Are the seats still hard?

I have a 2006 Prius and feel quite comfortable in the seats. I drove for 3 hours straight and felt more inclined to fall asleep than to find the seat uncomfortable.

However, you may have a pickier derriere than I.

 

We have a 2004 and thought that the seats were a bit firm, but actually we don't get the body fatigue we used to get in previous cars and now love the seats (and no they have not softened up to any significant degree. These seats are almost plush compared to the rock hard seats in my Mercedes, so I no longer worry about it.

 

I am OK with the firmness on my 06, but the lower cushion could be longer. I get pains in my hip and thigh from lack of lower support after 2-3 hours. (I'm right at 6' tall, 220 lbs.)The seats on our '96 Outback feel "saggy" after driving the Prius, and I used to think the Subaru seats were pretty good.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SoopahMan @ Nov 16 2006, 08:15 PM) [snapback]350483[/snapback]</div>

I have a theory that the hardness of the seats depends on the hardness of your...uh...seat. But(t), it's a sensitive area, so I'm not touching that one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Nov 16 2006, 11:25 AM) [snapback]350149[/snapback]</div>

Hopefully, Toyota will eventually get the picture but for now, the seats have not changed from 2004 to 2006 significantly. You’ll just need to wait another year or two, or three, or four, …. or five ……

 

:mellow: I've never expected auto seats to feel like a "soft sofa." I am on my 2nd Prius [Just bought a 2007 Touring Edition with leather] and find the seats adequate. I do not get fatigued to stressed driving my Prius. I'm 5'11" ~230# and have no problem with Prius seats.

 

I have a 2005 prius as well... My seats always felt a little hard-- until I got my seat covers from another prius chat member from wet okele. They are AWESOME and made the seats squishy (my sisters words not mine) they are more comfortable now than they were before, and other people notice it as well-- enough so that my dad bought a set for his car.

ETA:
oh and my bf thought enough of them to brag to his mom who got a new car and "should get these seat covers for it"....

 

I dont have any complains with the seats in my prius. But i did finf corolla seats much comfortable than the ones in prius. I wonder why a car $8000 cheaper has better seats?? Wish they just used corolla seats in prius. Plus the seats in corolla have the angle adjustment.

 

Glad you like your new car. I think the seats are hard too, but I think after a while you get used to them and get to like them. The thing that bothered me at first was that it seemed hard to park and back up compared to my '84 Chevy Cavalier. Did that bother you at all?
Mary

 

6'5" here... while I can drive all day long in my 2006 Prius with relative comfort, I believe the seats need improvement.

 

We drove over 5000 miles in three weeks in the Prius and didn't have any problems. It was a lot better than the Honda CRV we had. I too wish they had some tilt adjustments for the seat cushion. I would have the wet okele covers if I had the extra $$, but it'll have to wait.

 

I used to think that there was a direct correlation between quantity of cushioning and seat comfort.

While lots of padding can help, it's not the only way to make a comfortable seat - another way is to make a seat that simply fits the body well. Often we think seats are uncomfortable because they look uncomfortable to us. Some seats fit some people very well while being lousy for others.

You might want to consider talking to an automotive upholstery shop to see what they could do to change the shape or the nature of the cushioning in your Prius to make it more comfortable for you. While it probably won't be cheap, it's a lot cheaper than the difference between your trade in and the cost of a new Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Nov 16 2006, 11:25 AM) [snapback]350149[/snapback]</div>

If you get some of the inexpensive seat covers, you can add padding under the covers and change the form of the seat also. This is what I did and it defiantly helped.

I don’t understand when people reply to these kinds of questions with answers that they have no problem with there seats. How does this help the person that is having a problem? Do they think that the person doesn’t know how to sit? :lol:

Anyway I hope my suggestions will help. B)

 

I'm 6'2" 200 lbs. with 2 herniated lumbar disks. My back pain has decreased substantially since I've gotten my Prius. I took a 1200 mile road trip and could get out of the car and walk without pain for 5 days - it's been a great thing....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(grasshopper @ Nov 30 2006, 09:54 AM) [snapback]355760[/snapback]</div>

It lets the person know that not everyone is experiencing the problem. If everyone says "yeah, mine hurt too" then you know it is a problem with the seats. If some say they have no problems, then the user knows that it might be an aspect of fitment rather than the seat itself.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ymos @ Dec 3 2006, 10:33 PM) [snapback]357204[/snapback]</div>

Wow, you lucked out. Perhaps the stiffer seats are just what you back wanted. Congrats!