I have family who drive gen II Priuses, so I was surprised at the different fit when I test drove a gen III today. I am 6'1" or 6'2" and overweight. In the gen III my right knee rests against the weird bridge-to-nowhere center console giving me less room for my long legs to splay like they normally would and making me feel more closely confined. What's really weird is that the passenger side feels much more comfortable...is the console off-center, or is it just that I don't have to put my feet on pedals in the passenger seat? On the bright side, it was easy to forget about it during the test drive, unlike some other vehicles I sat in today (2012 Hyundai Sonata and 2012 Ford Fusion consoles bit into my right knee or leg). So what say you, big and tall drivers? On daily commutes and/or long trips, does the bridge-to-your-knee console become more annoying, or do you forget about it and get used to it?
If you were able to slide your seat back where you need it, your legs wouldn't splay out to the side. Although the steering wheel telescopes, it is biased for much shorter drivers and doesn't pull nearly close enough for tall drivers. That is the root of the problem. If it (steering wheel) did pull close enough, you could scoot all the way back, lower far down, your legs would go straight forward and your knees probably wouldn't hit the console.
I am 6'2" 330 and I fit just fine, all the way back and all the way down. I did bash my knee getting in on the bridge 5 times before I learned not to dive into the car. On this car and our 2012 Civic I feel the passenger side is smaller both in head room and width. Edit: You didn't test drive a Prius C, did you, on those my knees are on the dash.
I am 6'1 and 165lbs. I don't seem to have this problem with my skinny nice person. Seats are all the way back tho If I had the sunroof package, the headroom is about an inch less my head would probably touch the roof liner. Other than that, no really complaints. I love how even with the drivers seat all the way back, you can fit a 6 footer in the rear without any problems. Fantastic amount of rear room in the Prius.
One of my sons is 6'7; he's borrowed the Prius a few times, didn't complain. I think he basically pushes the seat back and down pretty much to the limits. My other son's around 5'10, daughter's around 6', I'm just shy of 6', and my wife's around 5'9, so not sure what's going on here..., and no suggestions please, LOL.
Yeah, compared to a Mazda3 or the like. But not compared to an Accord or Camry which are true midsize sedans, not some amount that's barely over the lower limit defined by epa.gov. Only so much room available in 175" length and 69" width which is not 188"+ length and 72"+ width like midsize sedans.
Your passenger side is driver's side here. I assure you both spaces are the same. Passenger's side has lest stick out bits and your feet go to the floor unimpeded by nonessentials such as accelerator and brake.
My head is in the roof in the rear at 6'2", good thing I won't be a back seater. Our 2012 Civic doesn't have this problem. I think its the tear drop shape of the Prius. The back seat also has less width in the back versus the 2012 Civic. Don't think you could get three adults back there.
I'm only 5'11" but very fat. Initially I found the bridge very confining (coming from an '06 4Runner) but once I got used it it I was fine. Now I consider it the "roomy car" compared to my '96 Accord (a hand-me-down from my in laws) which is very small up front for a big fella. It also sits even lower than the Prius making ingress tricky. My seat is down and back most of—but not all—the way. My legs splay as well (sort of comes with the fat guy territory) but I don't find the sides of the bridge or the door to be uncomfortable to have your leg resting on. Perhaps fiddle with the seat height until you get to a place where headroom is still good but your knee rests against a better spot on the bridge. I find the passengers side much more confining because the seat height is fixed, and higher than the driver's side (on my model at least). This puts all my "wide parts" a bit higher and in more confined spaces. None of that will make much sense to skinny folks, but that's the best I can describe it.
I'm 5'9". DH is 6'2", our oldest son is 6'1" and our youngest is 6'5". None of us find it uncomfortable. Both of our sons were surprised at how much room is in the car. The youngest has really long legs (38" length on his pants), and even he finds it roomy enough for him whether driving or in the passenger seat.
I found my biggest problem is my left arm, no where to put it, I'm 6' and coming from a bench seat I had to make many adjustments, I got elbo pain for anout 7 months till it stretched out.
Ok, it sounds like the consensus is that it's not a problem. And even in the test drive I forgot about my knee and leg while driving. I think my next car will be a used gen III Prius. Anytime between this weekend and the end of 2015. Thanks!
Ok, time to get a bit more detailed about the Prius liftback non-power driver's seat:: When you height adjust the non-power driver's seat, 3 things happen: 1) the seat raises up or down AND 2) the seat moves forward or backward AND 3) seat TILT decreases or increases I don't have a gripe about numbers 1 or 2 above, but I have a big gripe about number 3 .... Note to Toyota, just set the freakin TILT of the seat (cushion) and leave it fixed through the height range! .... and I hate 6-way manually adjustable seats: Can't adjust seat tilt at a given height setting. Anyone here who doesn't know what the TILT is?
I'm 6'5" & do just fine, in both Gen II. & III. I sold the Gen II to a coworker who weighs over 300lbs. ... & he loved it. Next question. .
Wow you must lean that seat wayy back in the Gen II. Apparently a lot of people aren't loving a sit and test drive of the Prius liftback / PiP as it's slipped to 37th place of all vehicles sold in January. It sold just about as many as the Kia Soul here in US. It's only due to lower gas prices, right?
nope ... but you must never visit the Prius chat store Seat Extension Brackets for 2004-2009 Toyota Prius - PriusChat Shop I was one of two guinea pigs that tested these prior to them being added the Prius chat store. When you're over 6'-4" these are real life savers. .
Ok, so I test drove a 2014 Corolla S and 2014 Camry SE and 2014 Accord EX-L yesterday while having my 2011 Prius serviced and .... For me, even the Corolla driver's seat / position is better than my Prius. Seat contour, tilt and steering wheel reach are all a bit off in my car and non-modifiable. Not horrible, but definitely brings the driving experience down a notch and takes away some of my appreciation of the high MPGs. The Camry SE had an ultrasuede power seat which blew my Prius' seat overseas although the steering wheel skewed a few inches right of my knees was weird as always. The best seat was the Accord EX-L, but even in that car, I'd be looking to pad-up the center armrest about an inch to get a decent grip on the steering wheel. 30 MPG and $29k .... I'll pass though.
6'7" 245 and a 2014 Prius Plug-in is my daily commuter. It took some tweaking to adjust to my liking but I am now quit comfy. Tips: Lower seat base to lowest setting, steering wheel full out and up, seat back slightly reclined, seat is about 3/4 all the way back on track, full back is to far from steering wheel have arms in comfortable position. Took me a while to become accustom to the console in my knee, but I guess my side knee toughened up. Is it as comfy as my Ford F250 nope, but more than willing to make a few sacrifices for 68mpg vs 10mpg. Regards Doug
