Even more confused now than before!

well, you have to also think about the fact that there are many people who have no problem with the seats in the Prius, of course you don't hear about that since no one posts about how comfortable the seats are, you only hear complains from those who don't like the seats. And I am not sure if Toyota really thinks/realizes there is a comfort issue. In general the Japanese fit fine regualar size cars and the fact that we might be slightly on the larger size might not be their concern.

 

So far based on what I've read.. the Camry is not going to be a rig to get 50MPH.. the prius already satisfys that and the luxury of the pruis is online with the Camry now that leather has been introduced....
Without doing my homework and going only by memory.. the Prius has more legroom "about an inch" and more headroom.. "within an inch + or _ based on which model you look at.
But the Camry hybrid will be designed to have the power of a sportier car but "maintain" that gas mileage of its existing camry models.

 

I wish I had a better answer: the Prius may not be the best car for you.
I believe it's essential to be comfortable while driving. I don't mean pamperred in luxury, but one needs to be comfortable for the duration of any trip, especially for ones as long as you've described for work. Being uncomfortable while driving can lead to fatigue and inattentiveness, which may lead to an accident.

 

I'm nervous about ordering a Prius now. After reading this thread, I contacted my local dealer about renting one for a few days. They said the closest dealership with any for rent is 150 miles away.

 

I rented one for two weeks. It was worth it because I knew how the car would feel during a normal commute as well as taking my wife and parents into the mountains.

For most of us a car is a major investment and you should be happy with your decision. The Prius is NOT the Universal Panacea for cars. No car is.

 

For those of you who get back pain and what not, I recommend you get in shape! I work out regularly and do lots of situps, mostly so I don,t fall apart on the ski hill. Everyone I know who has let their abs go have back problems. The prius isn't the most comfortable car I've ever been in, is rather basic in it's interior, but I can drive 9 hours without any discomfort.

 

I also personally could never drive the Prius as an everyday vehicle. I find the seat comfort average at best, and the driving position VERY awkward. You do get used to it though, we've driven the Prius on some trips and by the time we're on the way back I'm no longer sore. Getting back into the Lexus is always a relief though.

That said, my fiance loves her Prius and in contrast hates to ride in or drive my Lexus because its not comfortable for her. My boss has a Lincoln Continental (a similarly sized and featured car to the Lexus) and her husband has a Prius that she finds perfectly comfortable.

The moral of the story is that everybody's different and one vehicle can't suit everybody. The Prius may not be the right car for you.

If you want a Lexus ES, and its your dream car (its a great car, I love mine), have you considered getting one a year old or so? You can buy an ES330 with nav with maybe 20k miles on it for lose to what you would pay for a new Prius. With the Lexus Certified Pre Owned program you get warranty coverage BETTER than you would on a brand new Toyota. Might want to think about that.

 

For me the seats are comfortable, I am only 5'11" not all that tall. I have back problems and am post op. I followed that sit up thing for a long time only to discover when I finally went in for help that I had a congenital defect and sit ups were the worse thing I could do. I would not sacrifice comfort, hopefully you will have the car for a while and it just is not worth it. If you like the car and can find a way to "fix" or replace the seats and that is within your budget then go for it. I would agree for some people the seats appear to be an issue.

 

If you're coming out of a luxury car the seats take getting used to... I just got my prius today, my last 3 cars have been S-class benzes, bmw 7 series etc... they all had amazing seats. The Prius ones leave something to be desired, but it's an economy car so I figure I make a few sacrifices.