Your Height and the Driver's Seat

5'0"
Female
As comfy a seat as I've ever had in a car
No discomfort, except on VERY long drives--and those are the same kinks and cramps as I get sitting ANYWHERE for any length of time.

 

5'11", 205 pounds here, male, drove Prius up and down California twice without discomfort. Found the seat to be very comfortable, but wish it had height adjust as I prefer low seats.

 

5'8"
female
can drive my motorhome 4000 miles w/o pain
must bend over to see the traffic lights - my head is 1/2" from the roof when the seat is all the way back but the seat back is fairly upright so that I can reach the steering wheel.

If I tilt the seat back backwards I get back pain right away. I am currently looking at other vehicles because I drive to Colorado regularly, and can't drive my Prius.

Does anyone know someone who modifies seats? The seat needs to be lowered about 2 inches and the angle changed so that the seat is level, not dipped by the junction with the seatback.

I love my Prius, but I love my back more and am at my wits end.

 

5'10", 30 inch inseam, 200 lbs.
Male

Seat is fine. I would like more thigh support, but it's really OK. I've driven 300 miles in just over 4 hours without any problems other than stiffness from sitting for a long time. I would like the steering wheel to be about 2-3 inches closer.

 

im 5'10 168lb

no problems really on normal drives, though i will admit on extended drives the prius inst exactly a Lincoln town car.

 

Don't bother to modify, get a Recaro seat fitted, store the original seat and when you sell the Prius you have an as new drivers seat adding value and the best car seat on the market to fit to your next car.

 

^+1 recaros are awesome

 

6'2, 235, 21 years old
Male
Always comfortable, longest time driving continuously: about 4 hours
I'm not even sure if I have to lean forward...so if I do, it must not bother me

I have sat in the backseat for up to 3 hours before on roadtrips where I let others drive and was just as comfortable...

 

• 5'10"
• Male
• Have driven over 4 hours on a trip with no discomfort. When I first drove the car I did not like that the seat could not be lowered. I was used to driving with my old camry's seat all the down. I also felt that the seat should go back further as my legs are "more bent" for sure. I used to drive with the seat low and all the back in the camry in a "stretched out" mode. Now I am forced to be more upright with legs bent. Took some getting used to, but it's not uncomfortable.
• Can see traffic lights fine, never noticed any difference.

 

I think this is a great idea. Don't want to spend your gas savings on a chiropractor. Hopefully the thread can help find solutions to those that are having problems, or even encourage Toyota to upgrade the seat, or at least offer the option of a better seat.
May I suggest that you add "Seated Height". Many complaints include the lack of any height adjustment. While how tall you are, is a factor, your seated height is just as important. A person 5'8" could actually sit taller than a person 5'10". My wife shops in the petit section for skirts and slacks, but wears regular sizes for tops. People can have short legs and a long torso, like my wife, or vice-versa. Leg length affects forward/back adjustment while torso affects heigth comfort since not adjustable in the Prius. I suspect this could be why two people of the same height and weight could have totally different opinions regarding driving comfort. Seated height should be measured by sitting erect on a hard surface and measuring from the seat to the top of your head. Consumer Reports & Edmunds give measurements for head room, shoulder room and leg room.

Edmunds: Interior Front Head Room: 39.1 in. Front Hip Room: 51 in. Front Shoulder Room: 55 in. Front Leg Room: 41.9 in.
Comsumer Reports: Front seat comfort Front shoulder room, in55.0 55.0 Front leg room, in40.5 40.5 Front head room, in4.0 4.0

Yea! I noticed, there's a slight difference in measuremens, but it gives you a reference point. I used it when I starting looking for our next car. Compared Prius measurements to those of known cars like our 2000 Avalon XLS, our sons Maxima, etc., before running all over looking at dealers. Eliminated those I knew did not have enough headroom. I'm 6'2", sitting height 41", which should give me around 5-6"'s head room in the Prius. That's about what I found when I finally got to sit in one.

Definitely interested in following the thread. I'll know better when we drive it home from dealer after delivery. It's a 400 mile drive.

 

6ft, 2.5in tall
male
In 2008 Prius package 4 and 6 rentals, completely stock Toyota trim, driver's seat bottom seems pitched too forward / flat, non-adjustable height / tilt causes problem seeing some traffic lights, must duck down to see going downhill, thighs lack support from flattish and rather short seat bottom.

Researching here, come to find out the Japan, European and Australian 2004+ Prius cars all have driver's seat height adjuster handle.

So, what person, group, or groups in Toyota US were responsible for specifying the 2004+ US/Canadian Prius to not get the mechanical seat height adjuster?

Next question is, can this person(s) be reprimanded, demoted, or laid-off and anyone else like them be kept away from making ergonomic decisions for passenger vehicles current and future?

