Warning: Gen III front seats are a torture device...

Cycle: My seat is 6-7 clicks from full back and my knee is 1" away from the bottom of the P button. I think my extremities are avg but some of my 5' 11" is from my longish neck. You are definitely outside of the norms on which Toyota designed the seats. Seat bottoms are too short to give you the thigh support that you need. OTOH, if they gave the Prius seats that fit you, it would be monstrous for the avg Japanese (esp woman). Their calves would touch the end of the seats.

 

I do fairly well on the average length seat bottoms as long as tilt is right and legs hang over end of seat, not splayed to the side. Car with extendable seat cushion is very rare. I ought to sit in Volvo S60 seats for grins. Enthusiasts swear by them.

Toyota certainly responded when we screamed about the limited driver's seat travel of the 2nd gen car. We picked up 2 to 3 more inches back. We got some st wheel scope, but not much.

I'd like to see a picture of someone sitting in 3rd gen, slid full back, lowered far down, good reach to pedals and good, easy reach to steering wheel, within the recommended elbow bend holding wheel at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2. No cheating putting the seatback full forward ....

I can do that but it feels awful

 

Remember the old “spinners” that car guys used to install on their steering wheels to enable faster turns? Well it got me thinking; rather than extending the steering shaft, why not have a second steering ring made that could be clamped to the existing steering wheel, only it would extend further towards the driver. It could only be a ring that was maybe just a little larger in diameter so there would be nothing blocking the airbag deployment. It would use short struts that would attach to the existing steering wheel ring. Would this help?

 

I've thought of that idea before and looked for something that exists, but didn't look very hard.

 

Google "Steering Wheel Extender" and you get lots of options in spacers to add to the column. and Also this:

 

That's exactly what I was thinking of! Only it should have a larger diameter.

 

They apparently make different diameters, though the website doesn't list them.

 

Amazon.com: 2010 2011 2012 Toyota Prius Factory Leather Seat Cover & Custom Leather Interior Kit: Car Electronics

I found a leather seat cover for the Prius too.

 

Listen, whether we are talking about a recliner in your living room, or the seats in a Prius or ANY vehicle, what is comfortable to any given person is very subjective and personal.

It can be based on uncountable personal factors.

So if someone posts that The Prius seats don't feel comfortable to them? I believe them.
If someone posts that they like the Prius seats, or are fine with them? I believe them.

So far for me? I'm fine with the Prius seats. I realize that doesn't mean everyone is going to be. But the converse should hold true for everyone. You don't like the seats? That doesn't mean they are "torture devices" that are going to be uncomfortable for everyone.

I never really had a problem with ANY seat in any vehicle. A Ford Taurus I owned for a short time probably had the most comfortable seats. But that thing was like a living room on wheels.

If you aren't comfortable in the Prius seats? That's too bad. The only thing I would say is that there are nearly uncountable products and ways to change the seat, without changing the seat. With all the pads, cushions, lumbar support, inflatable, deflatable, plug in massage, heat...whatever products out there? I'd say you are pretty unlucky if you can't find a way to make any seat work. You can get as complicated or simple as you want.

If I'm going on what I know is a long drive? I have a portable back massage unit that plugs in. I'll throw that in the vehicle....any vehicle I've owned. It helps because I think any seat is going to start hurting after driving long enough.

Toyota certainly isn't trying to design the seats to be painful. I think the majority at least find them passable. I certainly believe some people absolutely don't like them. If you can't find a way to make the seats work for you? I feel sorry for you. I'd hate to have to sacrifice a vehicle for that simple reason.

That's brilliant.

But incredibly ugly.

Everytime I got in my car I'd be tempted to try to throw a ball through the inner hoop to win a prize.

 

I agree it’s not very good looking but if it could make cycledrum more comfortable on long trips it might be worth it for him.

 

Angle seatback 45deg, look out the rear passenger window, drape left wrist over 12 o'clock on steering wheel, cock hat to one side, slam rap music. Maybe Prius owners will get tailgated less if we looked more badass.

 

This dead horse beaten yet?

 

I went through that from August 27, 2008 to Jan 3 2011 with the 2009 Prius. Just had to have that hybrid even though they were getting full MSRP right before the crash. Never had a problem with a car seat before. Seemed ok when when renting before buying, but those were leather. Actually took 2 months for bad reactions to start like trying to press up the rearview mirror, get it out of way. Ducking to see. Then one rainy day shopping before Xmas, said WTH am I doing in this car as my legs were flopping around with no thigh support? Parted with $14,000 in those 2 1/2 years ($12k depreciation, $2k building 2 seats).

I set my 2011 seat back to where I had it for the first year of ownership and will not drive it with the bulky soled athletic shoes. It's getting better. Thinner soled shoes help for the long legged in small cars.

Thanks for steering wheel extender pic rekhnit

I'm not with iClaudius or the OP 3rd gen chair seems good starting point and there's always cushions, pillows and such.
Power adjust is safer way to go and couldn't help noticing all luxury cars (at least here) come with leather seats.

Anyone making a claim about driver's seats ought to be specific about the problem. I was very specific about the problems I had in the 2nd gen Prius driver's seat.

Let's let this thread go soon as the OP did a hit and run job so far.

Oh here I go. Hope i didn't say this already.

I had a sit in the 'all new' 2013 Malibu. Whoop, that headrest jutted into my head, and yeah, even with the seat reclined. Could see the headrest hanging over front edge of seat. But the Cruze seemed great, go figure.

 

Wouldn’t you know it; the Malibu is one of the last GM cars I like. LOL

 

Maybe it depends on the seat manufacturer, my VWs were like that. Some guys were even turning the headrests around.

 

I had to do that on my Cobalt.

 

Sorry guys: defeating a primary safety system by turning the head restraint around is not a clever solution. Try adding a couple degrees of seat rake to move the head restraint further away from your head if you feel more comfortable, but don't defeat it's primary safety mission.

European cars typically provide a rotary knob adjustment for seat rake on manual seats to provide an infinite range of angle adjustment that IMO is preferable to the limited fixed detent adjustments employed on Japanese and domestic cars.

 

I'm trying to imagine what this thing would do to you if the airbag went off. Scary.

 

Should go right through the center, but this is why I said the diameter needs to be a bit bigger.