Seats Suck - why on earth...

The seats in my IV with the lumbar support are fine. Maybe even more comfortable than the seats in the '08 Highlander Hybrid Limited I traded in.

 

I have a '10 V - with the lumbar. I came out of a Lexus RX with all power adjustments. After driving the Prius for a week or so, I just wasn't very comfortable, tending to shift my rear around and adjusting the height and lumbar. I finally realized that I wasn't getting enough thigh support and the seat bottom felt completely horizontal, especially when raised (seems to pitch a bit to the front).

I made a mod, as I did in a previous non-power seat car many years ago. Removed the front two floor/seat mount bolts and put washers between. About 1/2". Replaced the bolt and still very secure. The result was to raise the pitch of the front part of the seat for a better bucket effect. And more thigh support. After a few weeks driving I've found the seat much more comfy (not perfect mind you, but better). The lumbar is a very nice feature - too bad Toyota packaged it only with the leather.

Here's a link to the Mods section and post.


http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-modifications/64225-butt-seat-comfort.html

 

We have a base model 2010. The seats are wonderfully comfortable -I'm 6'2"- even better than our old Matrix. The concave fits just fine. Guess it depends on your body configuration (although my wife, shorter and stouter, also finds the seats very comfortable.)

 

IV here - with the lumbar. Just spent two solid days driving and was perfectly comfortable. Different strokes though - one PC'er had to sell his brand new '10 because the seats caused extraordinary back pain for him. If it's not for you don't do it! (But try the lumbar seats before you give up!)

 

Seats are fine to me. The NAV screen, on the other hand,....

 

I have a Scoin tC with similar design seats, no lumbar adjustment and with manual height adjustment that tilts the seat bottom as you raise the seat.

At first it felt like my lower back would just sink in causing me to slouch. If you fold the seat back all the way forward, you expose the clips that hold the seat back cover together. After experimenting with various thickness sheets of foam (from a crafts store) I slipped a section of foam between the seat cover and the original foam in the lumbar area, then put the clips back. I did that for both the drivers and passengers seats. My wife and I have been comfortable since. Visually, there are no signs that the seats have been modified.

 

The seats are indeed very badly designed - perhaps the worst I've ever seen from a strictly ergonomic perspective. They work well for a subset of people but they don't seem to accommodate a wide range of people, as a good seat should. The seats with the lumbar support are better, though by no means good. It's worth giving the higher end seats a look, but carefully - it's not worth it if they induce back pain.

 

Good approach, go back and really spend some time on the seat with and without lumbar, and make sure you try all the adjustments, before you drive it. You might find the leather alone gives a different feel than cloth, and it will have lumbar unless it's port or after market--might be worth just trying. The steering wheel setting can also have an effect on how close or far back you can go, which changes the support point for your thighs. I'm 6'0 and find the seats very comfortable, coming out of a Lexus RX hybrid.

You also get a few other extras with an IV:

Prius Model 1227 - three-door Smart Key system; leather-trimmed interior; heated front seats with driver lumbar support; step lamp; illuminated entry; driver and front passenger water repellant windows; upgraded front and center pillar trim; plasma cluster; auto dimming mirror and HomeLink®​

 

I found the seat comfort very disturbing at first. After trying various tweaks to the positioning, I have found a tolerable "sweet spot" of comfort. I am 5'9 with more height from my legs than torso.

It seems to me, as the OP pointed out, the seats are too concave and combined with the forward tilt of the head-rest makes for an uncomfortable ride. I have thought about just removing the head-rest, and taking my chances on collision! I just did a 5 hour stint of driving, and found I had to take more breaks than on my '07 Prius! The lumbar support on mine help tremendously, but the seats need a design change!

I will try the 1/2 of washer spacers {idea posted above}under the front anchor bolts to the seat to see if the extra pitch of the seat will help. I hope so, as I don't want to remove the head-rests just to be comfortable!

Lee

 

I just finished a 6 hour day trip - 3 hours each way with an hour break in the middle, and found the seat, with the power lumbar, extremely comfortable, even compared to the '08 Highlander Hybrid I traded in. The best thing was no knee pain in my right leg, something that would regularly occur on similar trips in the Hi-Hy.

 

My wife and I also though the back support on PriusII/III was a bit lacking, however after a week of acclimation all is well now...just give yourself time to adjust.

 

I'm actually considering buying new seats. I have no doubt they are expensive. Anyone have any guess as to how much the G3 seats might cost? I am hoping/presuming they will fit.

I have leather in my 09 G2. I am also banking that i would be able to match the grey leather. Hmmm then perhaps someone may be looking for leather G2 seats to defray my costs

Now that's an ideal world LOL

 

4 hour round trip to Pittsburg with no complaints. I'm 6'2" and 260#. I've had a lot more uncomfortable seats in a lot more expensive cars.

 

I was worried about no lumbar but drove the car home from dealer on six hour trip yesterday and it was great. Had to play with the height adjustment and wheel position, since I am 5'8 with longer leg/shorter torso build. The seat design has resulted in me having better posture; especially since the arm rest is too far over for me to use (and lien). Head rests provide support if I lean back a tad but are not obtrusive like my 08 Honda CRV HRs. They are the strangest shape and point in so that I have to tilt the seat to far back for best comfort. I always think about taking them out but know if I have an accident...Also notice that the seat shape/posture keeps my left foot flat and straight whereas in the CRV, my left foot is always pointing outward. Will be keeping both for the next year plus...but think I will be seeing the chiro less with the Pruis.

 

Just completed four days of driving over 2600 miles - Oregon to Arizona & back, spread over first and last two days of two week vacation - and found comfort by adjusting the seat occasionally. Head rest certainly is right there, isn't it! My right hip joint did NOT 'bark' once during this time, unlike in other vehicles. My wife drove Prius in Buckeye area for a few hours and disliked the imposing head rest, greatly! 'Pumping up' the seat & tilting backrest back slightly seemed to work for me occasionally during these 40+ hours of intense driving.

 

I really don't know why Toyota can't get the Prius seats right on the gen 2 or 3. My Tercel seats are much better. The seat designer should commit seppuku.

 

Just purchased 2010 III with cloth seats 3 weeks ago. Tried IV w leather, disappointed by the quality. Made the mistake of not spending enough time in the car to evaluate the seat comfort. Am miserable! No lumbar support, not enough adjustment. Back pain is becoming a real challenge. Any and all suggestions appreciated!!

 

I bought mine due to the seats... mmmm seats that hug you.