I do not like the fact that all current US Prius models, base, packages, Touring, a $25,000+ (and rising) car, do not have a simple, mechanical handle to raise and lower the seat height when this same handle or knob can be found on a ...

* Yaris sedan, Corolla, Matrix, Rav4 base, Sport, Camry, Tacoma, Honda Civic Hybrid, and my junky old 1988 Toyota SR5 pickup to name just a few

 

I've experienced lower back pain in the short time I've owned the Prius.
In response to the stated questions:

1. I'm 74" tall, with a 40-inch sitting height.
2. Male
3. Discomfort can be felt in 5 minutes, or 30, and sometimes not at all--it depends on factors I've not yet isolated.
4. Can usually see traffic lights here in the USA--but it would have been a challenge in Europe, where the lights are typically much closer to the stop line.

The writeup about adapting a Corolla seat to the Prius looks interesting:
Yahoo! Briefcase - List View

Might look around for some used seats with bags, although perhaps the Prius bags can be moved over without too much difficulty. I believe that's what the author of the above post did.

 

I apologize if I missed the post that addresses this, but here goes. The UK Prius driver and passenger seats have manual height adjustments and also have the lateral air-bags. Could these be direct replacements or possibly the mounting rails and height adjustment mechanism could be intergrated into the US Prius? I'm sure there is a good reason why this is not practical. I was just musing. Any thoughts?

 

Looked into this briefly. Although theoretically possible, the cost of replacement seat frame(s) from Toyota are exorbitantly expensive. Add in the cost of shipment, and you could easily buy Recaros for less money.

If you could find a salvage seat from a EU or Australian Prius, it would lower the cost, but shipping would still be pretty expensive. You need the complete seat frame as a minimum because the top and bottom are welded together.

 

Thanks for the reply Dogfriend. I was really more curious about the height adjustment mechanism itself may be able to be installed between the floor and the seat. But I'm sure it would not be anywhere as comfortable as the Volvo seat mods that are being worked on.

BTW is that a doberman? I can't quite tell from the angle?

 

The Toyota seat height mechanism is built into the seat frame for the Prius and Corolla. Someone actually made his own height adjustable seat by cutting and welding together the top of his Prius seat to the bottom of a Corolla seat. Unfortunately, you can't just bolt the two together because the top and bottom are staked and welded together. The differences between the Corolla seat and the Prius seat are the "foot" brackets where it bolts to the body and the shape of the seat back (Prius is more rounded, Corolla is more square).

My avatar pic is my dog, Dingo. She is a Kelpie mix, although a lot of people seem to think she is a Schipperke (I don't think her body shape is right).

 

Thanks again for the clarification. I read about the Corolla seats. My Daughter just bought a 2008 Corolla and I thought the seats were comfortable, but until you spend a couple of hours in them, (walk a mile in my shoes), you can't tell. We have the 2000 Avalon XLS with a gazillion ways adjustible seats including lumbar. So, we did drive a prius and sat in one awhile at the Atlanta auto show this past May. They were not offensive. I was more comfortable than in the Honda. I'm 6'2". We'll just have to see.
Anyway, more importantly, Dingo looks like a sweetheart. We're currently dogless, last 2 dogs were wiemaramers, Dutchess & Schotzie. Our daughter and son-in-law has two dobermans, and Dingo reminded me of Maximillian the black one. The other one Cosmos is red. Our son and daughter-in-law has two pugs, Chief Wiggum's and Herbie-the-love-pug, plus three cats. I'm not familiar with the breed, but she really looks like Max, especially when he's coming at me for that big kiss.
Thanks again for your support. I'm looking forward to the day that we can "unsubscribe" from the "Wait List" thread.

 

I'm thinking the most straight-forward solution would be to follow Jim Soi's procedure outlined on his Yahoo Briefcase site, but purchase used both an adjustable Corolla seat and a used Prius seat, complete with bag. Then my Prius could still be drivable while I messed with the mods. Should be able to get both seats for $250 or so, from what I've seen, with some careful shopping. Oh, and I'll need to acquire a TIG welder.

 

I am -

6ft 2 1/2in tall barefoot
Male
Reasonably comfortable for 1 hour in seat. Just added seat foam wedge. Should be much more comfortable for longer time.

I can see most traffic lights. Sometimes need to duck a bit to see under roofline or beside A pillar. Not a major hassle.

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I would still like to have a seat bottom tilt/height adjuster in this car. In a 2009 Corolla for example, as the seat bottom is tilted down with the mechanical handle -

1) Ability to see underneath the rearview mirror increases, forward view better

2) My long thighs contact more of front part of seat as the back of bottom (seat bottom that is) tilted lower.

I will not be buying a Corolla though