Can't find perfect seating position!

Check for lumbar pillows at Amazon.com

 

I don't think the seat is as much of the problem as is the adjustment range of the steering wheel - it needs to pull closer as you say, and tilt down more. Wheel scope at least 1/2" closer would help. Doesn't sound like much, but a little adjustment goes quite a ways in seating. The fabric seat could use more lumbar curve built in. My Accord fabric seat has plenty of lumbar curve.

In the 2nd generation Prius, many screamed for telescopic steering wheel, the seat to slide back farther, and height adjust down. In 3rd gen, they got telescopic wheel, sort of. The 3rd gen seat does slide back about 2.5" farther (assuming height adjust mostly down) than 2nd gen's driver's seat, BUT, for some bad reason, the steering wheel only pulls 0.5" closer than the 2nd gen's steering wheel (as measured quite carefully from the brake pedal to wheel in both cars). The other 1" of adjustment range moves the wheel even closer to the dash than 2nd gen. I haven't the foggiest idea why.

Some will say 'it shouldn't pull closer because the airbag will hurt someone'. I think that is BS. There is a minimum distance the safety orgs recommend to stay away from the wheel. The distance is stated in my Honda owner's manual. The big thing here is the 3rd gen's wheel adjustment range is not quite in line with many other cars, including other Toyotas. It's not way off, but enough to be a nuisance to some including yourself. Personally, I think it's kind of a bummer given this is the 3rd gen of the car.

I posted a poll a couple months ago, and a significant % of responders noted they would like the wheel to pull closer.

If you think about the position of the steering wheel relative to the brake pedal, this is an important distance. Imagine if the steering wheel was very close horizontally to the brake pedal, your legs would feel extremely cramped when you scoot the seat close enough to comfortably reach the wheel.

Most unfortunately, when Toyota put in the telescopic steering wheel feature, the 1.5" adjustment range ( very common range in Japanese cars) does the following -

* when pulled fully out, it only pulls about 0.5" closer to driver than the 2nd gen's non-telescoping wheel.

* when pushed in, the wheel goes 1.0" closer to the dash than the 2nd gen Prius

Here are the numbers -

2nd gen Prius - 24.75" brake pedal at rest to bottom/front face of steering wheel, tilted down
3rd gen - 25.25 ( fully extended out, tilted down)

My Accord Coupe is 25.75"
An Accord Sedan is 26.5"
any new Camry is also 26.5"

I've also done the measurements with reasonably depressed brake pedals and results are the same.

Right after the 3rd gen hit the streets, a smart gal, Erin Riches, editor for Edmunds.com commented in the review video 'they added telesopic steering wheel, but unfortunately it's not perfect because the range of adjustment is somewhat limited'.

Some people might get pissed off that I call out Toyota on this. Somehow they think it is offensive to claim anything is sketchy with Toyota's design. If I find something sketchy, I have no problem saying something about it. IMNSHO opinion, the Prius needs a few things ironed out in terms of 'ergonomics'. The next new models of Prius should be better.

Most people don't give a darn about this subject. They are more than willing to forgive the claimed faux pas because it's all about 50 MPG with this car. Find me one person who could modify your steering wheel to make it pull closer to you. How much would you pay for that? $100? Couple hundred? More? Doesn't matter, no one can do that job.

If I drive a 3rd gen Prius, I must scoot the seat 2 clicks forward from fully back or I cannot reach the wheel well enough to comfortably drive. That leaves me with less than 1" from my knee bumping the center console because my legs are splayed out.

 

I can find a decent position but the lack of lumbar support is a glaring omission in this car. Its seat is the least comfortable I've had since I owned an early 90's entry level Nissan Sentra, to be completely honest. It's great if you want to destroy your lower back but if you care about seating position you need something stuffed back there for a trip of any distance.

Overall still love the car, this is a very fixable problem, but it would have been so cheap for Toyota to not have it.

 

You just need to google Automotive Seat Cushions...or Automotive Back Support..or some derivative...

There are literally uncountable products designed to help in this area. Ranging from simple cushions to heated, massaging units...and everything inbetween.

Seating postion and feel is such a personal and subjective thing, that it really becomes a personal quest of Trial and Error...however I can assure anyone and everyone that plenty of products and options to change the feel and postion of seating exist.

 

My biggest complaint about my Prius has always been that I don't find the seat very comfortable. Recaro aftermarket seats will fit I found out, at least on a 2004.

 

The other thing you might want to try if you happen to grip the wheel with your left hand and have left elbow on door armrest ....

try adding a good 1/2" or more pad on the driver's door armrest. There are some obscure places that sell pre-made ones or if you don't mind DIY, a foam like neoprene is dense enough to act as a door armrest ('foam factories' have that stuff) Softer for your elbow too.

