Thinking of Prius - stunned at wife's assessment

I would definitely take a drive and not just the thirty seconds that a dealer takes you on. Go rent one for the day from Enterprise. I am 6' tall and not particularly slender in fact I am around 225. I think the car is quite comfortable and I've done several multi-hour trips.

 

The seat fits me fine, but there have been a number of complaints from other folks on this site. It would still make sense to take a test drive and try to get it adjusted as much as possible to fit her. If it's still uncomfortable, she may be of the body size that it will never feel right and you'll have to look elsewhere (for another car, not another wife )

 

Ginger Baker, huh? You don't play the drums, do you??

I'm 6'4" and wish the seat bottom had an adjustment to change the angle and height, to provide a little more leg room and, in particular, thigh support. But with the addition of an Obus Forme seat, it's been rendered adequate for long trips. I did a 2000+ mile trip this summer, and by keeping each daily segment to <500 miles and taking a break every hour or two (which I do anyway to combat sleepiness at the wheel), I was fine. I second FBear's suggestion to rent one and take it on the road. (Though I doubt you'll find one at Enterprise; you'll probably have to go to the dealer.)

 

Most of the seat comfort complaints come from taller people. There is a rumor that the Prius seating was designed by a small Japanese woman, and sized accordingly. Is your wife tall? I am 5'7" and my wife is 5'5"; we both find the seats to be okay. I have had better on other larger and heavier cars, but we make 13 hour highway drives in our Prius without any trouble. I like to move the driver's seat up a bit, then raise the seat-back to its highest position. Otherwise my arms feel a little short. Give it a try for your wife.

Tom

 

I must say your wife is an extremely observant woman. I had the same complaints and realizations only after buying the car. I wished I could return it for about a week - and then got used to it. I don't even notice it anymore.

 

Im 6'3" 290lbs, the only issue I had was my left knee rested on the center console & it would leave me with a sore spot....

I dont have this problem in the Hy-camry.....

Although I lost 10mpg's switching from the prius to the hycam.. :mellow:

 

I'm not defending the Prius seat. It's not up to other luxury cars.

But I don't buy a car based on the seat or the color. There is a lot more to a car than just the seat. And this needs to be taken into consideration. There are plenty of things that can be done to make the seat custom depending on how much effort and money you want to put into it.

I suggest your wife drive the car. She won't find a smoother transmission in any other car. It has plenty of power. And nothing can beat the mileage or the low emissions. The seat you can deal with. (Some have actually had the seat redone with air bladders and heating pads if you want to go that route and expense.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gingerbaker @ Nov 19 2007, 12:19 PM) [snapback]541581[/snapback]</div>

Like other posters have mentioned, it may take a little getting used to... and some of us will grow to like the unique attributes of this car A LOT.
Unfortunately, my wife is one of those folks who did not connect with our 2007 Prius. We had it for roughly 5 months and she did not like it at all. I in the other hand think of it as a super vehicle and even bought two more for company use.

My wife is short had she had complaints about the seating position (height), rear outward visibility among a list of other things that few men could even come up with. Maybe the rear visibility issue could have been mitigated by a rear camera but the feature was not available as an option in the base models (which are already very expensive in the Canadian market).

I would personally suggest that your spouse give it a test drive just to be sure. In the highway, and from what I hear, the Prius is a good and accomplished cruiser for most folks. Sadly, I can't say much about its highway attributes as I never drove it on the highway yet. A quick lookup on the forum should help though.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

I'm 6'2", 220lbs, and while I find the seats 'adequate', it would be nice to have lumbar, height adjustment and maybe another notch or two on the rail to go back... as it is, I keep the seat on the last notch, and it is "just right". Good thing I've stopped growing a number of years ago. :lol:

I second what Godiva says - unless you find the seats completely and horribly uncomfortable, I would think looking into some aftermarket improvements should be an option and not rule the car out on that alone. Personally, I find it comfortable enough (even on 6+ hour trips) to not need to go that route.

However, I am wondering about the thread topic - is what is so "stunning" about this common assessment? :huh:

 

Find new wife, send photos of new Prius.

 

I'm not 6'3'', not 220 lbs, and not your wife, but I've found the seats to be very comfortable for long drives. As in across Canada and back, with many very long days in the saddle. It's your wife's opinion that counts in this case, but I think it's only fair to take it for a longer test drive.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lefat1 @ Nov 19 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]541620[/snapback]</div>

and of new wife in driver's seat.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gingerbaker @ Nov 19 2007, 12:19 PM) [snapback]541581[/snapback]</div>

There's some folks in your neighborhood on PriusChat, check out this thread: http://priuschat.com/snow-tires-t39385.html
It's quite possible if you sent a nearby one a PM, they'd let you go for a real test-drive.

Who would drive it more often, you or your wife, or would it be pretty much shared? Not to criticize, but on my previous car my wife convinced me to get an automatic transmission so she could drive it comfortably, then it turned out I drove it 95% of the time anyway. (She's okay with a stick, it wasn't like I'd leave her stranded if she had to drive it).

I was concerned about the seats, because the pedals are so close compared to the steering wheel. If I have a comfortable leg distance (which wins out for me), then my arms are rather extended to grab the steering wheel. But after the first couple days I didn't even notice it. I've taken it on several trips of over 1000 miles, and never had any unusual discomfort. We'll be traveling again for Thanksgiving. Hopefully pull our mileage back up above high 40's mpg (lifetime ave for the car is 50mpg, but this cold weather is starting to have its effect).

 

I sit in traffic a lot and do not have a problem. I'd like to say that my fatter wallet due to saving gas hurts my back, but alas, I spend it anyway! I like to call it helping the economy!

 

Who will be the primary driver of the car?

If it's her, get her the car she wants. If it's you, get the car you want. Simple.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kimgh @ Nov 19 2007, 04:09 PM) [snapback]541640[/snapback]</div>

this is the right answer. my wife wants a camry next. we're planning on a 2009 HyCam at the end of the sales year (when the 2010's are introduced) so we can get a good deal. Then the Prius will be all mine!! :lol:

 

Okay. Will agree with above.

If wife is primary driver, get her a car she likes. (But have her test drive the Prius anyway.)

If you are the primary driver, you can listen to her, but it's your decision.

 

My wife is small and petite and the Prius fits her like a glove. I am a 6-footer and to be frank would like a bit more seat adjustment, but I have driven it long distances and have no major comfort problems.

I have more problems with US designed vehicles (especially those in the car rental fleets), whose ergonomics seem to have been designed around the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Mike

PS Make sure that your wife isn't using "woman-speak". She may be using the seats as a rational objection to verbalize an irrational dislike of the car. Even if you overcome the seat issue, there may be other undercurrents.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lefat1 @ Nov 19 2007, 03:35 PM) [snapback]541620[/snapback]</div>

I'm single and already own a Prius.

BTW I'm 5'2" and the Prius fits me fine.