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Are Prius seats that uncomfortable????????

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Soon-to-be, Jul 23, 2012.

  1. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    I've come from Cadillacs, which have more seat adjustments than one knows what to do with and I have no problems with comfort on a long drive. The biggest PITA is the darn drivers dor pull, because I keep banging my knee into it.
     
  2. kgall

    kgall Active Member

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    Rental is a good idea to check out the seats, though I'm not sure how many Prius IVs there are to be rented out there.

    I agree with the folks who say most of the people on this site like the Prius seats, including me, but I'm a bit more charitable to the vocal minority--I don't know why, but it really doesn't work for their backs.
     
  3. Brett.

    Brett. Junior Member

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    If you are careful, you might not even have to stop for gas! hah! Love Prius.
     
  4. ProximalSuns

    ProximalSuns Senior Member

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    Yes they are uncomfortable. Yes the power seats make all the difference.

    If you do much driving over 30 minutes, definitely get the Prius III/4 with the power seats. You get other good stuff also like Auto/On/Off headlights, an excellent safety feature. You get the 7" higher definition nav system. You get automatic day/night mirror with homelink for your garage door opener. You get the Heads Up Display which is a also a good safety feature as you soon get addicted to watching the fuel use bar and it means taking your eyes off the road. This shows up in the heads up display and keeps your eyes on the road.
     
  5. NargilFenris

    NargilFenris Junior Member

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    My wife and I both find the seats in our Prius II very comfertable. We have a daily commute around 30 mins one way and never have any issues. On the few trips we have had so far that go over an hour we still find the seats very nice. I am 5'7" 160lbs she is 5'5" 110lbs.
     
  6. ikagan

    ikagan Junior Member

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    I find the II seats very comfortable on long drives (max so fare: 350 miles).
    I'm 5'7" 160 lbs. I have major back problems, and usually have to adjust the lumbat support to maximum
    (on other cars) to feel comfortable. It is a pleasant surprise after reading all the negative comments prior to purchasing.
     
    PriusCamper likes this.
  7. Hank101

    Hank101 Member

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    Very uncomfortable on long trips. Painful to the tailbone area. Use a foam cusion, much better.
     
  8. Big Steve

    Big Steve ramblin wreck

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    6'2 265, Prius four power seat is great.
     
  9. vday

    vday Member

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    I find them fine and the car roomy
     
  10. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    Best to go and test them out -- on short trips the seats are fine -- not great but fine -- I drive the car for trips around an hour a couple times a week and never have much of an issue. I don't like the car on longer trips especially on the highway. We use it at the company and some find the seat uncomfortable -- so you just have to try them out. It's an econobox and the seats are not from a luxury car.
     
  11. Fore

    Fore Don't look back!

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    Seems fine to me too at 6'2" 195 lbs. I guess if your overweight already with mild back issues then I would think that probably has something to do with it.
     
  12. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    Have times when driving riding in my 2010 P3 package 2 , had a pain in my left rear.
    During my last trip, I stopped and shifted my wallet to the RR pocket. After 30 minutes my LR felt good, but my RR hurt. I stopped again and shifted my wallet to a front pocket.. No more pain in the rear for the 3 remaining hours of the trip . ;)
     
  13. Xaran

    Xaran Junior Member

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    I'm a new owner but I drive at least 140 miles a day 5-7 times a week for work commute and IMO my 2010 V is more comfortable than my previous car a 2009 G37 and I don't have any problem finding a comfortable position
     
  14. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    I don't understand this reply. The only poster that supplied his height and weight was pleased with the seats.
     
  15. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    I regularly drive four different cars --Audi, Nissan, Prius and Volvo. In my opinion, the cars with the leather seats are less comfortable. My take is that the underlying padding for the leather seats is designed to be stiffer, to prevent wrinkles in the leather. The Audi and Prius have leather seats; Volvo and Nissan have nylon fabric.
     
  16. Big Steve

    Big Steve ramblin wreck

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    The EH&S manager in a factory I worked in said all men should stop carrying their wallets in back pocket. A cause of lots of painful problems.
     
  17. JeffHastings

    JeffHastings Member

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    I agree with this; I also have a 2011 Model 2. The base seats are as comfortable as any other car I've ever owned.
     
  18. Den49

    Den49 Member

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    The lumbar support and power adjustment allow the 4 seats to conform better to your body shape and are therefore more likely to be comfortable for you. You have to judge whether you need this feature or will appreciate it. However, since you are asking the question, it appears that seat comfort is a critical factor in how satisfied you will be with the car after you buy it. The probability of your being happy with the car is higher with the level 4 seats. If you buy the level 3 and are not comfortable in the seats, you will hate the car, and yourself for not getting the level 4.
     
    ProximalSuns likes this.
  19. rmi

    rmi Junior Member

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    I think the 2010 Prius (base model, cloth) front seats are VERY uncomfortable. I am 5'11'' and in very good shape (about half way through my marathon training program). The shape and curvature of the seat back is the problem for me. It seems like the lumbar support sticks out too far and is too firm. Plus, the seat back has a very extreme "curve." The lumbar sticks out too far and the area that your shoulders would touch doesn't stick out far enough. I feel like I had to arch backwards for my shoulders to make comfortable contact with the seat.


    After 10,000 mile of trying to figure out a solution (and commuting 1.5 hours each day), I finally added a 6x8 inch piece of high density upholstry foam to the upper back of the seat. This allows the shoulder area of the seat back to "pop out" a little more, creating a "flatter" back. Much more comfortable for me.

    I should add that I have driven numerous other cars and have never been as uncomfortable as I was in the Prius.
     
    Boltgunner and ProximalSuns like this.
  20. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    I make a few 20 hour, 1170 mile straight through runs to south Florida each year using a 97 Volvo 960 and you just can't beat a Volvo seat. I have driven my 201o Prius on trips up to six hours each way and have come to the conclusion it isn't a long distance car, at least with the stock III cloth seats. They're OK but not the seats I would pick for a highway car where I was sitting in them for 10 hours a day, on a road trip. I'm in my Prius every day and the seats are fine for the daily driver commuter. If you're driving the car under two or three hours a day you'll the seats very comfortable for the average person. If your 100 pounds over weight you may not find any seat comfortable.

    Let me go back to a previous post where it was pointed out that you do not drive distance with your wallet in your back pocket. I've been making this run to south Florida since 1987 and I can tell you, you don't drive with your pockets full of everything you can carry.

    This is where cargo pants come in very handy. When driving long distances over three hours keep the objects in your front pockets limited to change and nothing in your back pockets. Keep your wallet, keys, phone, pocket knives, gun and other things you regularly carry out of the upper pant pockets and belt area. With the cargo pants you can carry these objects in the lower side or front pockets where they do not press against pressure points on you hips, butt or upper thighs when seated in the car.

    If you're fat go on a diet it will improve your fit and comfort in the seat.

    BTW I'm 6'4" and there is much more room behind the wheel of my Prius than my Volvo.
    A set of Volvo seats in the Prius would be heaven to me. I've seriously thought about finding a wrecked IV - V and putting the better seats in my III.