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Defect in backseat armrest?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by massi, Apr 11, 2007.

  1. massi

    massi New Member

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    Hello,
    I'm in the process of buying a Prius here in Italy (new, so the 2007 model which is basically the 2004 one).

    I went to two different Toyota car dealers to see the car (I also did a test drive, I liked it!), but I noticed something strange in the retractable armrest in the center of the back seat.

    In my opinion, to be comfortable the armrest should stay horizontal when extracted.
    On the other hand, in all the new Prii I have seen in both dealers, when I extract the armrest it goes all the way down and "stops" on the seat. Basically, it is "sustained" by the seat surface, so it is too low to be even remotely comfortable :(

    Both dealers refused to see the issue, they just said that the armrest was behaving that way by design.
    However, looking at photos in promotional material, it is clear that the armrest should stay horizontal, without touching the seat surface, just like every armrest I've seen in every car that has one!
    So I suspect some kind of error of the dealer when "setting up" the car (even if I didn't think they had to assemble the back seats), even if two different dealers doing the same mistake is strange.

    I know this is a stupid issue, but I'd like to hear from other Prius owners how is your backseat armerst...

    Ciao,
    Massi
     
    #1 massi, Apr 11, 2007
  2. Orf

    Orf New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(massi @ Apr 11 2007, 09:08 PM) [snapback]421943[/snapback]</div>
    Massi, that is the way Toyota has made the armrest. After buying your Prius get some foam padding and make a cushion for the armrest to sit on. That should lift it to a height where it is comfortable to use.
     
    #2 Orf, Apr 11, 2007
  3. Pinto Girl

    Pinto Girl New Member

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    You may also be dismayed to discover that sometimes bags of sand or bricks or other heavy objects are placed inside cars which appear in advertisements, to make them sit lower to the ground.

    Perhaps a bit of styling of the armrest going on in those promotional photos?

    I know what you're talking about, but it's not a big deal for me.
     
    #3 Pinto Girl, Apr 12, 2007
  4. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    I'm not so sure I'd call the armrest a defect. Looking that the construction of the armrest, how it is attached to the seat and some other issues, it looks like Toyota made a few compromises in order to provide some kind of armrest but some of those compromises don't necessarily make the arm rest as utilitarian as it could be. I think part of the compromise is associated with the seat back folding. If the seat back didn't fold it might be possible to anchor the arm rest to the vehicle rather than to a seat and that woudl allow robust stops to be put in place to allow the armrest to actually hover above the middle seat bottom but also accept the weight of an arm upon it.

    Whatever the reason it is better than no armrest, but its utility is sometimes in question.
     
    #4 jeromep, Apr 12, 2007
  5. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

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    <_< It is well to remeber that both back seat backs must be completely "foldable" to a horizontal position for expansion of the cargo area. This might be the reason that the center armrest is not designed to stop at a horizontal position. No official reason, but my supposition.

    I don't consider this a "design error or fault."
     
    #5 Charles Suitt, Apr 12, 2007
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