I don't think the Prius is a good long range daily driver

That's what the HyCam is for.

 

I've had no problems with long drives. Our longest run was up to Williams Lake in the interior, a bit under 600 km daytrip. We were pooped, gas pedal foot feeling it, but not bad, no different than any other (Honda) car we've had over the years.

I don't much care for the dash, but that's another story.

 

I bought mine for the long haul, it actually pays for itself. I live in Raleigh NC and work in Abingdon VA, used to do the weekly commute in a 4x4 F150, I now make car payments and buy gas for less then feeding the ole Ford, 4.5 hr trip and the seats suck, can't have everything I guess.......

 

I've had my Prius for 10 weeks And have put on 8400 miles so far.

It isn't the most comfortable car for long trips, but I have 0 complaints. Sometimes I'm driving for 6-8hrs a day and I never get back pain and am pretty comfortable.

 

I do 41 miles each way 4 days a week. I'm 6'3" and about 260. I have the 3 with the solar pkg and Nav. I love the car. I have no problem with the 45 minute drive each way. I also have a BMW with the 20 way adjustable seats. THere is no comparison. But there is nothing bad about the Prius seats. I have 41k on my 2011 and still love it. Matter of fact I now need tires. Any suggestions?

 

You're right of course. Please let me know how it works for you ... once you purchase the Mark IV Contenental.

 

Michelin tires work well for me. Just make sure they are Low Rolling Resistance tires.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

I'm now commuting 400 miles a week in my Prius IV, and the seats are fine. And I have a lousy back.

There's clearly a difference in seat quality between the lower-option Prii and the higher-end. I don't know if the breakpoint is between III and IV or II and III. There's a guy at work with a Prius C level II that also complains about the seats.

 

I have had problem with seats in every car BUT a Prius. Of course I've been fine in "luxury" vehicles like Audis, Mercedes, etc. But as far as baseline cars go - Prius is the only one that doesn't make me hurt. I used to get shooting pain in lower back and down right leg in Fords, Chevys, Mercurys. I did ultimately had a chiropractor pop my back and the pain go away. I used to be a chiro skeptic til that happened.

 

Its true, everything you say, and its true that a lot has been said about this, but still not enough. Im 6' and can not drive and get my arms comfortable. As others have mentioned, the steering wheel adjustment does not permit movement close enough to the driver. I wonder if we get the same seat and steering wheel adjustments as the Japanese home market cars. I can not get comfortable in the drivers seat!. I don't see why they can not get these seats more adjustable for comfort when the rest of the car is so great in many ways. I think an electric adjustable seat for at least the driver would be very useful and perhaps after sale seat options. After all this time and uncomfortable ride, I will not be amused to hear of someone 5' tall or someone used to a buckboard ride to tell me how perfect the seats are in the Prius. It simply is not so and Toyota needs to do something about this problem that makes the car very uncomfortable to drive for over 10 miles for many of us.

 

I drive around 150 - 200 miles a day for work related reasons and it's an ok car to drive long term. Having been in this line of work for many years while driving various cars over those years, my Prius is average or slightly below average overall in long term daily driving. Seats cushions are not the cheapest kind (see Yaris) however, they are very thin with medium support. I have no problems with the adjustments and am comfortably positioned to drive. The biggest issue I have is that it is kind of a "tinny" car. I understand that it is a small vehicle and that it rides much better than a Yaris (as I've rented one before), but it is still tinny, hard plastics everywhere, but in the end, its mine and I love it. Every car has its downsides, and other than the tinniness and rattles from cheap plastics, I'm very happy with it especially considering that I purchased this mainly for the mpg and expected that I would be getting small car feel with this.

 

What are you talking about, my prius is very comfortable for long use, very nice ride. I usually get a new car every two years but I still have my Prius for 3.5 years now because I don't like any of the cars I tested for ride quality.

 

Although I am much more open to the idea of buying a hybrid now than I was before driving a Prius 'v' and visiting PC, the issue of seats and long distance driving is liable to put the Prius option off the table for us. A conventional Camry (drove a '12 for a week as a rental this past June) is one of the numbest, most disconnected driving experiences I've had since Buick, and as I understand that interior room is a big issue in cars like a Volt or a Fusion, looks like we'll anticipate the coming of the Honda Accord hybrid later this year. Guess the plug-in is only available in CA or NY......

 

My vote is for the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires.....especially if you value MPG's.

 

Hmm, I must disagree. My daily commute is about 90 miles (45 each way), and I should add that I'm not a young guy (pushing 50), but I find my 2012 Prius Four superb and quite comfortable in driving. I've already also done some marathon trips (up to 400 miles) and had no issues. Maybe it's because the Four's power seats allow me to get some better adjustment?

I will say they are not quite as good as the seats in my 2007 Subaru Outback. That car I've done 1,100 miles at a time and came out feeling amazingly refreshed and with no soreness anywhere. With the exception of the lousy gas mileage that car is a long-distance champ, but I would not call my Prius "uncomfortable" by any stretch.

 

I drive mine daily on an 80 mile commute to work, so it's 160 miles every day. I drove a Chevy S10 prior to that, same commute.

It's quieter than any car or truck I've ever owned. You sort of get used to the seats, and there are times when I wished that the steering wheel could be oulled out another couple of inches (I've already adjusted it to its limits).

The "comforts" for the trip are all within reach (drink/coffee, sunglasses, radio, and even amateur radio to chat with my friends who get to work much closer to home).

I bought the car for the fuel economy. I now pay about $60 a week for gas, compared to $130 or so a week before. The quiet road performance means less fatigue, and I am no longer as tired when I get home.

I put 40K miles on mine in a year with absolutely no service issues, and I still have the original Goodyear tires on the car (I think they'll go another 20,000 miles before I have to replace them).

My commute is mostly interstate, with about 30 minutes of city driving total at the beginning and end.

I have absolutely no qualms about taking this car on a long distance trip -- plenty of room in the back, good ventilation, and so on. For me, the absence of road noise makes a BIG difference.

Shawn

 

Before we bought our 2010 Prius we rented a hybrid Camry for a long road trip. The numb disconnected driving experience in the Camry is one of the things we disliked about it. Driving our Prius is quite different. It's not a sports car but it's a long way from a Camry. If you have any interest in a hybrid, take a long test drive in a gen 3 Prius trying different seat adjustments including seat height. If still undecided, rent one for a weekend and go on a long trip.

 

I rented both 2nd and 3rd Gen Prii from mid 2009 thru summer 2011 and put 20k plus miles on several rentals. That sold me on the car and I own one now

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717