Poll: Are you Satisfied with the Prius Seats ?

Threads through the years have come and gone from owners looking for advice to make the seat more comfortable for them. I tend to think that a small minority of people remain deeply dissatisfied even after good faith attempts to make the seat comfortable, while a few of the people who complain think that the problem is pervasive and look towards Toyota for a remedy -- usually an upgrade to power seats across the Prius line. This poll is meant to shed some light on the question.

Owners with power seats are asked not to participate in the poll, but please add your experience in a post.

 

I couldn't answer the poll because no category fit exactly.

When I first drove the car I found too much lift under the thighs so I used a folded towel to level the "dip". Subsequently I fitted Clazio seat covers and left the towel underneath the seat cover. This setup suits me very well. I don't have any butt pain on long trips though, at my age, old injuries and stiffness make the first few minute after getting out of the vehicle problematic.

The seats of my 1968 type III Volkswagen were the most comfortable for long trips I ever experienced, though they always felt too hard on short trips. No car I've driven since has suited me unaltered.

 

I have a power seat and I find the car comfortable. My daily driving is very short. I don't spend a lot if time in the car. The seat can be improved on and I would pay extra for that option

 

Good poll. Maybe, just maybe, this will settle whether the seat is fine for the majority of owners.

 

My wife is short (5' 3") and was unhappy with the poor visibility for her (great for me at 5' 11"). Also the headrest was awkward and the sun visor was useless. We had a 5" thick cushion made the shape of the seat bottom and that corrected the "problems" although its a bit inconvenient. Overall comfort seems to be about the same as our previous 2004 Highlander.

 

The front seats are a problem. I drive my Prius III > 25K miles per year. Power would be a good option, but it won't solve the problem. I recently had the passenger front seat repaired at a big upholstery shop recommended by the dealership. I mentioned the uncomfortable nature of the seats to the upholstery guy, who told me he hears this a lot, especially from tall Prius owners. (I'm not particularly tall at 5-11.) He told me that has added some additional foam to improve the comfort of some Prius seats. It's a cut and try process.

 

Overall, I am satisfied with the seats. They are in no way good seats. They are better than Civic and Corolla seats. They are not as good as my Sonata or Camry and Accord seats. I see the car as marketed as between a compact economy car and a mid size family sedan. In that respect, the seats perform as expected. I have driven each of these vehicles for 5+ hour trips. I would define Prius seats as not comfortable for long trips but neither were any of the cars I mentioned. I'm 5'7" and the only seats that I had any semblance of comfort on long trips was in a Honda Odyssey and an old front bench seat in a Ford Taurus.

For the price, I paid I am content. However, if I purchased a trim level 4 or 5 or an Advanced plug in model, where prices approach $30k and beyond I would expect better.

 

I answered that the seats are fine for me, but I haven't taken it on a long trip yet. Longest was an hour. Given that I've only filled up the car twice since May, this may take a while.

 

Me too. I'm taller (6'4") and have the seat adjusted down low. The front of the seat seems too high and after a while cuts circulation.

 

After I added four 3/8" washers under the front bolts to give my knees more support the seats are OK.

Power isn't necessary, but manual seat-bottom rake adjust would be a welcome addition.


3/8 in. Zinc-Plated Flat Washer (25-Pieces)-08054 at The Home Depot

 

I think I'm a good candidate to answer since I had the same year Prius- one with power Softex seats (2012 Five) and one with the cloth non-power seats (2012 PIP) and have driven both for 6+ months....

IMO after driving identical year Pri with both seat types- there's no comparison! The powered Softex seats are far superior in comfort to the cloth seats. I'm not sure if it's because the Softex seats have more padding or because they have additional adjustment points, or both... but they are much more comfortable to me compared to the cloth manually operated seats.

 

I have a v Five, so not sure if my opinion counts here, but I am comfortable, though, I would have paid more for power seats with memory settings.

 

Due to recent debate, I'd say a time for this poll has come.

BUT I kind of wish the choices were LESS SPECIFIC.

I'd just like a general idea of whether the majority are satisfied or dissatisfied with The Prius seats in general. Most of those choices are too specific for me.

None of the affirmative choices exactly reflects my feeling and opinion, which is simply that the seats are fine.

 

i paid 30k for my pip after tax rebate, you?

 

Only had my Prius 2 weeks, and only been on one long (by English standards) drive - a 400 mile round trip with 3 friends to watch a foootball match. No problems at all, I found the seat very comfortable, was fresh as a daisy when I got home, no aches or pains or stiffness at all. It's noticeably more comfortable than my friend's Jaguar S-Type (he alternates with me driving to games) and also noticeably more comfortable than the 3 series BMW which work rented for me for a business trip to the Netherlands. Both of these are at least as "up-market" as the Prius.

My car is a T3, not sure what the US equivalent trim would be but it's the most basic level of trim in the UK.

I'm interested by comments I read on other threads here about it being a small car. No doubt to American eyes it is, but to me it's a big, comfy car. I wonder if the feeling that it's a bit small and cramped adversely affects perceptions.

 

Um, my "most comfortable seats ever" car was the 1970s 144 series Volvos. But I am suspicious that both of us are choosing the cars we had in our 20-something years. You don't think maybe it is WE who have changed??
You really get out of your Prius unaided? I just open the door and wait for Darling Wife or a compassionate passer-by to haul me out. That said, it is still easier than extricating myself from the old Miata MX-5, which fits like a glove, one that has shrunk onto your hand!

 

Hehe, touché Mr. Early Adopter. In that case, I would picket Toyota headquarters for better seats!

 

Are the power seats different besides the power adjustment? If not, I don't see why the poll focuses on that; power adjustment is a handy feature but in and of itself doesn't make the seats any more comfortable.

I voted that they're fine. I've only had the car a few weeks but I just got back from a 900-mile road trip and found the seats more comfortable than my other cars (none of which has been any kind of luxury car, granted).

 

You are right; I should have specified seat tilt, which I gather is a feature of power seats and seems to be the feature our unhappy campers are clamoring for. The sub-text to this seat comfort discussion is that luxury cars just do not differ that much from 'family' cars, so the manufacturers tend to reserve power seats, a beefier suspension, and torsional rigidity for their 'luxury' or expensive package trims. So while seat tilt in and of itself sounds fairly trivial to me, the market makes it an expensive feature. Some exceptions occur to this rule, but then the car tends to be less attractive for other reasons. With the Prius Toyota is saying "you get tech toys and HSD, but not the 'luxury' accoutrements. If you want that go to a Lexus dealer." The poll is about 35 respondents thus far, and only one person thinks they would pay $1000 for the extra seat versatility. 80% are happy with the trade-offs Toyota has chosen, and the other 15-20% want more if it is cheap.

I personally did not find the tilt to be very useful in our Cth200 power seats, but that may have been my personal experience, or people are just demanding something they *hope* will aid them. All discussions about seat comfort are a very YMMV. If our chronic complainers get that point, I'll call it a day.