I went to two dealers in Southern CA this weekend and sat in the new Prius. I'm 6'4" 250 and couldn't fit in the Gen II but was able to fit in the III although the right knee is a little tight. I was very surprised to see any cars on the lot. They are not flying out the door as in the past. I found visibility out the back window awful. Granted I was in a dealer but I couldn't see anything. It made me think I'll almost have to get the backup camera. Any thoughts from new owners? Also, the air flap on the back hatch seemed loose on both cars. As if I used it to close the hatch it would come off. Any other thoughts on the cockpit style center console would also be a great help.
Having two others, I'm not new, but the backup camera is new to me and much appreciated for seeing around tall vehicles near you when backing out. Rear visibility has not been a strong point since Gen II, but has improved only slightly. There are some angles where the spoiler divider simply block the view (i.e. stopped at the base of a slight hill, can't see cars coming over the crest). I assume you mean spoiler. The spoiler should not be used to close the trunk. Instead, beyond a certain point, the weight and momentum should carry it fully closed. If not, there are other places to press to accomplish the same thing on the body panel itself.
I can actually see better out the rear window of our Prius than in our Suzuki Aerio. The lower window gives me more visibility. As for the spoiler across the back, I don't mind it at all. I think of it as a divider between the two windows. Out the back is a 10 for me. I think it takes some getting used to. As for the seats, they move long distances in all six directions. You might have less room in the seat behind you but you should fit quit nicely. To adjust your seat, first move your seat back so you have a bend at the need and can press very hard on the break. Then, pull the steering wheel all the way out, up or down, and put your right wrist over the top of the wheel. Now, bring the back of the seat up so your shoulders are comfortable against the back of the seat. Next, adjust your seat up and down until your eyes are down 1/3rd on the glass so you can see nails in the road and signs overhead. Now, you are dialed in and ready to go racing. Dan
I'm a new '10 Prius owner - 10 days now. Rear visibility - a bit of a challenge but not as tough as I thought. I did install side and rearview blind spot mirrors. Non Nav and will install aftermarket rearview camera system. Almost a necessity. The spoiler - mine is tight and there to stay. Not a handle for the hatch... The cockpit - I love it. I'm 6' 190. Not cramped in the least. The console does not intrude into my knee space. I find the driving position excellent and the power lumbar is very nice. I would recommend a long test drive - as long as they'll allow. Honestly my 15 min test drive was not the best - I was not bowled over. I REALLY like my V model. Do your homework and seat of the pants testing before plunking down $$$.
The hatch is very nicely balanced, and it is very easily closed by using either one of the two recessed handles found near the bottom of the door. Grab either one, pull down and release, the hatch will very easily continue on and close for you. Placing your hand elsewhere will only get it dirty and leave ugly fingerprints on the car!
I agree with sshaw10 that visibility out of the back window is poor. In my opinion, the backup camera is a mandatory safety option.
New Prius PKG III non nav. I'm 6'3" 210lbs and I find the leg room is much improved and I find it very comfortable. However I can't recommend it for anyone with longer legs than me. At 6'4" I would definitely take the DeanFL's advice and take a long test drive. My 08 was a little of a dissapointment thus the upgrade to the 2010. Rear visability is a problem. Although as others have said I think it feels like a problem more than actually being a problem. For example my Dodge Grand Caravan feels like it has tons of rear visability but I know there are huge blind spots that could hide small to medium sized children, bikes, toys etc. The prius blind spot is actually much smaller than the vans. I am adding an aftermarket backup camera. I have already tried and rejected one. I will provide a full update with reccomendations when I get it put in. Yes the spoiler is a little flimsy, but looks cool. It has been metioned in other threads, just don't pull down on it. G
Opinions will vary about the rear visibility. My 2010 V is my second Prius, and the "backing up" experience seems just about the same as my 2006. I'm glad mine came with the camera. But I use the camera less than 50 percent of the time. Good luck!
I think rear visibility is fine. Actually, when I rented the 09 and was using the back-up camera, I hit my garbage can with my side mirror!! I was so busy watching the cool camera.:redface: So now in my 10 (#3 with solar), I make sure to use BOTH the camera and the side mirrors. And I haven't had any visibility problems. I thought the blind spots on my side were worse in our old Taurus and backing up in the F-150 is scary to me! I'm 5'1" and feel like I can NEVER see what is behind me. Prius beats both hands down. It's funny cause I still feel like the inside/console area LOOKS "cramped" and yet I never FEEL cramped. It doesn't feel tight at all, like my husband (6'1", 220) and I have plenty of room but it LOOKS smaller. Hard to explain and I am definitely not doing a good job. LOL But the PRO to all the gizmos and gadgets being all right there is that...they are all right there! I don't have to move when I am driving to reach anything. My drinks, my touch screen, my temperature control, etc. Two newbie complaints: 1) I don't think the seats are comfortable for long drives...cushy wise. Leg room and height, etc. are all great. But they are pretty hard seats and since I am so short the "lumbar" area doesn't hit my lumbar area and the head rest is way too far forward cause I like to sit with my seat back pretty close to upright. But I'll just buy a $40 cushion with lumbar support and recline my seat more and be fine. So not too big a deal. (and most cars I test drove felt the same) 2) The cupholders really suck. Who buys a "small" drink anymore? And the door holder doesn't hold any of my glass bottle drinks I buy (tea, sobe, etc.) and they don't fit well in the other cup holders either! So out of the 5 drinks I've had in my car since Friday, only ONE fit into any of the 3 cupholders. But these are minor things and otherwise I am LOVING My new baby!!! (and getting 59 mpg right now with 300 miles on it...and still haven't had to fill up! man I love this car!)
The view out of the back hatch takes some getting used to. I've had my car now for almost 2 weeks, and I'm just now getting used to it. The view isn't bad, IMO, it's just different. The rear spoiler cuts the view in two, but nothing would be able to "hide" where the split is anyway. Other than being split in two, the view out the back is actually a lot larger than out the back of my mini-van. I haven't changed anything about how I look when I back out of my garage or a parking place. Not sure if that helps, but so far I've been fine without a back up camera. My rear spoiler is attached well, and I always close it using the area around the license plate, not from the spoiler. Actually I think the spoiler would be too high and far back for me to reach when the hatch is open completely. (I'm 5' 7") It doesn't take much effort at all to close it. I actually really like the center console. I've only had one drink container in it so far, and it fit just fine. I believe the side pockets are only designed to hold plastic water bottles, and I'm sure they would fit just fine too. I use the open area under the console to hold my garage door opener and a small box of kleenex. The actual console holds some candies, gum, hand sanitizer, lotion, and no-doze...with plenty of room to spare. All in all, I love my new Prius!!
