Big guy

Now when you say V do you mean the Prius V (bigger one) or the regular Prius model 5(v)?

I would think the Prius V (bigger one) would be easier to get into than the regular lift back.

The overall diameter I believe is the same between 17's and 15's to keep the speedometer right on spot.

 

Ho boy...

Prius v (the Wagon) is not the Prius V (5). Many a jihad about that 'v' part.

As for height, I will say I am 6', 240ish lbs. The Prius v has a Truck/SUV/Minivan like seating in comparison to the standard Sedan, so you can climb into the Prius v. The Prius v is also a few inches taller than the standard Prius, so it will suffer a bit of drag, hence part of the reason it suffers in MPG along with the heavier weight of the car. So yes, it would be easier to get into the Prius v over the current standard Prius. I believe the Prius c is almost the same height as the Prius v, just a shorter rear area and maybe rear passenger area.

 

There is no difference in height between the Prius equipped with 15", 16" or 17" wheels. The outside diameter is approx. the same for all the wheels. Ingress egress is fairly easy on the Prius liftback and even easier in the Prius v. The seatng may be a bit more comfortable to you in the v model. Your best bet is to go test drive one.

 

You guys are making this entirely too complicated. He has a 2010 that he can drive around. There will not be THAT much difference from the Prius he bought his daughter and other sizes, models or years... If you're absolutely hating life in your daughter's car than the Prius is not for you. If you're needing just a smidge more room than you can research different models or features.

 

I think the point the man is asking, though, given his knees, is how easy it is to get into the car. The wheel rims won't be the determining factor for him, he was curious if it makes a difference, which it doesn't for height. However, the Prius v is a few inches taller than the Prius. The Prius c may also be roughly a little taller than the standard Prius.

For his situation, it will be the matter of whether or not he will be sitting at a lower profile or having a slightly higher profile, which may make it easier on his knees to get in and out of the car. I have found that lower profile seats makes it a little harder to get up from or get into at times (More so when you get someone parking REALLY close to you and you have a big frame)

People with larger frames tend to have a harder time getting into lower profile seating, especially with the above mentioned situation where you have to not only slide in sideways, but contort yourself to get into your car due to the seating arrangement is lower than your ability to get into your own car.

 

I know what I talk about... I'm 6' 0", 240 lbs. I used to drive a Nissan Sentra GXE (1996 model) I don't have your knee issue, but found it a pain in the butt to get into my car when someone decides "Hey, I need more room to get out of my car, so I am just going to park so damn close to your car and not give a hoot." (Yes... I have had it happen a lot of times, and in two cases, having jerks destroy my mirrors... TWICE)

I did a 'standing' comparison to a Prius 2010 and a Prius v here at work... The Prius is about 5' 3-4" The Prius v, nearby, was about 5' 9-10". So from standing to seated, you don't have to duck down nearly as much, which also means with a 'sedan' style seating, that usually implies legs out forward like you were sitting in a lazyboy chair with the foot rest up. The SUV/Truck/Van style seating is more of a 'natural' chair seating, where your legs go out just a little, not extended.

You guys also have to remember, tall, leggy people will often have troubles with the steering column when getting into a car, more so in situations when you are forced to 'slide' in due to a narrow opening. A person who has a larger frame (Fat or otherwise) and having joint problems (Like bad knees) suffer a bigger time getting into lower profile cars due to the steering column and needing to 'twist' a bit more without banging their head against the frame, the door or feeling like they need to dislocate something in order to slip under the steering column and getting their legs into the seated position.

 

The definition of tall must be over 6'3" then.

 

At 6' and 280+, and so-so knees, I liked getting into the Deville better than the Prius. On bad knee days, it's not comfortable climbing I and out. But better than my TR7 or MGB

 

You will note, I did say Prius standard is lower profile 'sedan' like. The Deville is classic style and a bit easier to get in to.

The Prius v is closer to truck/suv/van like seating where you don't have your legs all the way under the dash and more like you are sitting.

 

My DH is 6'6" & 275lbs but he does not have knee issues. The Prius 11 is o.k. to get into & much easier than the Saturn but still has to slide in & get his knees around the steering column even with the wheel adjusted all the way up. You might have better luck with the Prius v as others have stated. I would think a test drive would be in order. I know the 2009 I was looking at has a different cockpit than the 2011 I ended up getting. We can rest our knees easily with the wrap around console in the middle. I like the 2011 Prius console setup because it is a good deal like our Subaru B9.