I know I'm not the only person to have received the 4th generation Prius with a certain level of shock and then whined about it in the months that followed. Call the design whatever you want...'bold, futuristic, modern,' maybe 'sporty' if that's what you really want to see...the new Prius is a long way from conventional. My reaction to it was pretty harsh although I won't regurgitate my long, colorful list of gripes. More recently I've started to see them on the roads (one today in fact). I've also spent a lot of time watching video reviews and staring at pictures in an attempt to wrap my head around the thing. You know what? I think it's working. I won't say I like the design, necessarily, but I can't say I'm offended by it either. At this point it's probably no more 'different' than the 2nd gen was when it came out for '04. The real turning point was sitting in a Three Touring at a dealership in April. I learned that I fit in a Prius. That probably sounds stupid but for 5 1/2 years with my '07, lack of steering wheel and driver's seat adjustment were an unrelenting rash on what was otherwise the best (at least from a practical standpoint) vehicle I've ever owned. I finally gave up and sold it after noticing that the fatigue and pain had begun to come with me long after getting out of the driver's seat. But I was genuinely impressed by the ergonomics in the 4th gen. I could easily get the seat far enough back to accommodate my 6'2" frame and the steering wheel actually telescopes into a comfortable position. Again, this may sound stupid but for me it is a Big Deal! Who knows, I may become a Prius driver again. I have a decision point at the end of 2017 when my lease expires so I'll be mulling it over. That's a long time from now but I'm glad the new Prius is an option for what I intend to be a long-term purchase.
I've owned 3 generations of Prii('09, '14, '16) and I will say - the new one seems the most comfortable getting in and out of(in my opinion). Now I am only 6' - but I have enough space. Glad you are thinking about coming back,
I am slower every day but my 350# salesman said it was the first Prius he could fit in. Was 5'8" but shrank about 3/4 of an inch. How did that happen.
our feet get longer too as we age, I think if we lived for 200 years we'd probably end up living in our shoes Someone told me today that mine looked more futuristic than most cars.
Do you recline your seat much? If so, try moving the back rest into a more upright position so that your neck is better aligned with your spine and your shoulders are more relaxed. Trust me, I'm [not] an expert.
When I look at my own car, I'm fine with it. I enjoy the futuristic look. (Or whatever you want to call it.) But when I see another 2016 going down the road... It looks small, and from the rear view it looks oddly skinny and vertical. It must be the the long "Z" tail lights giving that illusion. I'm a lanky big old dude with BIG feet, and I'm still impressed at how well I fit in there.
Maybe an edit to your reply is in order. The way I read it, your feet are more futuristic than most cars. If so, please post photo of said feet. LOL.
My only thought is that you are comparing a Gen 2 to a Gen 4. Did you ever see if you "Fit" in a Gen 3? The Seat also goes back and the steering wheel telescopes in a Gen 3. Fatigue, comfort, "pain" are NOT stupid things. A vehicle you are not comfortable in, that is actually causing fatigue or pain is a vehicle that really isn't viable without change, to own. People including yourself, have bought, owned, and been forced to move on from Prius because they felt they couldn't be comfortable in it. I love my Prius, but if it started to pain me on long drives, and I couldn't find resolution? I'd be forced to move on.
I did try a 3G without any luck. It was a little better for my legs thanks to the height-adjustable seat but I couldn't get enough outward telescope from the wheel to get comfortable. I'm not sure that the 4G has that much more travel, but the wheel just happens to be close enough to the driver to begin with (or the pedals are far enough away that I can sit closer...two sides of the same coin). If I ever got serious about buying a Prius (or anything else, really) I'd probably try to rent one for a couple of days just in case I'm not as good at assessing these things as I think I am.
The gen3 Prius is not so great for tall people in the front. Although it has a height adjustable driver seat, the seat is mounted fairly high in the car. They made a big deal how the gen4 seat is lower and it is positioned lower by couple inches. I don't have much headroom in my gen3. I'm 6'2" but my sitting height not really high cause my legs are long. Beyond the stuff about seats, the gen3 is pretty bland to drive and that has been mentioned many times. I am sure the gen4 hugs the road, steers and corners much better.
The strange thing about the "height-adjustable seat", is that the entire seat does not raise and lower. It seems only the rear portion of the bottom moves up & down. Am I right on that? When I lower it, only my butt sinks a couple inches... and it goes down at an odd rearward angle. And my seat won't stay pumped up... it slowly "sinks" over a couple days. I guess the Japanese didn't plan on a big dude weighing 260 lbs, (and having size13 feet) driving a Prius! (And then I finally woke from this nightmare... and had Ham & Eggs. )
I guess I am lucky. The all-the-way-at-the-bottom setting fits me just fine. So, sinking is not a problem for me. I have noticed the canting up and down direction though.
"Canting." That's the word I needed. Thanks Kevin. Yeah, mine "cants" or slopes to the rear. This will sound weird (because I'm 6'-4") but when I lower the seat to the lowest position, I feel like I'm sitting on the floor and it's hard to see over the dash and hood. What can I say... I got a strange "SHREK" body! But, all that stuff is minor. I'm getting 60 mpg and it's a great car. I'm really enjoying it now. I just got done polishing the White Knight again. It sure looks nice when it sparkles.