Most unfortunately, the driver's door armrest is about 3/4" lower than the center console armrest in this 3rd gen Prius. That is not ideal and I don't know of another car that has such a low door armrest.

Some will say 'the door armrest was put at that height for safety reasons, blah, blah'. I cannot imagine why an armrest on the inner door panel would have to be at such and such height for safety reasons.

anyrate, it helped me to put about 1" of temporary pad on the armrest. It doesn't take the place of scooting closer to the wheel, but it helps a little bit.

 

Safety reason could have to deal with armrest intrusion in a side impact crash? So the test dummy wouldn't register a chest or stomach injury. Could be to limit injury to the elbow. Or could have to do with having a clear path for the side air bags to deploy and not get caught up.

I just don't know that the armrest height is that big of a deal. I have never noticed or been annoyed by it. If my hands are at the 10:00 and 2:00 position, I am not using either arm rests. I only use them when stopped.

I am also about 5'11" and have never ever had a problem with a car seat before, but I do in the Prius. For me, and we are all different obviously, the problem is the seat bottom. It is angled up, and that isn't adjustable. For me, it puts the edge of the seat bottom a couple of inches behind my knee and after just a few hours it causes some numbness in my right leg (that is if I don't use the cruise control). I have driven cross country 5 times in 4 different cars, none of which was the Prius, and not had a problem with the car seats of any of the cars (a Chevette, a 323, Civic, Camry). I drove from CA to the SD and back in a Altima over a long weekend, and that bothered me a little (lack of back support), but not like the Prius. A couple hours in the Prius bothers me. The cruise control use mitigates it quite a bit, but eventually it still bothers me. I had heard/read that the seats were better in the 2010+ models.

 

I put the washers in a month ago which helped greatly, but then started getting pains from the seat edge under my leg on longer drives, so out they came last weekend. It's impossible for me to drive comfortably with hands at 10 and 2 with the seat set correctly, I have to lean forward to turn the wheel and drive with my hands on the bottom of it. I constantly adjust the seat back and forth to stay comfortable.

Old age has a lot to do with this I'm sure, and being 6'1"+. But the seat cushion is indeed very hard, and the steering wheel plain sucks. If I was 3 or 4 inches shorter, and younger, this probably would be a minor issue.

After just 6 months, and all the work I've put in to this car it pains me to even think about, much less say it, but I'm seriously looking at 2012 Sonatas, gas mileage be darned.

It makes me very sad. In 60+ years I've never loved and been dissappointed so much in a car as I have this one.

 

Add me to the list of owners that find the driver's seat to be really uncomfortable. It is next to impossible for me to find a position that works. I finally gave up and just deal with the discomfort.

And, yes, the steering wheel is way too far away. And the telescoping only makes it worse. Also right about the non-supportive arm rest. Honestly, doesn't someone from Toyota, Inc. own and drive this car? I should think they would notice these problems very easily. Maybe this seat works for tiny people who like to sit right up close to the wheel?

I kept my last car for 9 years but this lousy seat is almost enough to make me want to ditch the Prius much sooner than that.

Tom G.

 

The steering wheel too far away, really? I find the wheel placement just fine.
for the armrests, I don't think the idea is that you are supposed to be using them while actually driving. With your hands on the wheel, your arm shouldn't be anywhere near an armrest.

 

I'm actually ok with spacing of it, I've not noticed the steering wheel too far away. Maybe it is but I've not noticed. My only complaint is that the seat was obviously created after consulting with the best spinal surgeons and them recommending what Toyota do to keep new clients coming through their doors. The lack of lumbar support is total fail.

 

Hi guys. Am I missing something here as my 2010 Gen 3 (UK spec) has electric lumbar support. There's a button on the seat side panel that electrically moves the lumbar support from very concave to extremely convex.

Do the US cars not have this then?

 

They'all have US ver2 Prii, I use a small memory foam lumbar pad in my '06, without it I wouldn't last an hour, with it I often spen 12 hours

 

Why does the telescoping steering wheel make it worse? The 2010/2011 even has a lever to adjust seat height and in the process also angles the seat! Is the Prius V the only model that has the adj. lumber support.
I have a bad back(slipped discs) and after alot of adjusting, I can find a totally comfortable position. Granted, I'm not 6'1"(5'9") so I'm a little confused?

 

Maybe so in the Prius, but took a yardstick and level to find .. whadya know the, the door and center console armrests are the same height in my current car which has side seat airbag.

I just tend to get a little annoyed when my left elbow is expected to rest on something 3/4" lower than my right. Smaller amount like 1/4" wouldn't be noticeable, but 3/4" is, to me.

 

If you think the 3rd gen Prius seating is bad (I happen to find it alright), 2nd gen might have you tearing your hair out. I sold the car after 2 yrs 4 months of insanity and lost $14.5k getting out of it. The only good thing was the fuel economy and the novelty of HSD. Other than that, it was the sh^*s.