Even more confused now than before!

I traded in my Jeep, so I sacraficed 3 things.

1. Towing Capability
2. Ability to drive anywhere. I took my Jeep over any terrain, often, just for the fun of it. I'd drive in 2'+ snow storms, down dirt roads in the middle of Maine that lead to who knows where..etc..
3. Terrible Fuel Efficiency - this was probably the hardest thing to sacrifice.. :lol:

I would not however sacrifice comfort! That's too important. Although, there are lots of seat cusions and options you can get for any vehicle to help improve comfort. Maybe that's all you need?

 

I think that seat cushions would actually make her sit higher and probably make the situation worse.

If you enjoy the green but just can't get past the comfort issue - try giving the honda civic or accord hybrids a try. Though their fuel efficiency rating is not as high (unless you buy an Insight), that may be the sacrifice needed for comfort.

 

There are ways to adjust the seating, but it's a major pain to do if you actually want to move it. Some people have had luck with cushions or lumbar supports, but if height is your issue, that's not a solution.

The lack of seat adjustments has to be one of the top 10 complaints with the Prius, and no one should sit on a seat that's not comfortable, or can't be made comfortable easily.

Before you give up the high mileage dream though, I'd go sit in an 06 Civic Hybrid and see if it fits you better. It looks like the new HCH will be a reasonable competitor to the Prius, and since you were considering Accord/Lexus, you aren't married to the hatch back configuration.

 

I've heard of the various complaints of comfort, and I'm personally hoping I won't encounter any discomfort in the '06, and respectively, they hopefully made some kind of changes to improve comfort?

 

Too bad about the seats. Others have posted here about lowering them, and also replacing them with Recaro. But I've seen lots of comments that the high seat height in the Prius is considered a feature!
Do a few searches.

Do you know what is wrong with them besides the height?

When I tested the Prius and the Honda Civic, I found the seats virtually identical in comfort, and more comfortable for me than my old car. But I've found the seats in fancy luxury cars very uncomfortable in general.

If you are large and tall, I should think the seats in a Ford Escape or the Highlander would be bigger and fit taller people better maybe.

 

You were really smart to rent one before plunking down your hard earned cash. I'm only 5' 11" (maybe 5' 10") and I wish I could get the seat back another inch. But my friend is 6' 1" and he has driven mine for 50 miles or so and actually moves the seat forward a notch. So I think it has to do with how long your legs are rather than your absolute height. If you drive a lot or for long distances driving position has to be one of the most important things to consider, to bad Toyota didn't include that in their design specification. I think you should look at a Civic or an Accord hybrid.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Prius, but my previous car was a Honda Accord and it was much more comfortable on long trips.

 

Yeah, my last car was a 1990 Ford Probe (195k miles) and I sacrificed:
1) Power seats with adjustable lumbar support
2) A system scanner (which told which door was open [deck or regular door], if the oil, fuel or washer fluid was low and what light was out)
3) A large rear window with a wiper that took care of the whole thing
4) A better sound sytem (just added a CD/MP3 player in place of the original, but the speakers were better).

I also gave up:
1) Only 2 doors
2) Failing smog
3) Burning oil
4) 22mpg average (29mpg best)
5) Retractable lights that sometimes didn't retract (age problem)
6) Retractable antenna that sometimes didn't retract (age problem)
7) Padded grocery bag holder (aka rear seats)
8) Having no cup holders
9) Having no anti-lock brakes
10) Having no airbags
11) Quirky electrical system that would have the digital speedo not come up for 15 minutes or have the seatbelt light come on during a bump (like in an airplane having turbulance).

No regrets. When I saw one in 2004, I knew I wanted one. I rented one (a base model) for 2 weeks. I'm one of the few people that finds the seats comfortable.

 

I only see the HCH as a reasonable comparison... I really think its much less vehicle.. but that another issue....
If you really like the prius... I think a decent metal shop could lower it for you... simply cut the steel in the base and rewelding it to toss a couple two three inches.. and then just pop it back in its slot..
You would leave the bottom so as to simplifly hooking back up... come up about an inch, cut it and remove some and reweld....
I haven't looked to see if this is a practicle mod.. but once the seat is out.. I would think it would be a piece of cake for anyone handy with a torch and welding.. just make sure they don't catch anything on fire...
Smooth it down.. repaint and wallaaa!
Someone who actually has the car "I don't have mine yet" may have comments as to whether this will be easy...

To get the car I want.. I would much rather mod the seat.

I thought the prius had tons of head room compared to most small cars... but someone else may have a better option....
If you go to Toyota site and do a comparison with the HCH on edmunds comparison page... plus the technology is not the same.

 

Your comfort should be one of the most major concerns when buying a car (unless you're buying a classic for investment). If you are in pain, you can't drive well and may get into an accident. It's possible you may encure health problems later on.

The Prius is not the Universal Panacea for cars. No car is.

 

In theory you should be able to replace the seats in the Prius. I've not personally removed my Prius seats yet but I've replaced seats in Honda's and Subaru's and it's always been very easy.

Other then the airbag sensor does anybody know of a reason why you can't replace the seats?

--GD

 

As a taller guy, I'll second comments here that your comfort should be your primary concern, especially with the longish commute you have. Even with only a 40 min commute (each way) it sometimes feel like people have been jamming cattle prods into my sides when I get out of the car.

Keep in mind, it's not just the seats. The wheel also doesn't telescope, which can force you to move your arms into an odd "T-Rex" like position to drive.

 

I think it's not just the airbag sensors. If you have side curtain airbags (in '05 all option packages except #2) the airbags themselves are located in the seats.

 

What about the comfort of the leather seats option for 2006? Granted we can't sit in them yet but they looked comfortable from the pictures. Maybe that would be a solution. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

Yes, but someone that has replaced the seats argued that the possibility of the airbags going off is remote enough to make it worth while changing the seats for comfort.

You can read some posts about changing the seats at
http://priuschat.com/replace-seats-for-comfort-t9199.html

 

One thing to keep in mind: the DVD player for the NAV system
is below the driver's seat, and must limit the amount the seat
can be lowered. No obvious other place to put it.

Robert

 

Humm.. that complicates things.. esp if its not practicle to move it.... so the next question would be.. does the dvd player get hot so that it needs air circulation?... and just how far "can" the seat go down... it may not be worth the payoff....

Why couldn't the dvd go under the passenger seat.. whats over there?.. rerunning a wire for the dvd would be no big deal?

 

looks like the glove box has lots of extra space?... an amp can go anywhere.. even if its not easily accessible.