for me, driver's seat is torture because of the headrest

I had a 2011 Prius Two that was the same way. I took the headrest out and turned it around backwards. That fixed it. I took a Lexus 300H for a test drive. Same way. It pushed my head forward. I bought a new Avalon about 3 months ago. No problems at all with the headrest in it.

 

Ergonomics are very personal. I find the v Five to be the most comfortable car we have ever owned.

 

Very personal is correct. What may be comfortable for one person is not for the next.

 

Sorry to learn you can't seem to find comfort! I've had no problem in my 2009 Gen II which I've been driving regularly since Jan 2014. My Prius was a replacement for my Corolla DX Wagon which I purchased new in 1993, and the only thing I did to improve the comfort of the seat was to add a beaded cover, which made the seat far more comfortable. So far, I've not needed to use one in the Prius, but I thought that perhaps your ride might be enhanced by using a beaded cover! (just a thought) - Wil

Edit: here's one Custom Accessories 17360 Wood Beaded Comfort Seat Cushion - Tan: Interior Car Accessories : Walmart.com

 

Exactly right. Which is what makes design for the complete ergonomic spectrum, even including adjustments, so difficult.

 

Another thing is age. I am 76. I could not seem to get comfortable in the Prius I had for 3 years. When I was younger I can not recall being uncomfortable in any car that I owned and certainly the Prius was no doubt more comfortable than most of them. I bought a new Avalon about 3 months ago. I seem to be pretty comfortable in it. No doubt it is my body that is older that is most of the problem.

 

my wife has back problems and couldn't find a comfortable car seat until she bought a camry. now she won't change, she's on her fifth in 15 years, and they are always comfortable for her. o/p, sorry about your issues, maybe try an upholstery shoppe to see if they can help if the headrest thing doesn't work. funny, my head never touches the headrest.

 

My suspicion is that the key ergonomics here is height. I am 72 years and 5'6" tall and my wife is 70 years and 5'1" tall. We even sit on Costco memory foam cushions and find the back of our heads are well below that forward most, tilted portion of the OEM head rest. Taller and long-waisted persons have the back of their head hit the upper portion of the OEM head rest. I wonder if raising the head rest would help a tall or long-waisted person; that is, moving the top of the head rest up enough to less interfere with the back of the head. Another aspect is my driving position. Being short, I have the seat forward due to shorter legs and lilt the seat back toward the rear, thus making the forward tilting head rest rarely even touching the back of my head. Finally, there have been several threads on this subject over the years and a solution I regularly see is reversing the headrests. I never tried it to see if they actually insert and hold; but, it must have worked for others.

 

We are 6'4" and 5"10". I don't think it's a height issue. We don't raise the headrests.

 

I have the same vehicle and the same problem. You have to wonder who in the world this seat is made for. I have the same problem with seats in airplanes that just drives me nuts but is not a problem for my wife. Consequently, I refuse to fly on a plane trip lasting more than a few hours. My wife just doesn't understand why not. Oh well, back to the headrest problem in the Prius. I took the damned thing out and flipped around backwards so that I don't even notice it anymore. it probably doesn't provide you the same level of safety but what the heck! At least now I can sit in the car and not feel tortured!

 

I had a 2011 Prius Two and that is what I did.

 

I'm about 5' 10" and the seats have been fine for me. Yes, these anti-whiplash headrests are a bit intrusive, but I find that the lumbar support control (on my car's manual seats) helps a lot with keeping my spine in proper posture. Again, I don't sit that far into my seat; I leave about an inch of space between my shoulders and the seat back so that my neck doesn't bend forward while driving.

I hope everything works out.

 

I was having the same problem. I finally found the right combination and am now very comfortable:

1. I put the seat height in the LOWEST position
2. I set the tilt back one more notch than I liked
3. I raised the seat until the whole seat felt comfortable.

My 2007 Prius was the most comfortable car I have ever owned- I could drive 500 miles in a day and feel great, but the newer models seem less comfortable. I have been told the regulations for headrests have been changed to reduce whiplash issues but clearly people are not liking them.

I hope you can find the right combination of tilt and height to make you more comfortable!

 

I don't think you're supposed to normally touch your head against the head rest, in normal driving; it's there primarily for whiplash.

 

At 5'10" in a 2008, I also flipped my headrest around because it pushed my head too far forward.

 

If you search " car leather neck rest or pillow" on Ebay or other site, you will find a lot of dog bone shape pillow listing. They give your neck a support and side cushion while you top of the head would still touch the headrest as designed. Made out of Faux leather and cost less than $10. I saw that alot in Asian's car and I thought it was some sort of animation/cartoon accessories. I might get one soon to match my Softex.

 

We went to the Bar-B-Q Shack to eat last night in G/F's ''v'', with her driving due to my having a few ''refreshments''. After reading this thread, I looked at her headrest and mine's position--- not uncomfortable at all. I guess it is like Susan's above, the seats lean back a little and no contact what-so-ever is made with the headrest--- perhaps some should just try it with the seat leaned back a notch or two.