off the box, I know I will enjoy the OGS IP Switch. The build quality is superb and has three snap clips at the bottom of the unit. This means the IP Switch snaps into the upper center console opening nicely without the need to use double sided tape to anchor it down. A win in my book (although if you are a hard shifter, some double sided tape could help prevent the IPS Switch from rotating around).

Installation was a breeze and the connecting coupler from the OGS unit plugs right into the OEM shift connector from the vehicle wire harness, simple plug-n-play. The entire installation process took about 10 minutes using a 12 mm socket / ratchet wrench with an extension neck.

The  IP Switch feels solid and was designed in such a way that it blends in with the surrounding factory console. Shifting feels smooth and seamless and is particularly great for us “shift jockies.” I shift into neutral and engine brake often and the OGS unit makes shifting feel like second nature to me. The only objection with this product is the texture of the actual buttons themselves. They feel too “plasticky”, and could’ve been built with better material. Other than that, I am a happy camper.

I am also pleased with the ability to customize the illumination color of the OGS unit. OGS Japan boasts a total of 343 possible combination and I can see why. The color of the [ D • N • B ] and [ R ] button groups and the “OGS” logo can each be configured individually from a choice of seven colors: red, blue, yellow, white, purple, light blue and green. In addition, the brightness level of each button group and the “OGS” logo can also be adjusted individually.

To further expand the customization of the OGS unit, OGS Japan made several accessory overlays for the unit. They are available in the following material finish:

OGS IPS Jacket Cover: Stainless Steel finish

OGS IPS Jacket Cover: Piano Black finish

OGS IPS Jacket Cover: Leather finish

OGS IPS Jacket Cover: Carbon fiber finish

OGS IPS Jacket Cover: Black wood-grain finish

Unboxing

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Unboxing

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Instructions

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: IP Switch unit

Installation Guide

Installation takes less than 10 minutes and requires a socket/ratchet wrench with an extension neck and a 12 mm socket.

Step 1

Pry out the upper center console cover surrounding the OEM shifter with your fingers. It’s easiest to use two hands to pry out the console cover from the left edge. There are five clips holding the console in place. If you pry hard enough, the entire console cover will come off in one try.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Remove upper center console

Step 2

Disconnect the electronic Park button and Drive Mode button cluster from the vehicle wire harness connector; two connectors, a black and a white one.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Parking and Drive Mode button cluster plugs

Step 3

Unbolt three 12 mm nuts inside the upper center console that’s securing the OEM shift stick in place and set aside. Carefully lift the OEM shift stick unit out and disconnect it from the vehicle harness.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Remove three 12 mm nuts

Step 4

Route the wire harness from the IP Switch through the opening of the upper center console cover and plug it into the coupler from the vehicle wire harness. Reconnect the Drive Mode button cluster and the electronic Park button. Press the OGS IP Switch into the opening of the upper center console to snap it in place. There are three snap clips at the bottom of the IP Switch.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: OGS IP Switch snaps into console opening

Step 5

Re-install the three 12 mm nuts back into their respective stud inside the upper center console and then re-install the console cover back in place.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Clean up

I stored my OEM shifter under the cargo cover, in an available space on my Toyota sub-cargo organizer tray.

Step 6

Align the IP Switch by turning it clockwise or counter-clockwise as necessary.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Test the gear

Step 7

Test out the electronic switch to ensure that it perform as expected. The default color when it is first put to use is white. Follow the tutorial below to configure the color options.

OGS Intelligence Position Switch Prius ZVW30: Enjoy the new shifter

Color Configuration Tutorial

The IP Switch set up mode is configured in sequential order: [ D • N • B ] → [ R ] → “OGS” logo.

Hold the [ R ] and the [ B ] buttons and get your Prius into ACC or Ready mode to enter the OGS setup mode. The following control applies to each button group sequence. Once you press [ B ] during the “OGS” logo sequence, the set up mode will exit and color configuration will be saved.

• Press [ N ] to increase the brightness level.
• Press [ D ] to decrease the brightness level.
• Press [ R ] to cycle through the seven different colors.
• Press [ B ] to save configuration and continue to the next setting.

Here’s a YouTube video by More-Japan.com demonstrating the color and brightness configuration in setup mode:

Where to Buy

• LSD Motorsports – $224.00, free shipping (order by phone)
• More Japan – $198.00 + shipping
• Kyoei USA – $243.00 + shipping