Deal killing drivers seat

I can understand your frustration with the seat. To me it is the achilles heal of the Prius. You don't mention which part of the seat that bothers you. For me is was lower back support and not having the ability to slide the seat back just a couple of more inches.

I purchased a lumbar support and it solved one issue, but sliding back the seat is something I am still researching.

Maybe others have some options for you depending on what is bothering you.

 

I'm glad you rented one. I've seen many posts of people buying a Prius "because there was one on the lot" and then discovering they hated the seats.

I know some have added cushions and I hope that would work for you. I'm at the height where the seats are not a problem, but I know they are for others.

 

Here is the support I purchased. Notice that it has the lower leg support, and back support. The store actually let me try different models until I decided which was best. I purchased the grey version.

McCarty's Premium Sacroease Auto Back Support

 

1. I had no problem with Honda A/C. In fact, I think that my 1987 Civic Wagon, which is exactly the same length as the 2008 Fit, has A/C as good
as the Prius.

2. The 2008 Fit equals or surpasses the Prius in all crash tests.

3. If I didn't get the Prius, I would have gotten the Fit. For me, it was a toss-up. I just happened to walk into the Toyota dealer first (the Honda dealer was a couple of blocks further up the avenue), and found the color, package and price I wanted, so I bought it on the spot.

 

I bought an Orbus Forme seat cushion that looks sort of like this:

ObusForme Back & Seat Cushion with Heat & Massage - Car or Chair Cushion

except that it has NASCAR logos on it. I picked it up on eBay (new, in box) for around $20 shipped. I'm pretty fussy about what I sit on and this thin cushion is pretty comfortable. I drove my Prius from San Diego to Seattle (around 1400 miles) in a 2-day stretch and I had nary a complaint about the seat comfort.

 

Would you still buy the perfect car for you if it had the perfect seats, was a few hundred more to buy, but you would get almost all of that extra back at trade in time?

If you answer yes then fit a pair of Recaro seats and remove them at selling time to be replaced with a pair of pristine new looking genuine seats you stored wrapped in plastic, and you can put the Recaros in your next car.
If you were looking for a used car and saw the seats were like new you would think the car was really looked after.

 

That is odd, my store gave me 14 days to return, maybe it is just the online store that doesn't allow returns.

 

web1b,
FYI
Curious you should mention the Versa:
I bought an SL, kept it for 12k miles and traded for my now, second Prius because nothing else compares. About the Versa;
I found it to be the smoothest & quietest car I've ever owned! It had the CVT transmission. The upgraded interior with the SL was luxurious and the big wide seats with height adjustment, SO comfortable. If it had just returned decent milage in town, I would have kept it! 23-24 mpg for most of my driving was too low for that 'feel-good' moment at the pump. The Versa was hands down superior to the Fit and Yaris for quiet and comfort. It handeled about like the Prius; not great but, OK. Driving is fun again in the Prius arcade. I saw 50 mpg on a trip to the coast this week.

 

I agree with you about the seats. However, I went to my local Relax-The-Back store and they let me try various pillows/cushions and also said they would take the item back if I returned it within 10 days. Just a thought.

 

One thought is how long you typically "live" in your car. I do about 10 hours a week in commuting (1 hour each way). I'm over 6' and 230+lbs. The seat is fine for me, though 1-2 inches of rear travel would be nice. On a trip to Vegas from LA, my hip and thigh was aching, but it never comes up on my every day drive, or even drive of 2-3 hour, or so. If the seats bother you on a shorter trip, more like your usual drive style, skip the Prius, or do the band-aid seat fixes. I do have a posturpedic padded lumbar support from driving my Subaru, which I use, but the really long trips still bother me. The same problems happpen in both of our Subarus, which have vastly superior seats to the Prius, but get 20-25 mpgs) I'm so happy with the car otherwise, that I "just live with it". Maybe that's why Toyota hasn't bothered to fix the problem, too many people just live with the seats as one of the Prius less desireable features, balanced out by a great car otherwise.

 

The whole thigh sitting area has no sense of security. It is like nothing is holding your body and you are floating without any support. You need thigh support and without it your back is out of line. Your whole body suffers from stress.

I have ordered the gel cushion from Brookstone: Brookstone - The Perfect Innovative Gift Idea - An Assortment of Specialty Consumer Products for $59 as well as the mesh back support for $11.99 at Luggage, Backpacks, Purses & More - Great Prices - eBags today. I plan to drive 3000 miles in the next two weeks so I will let you know how they work when I get back. I already have the $99 Obus Ultra Foam back and it is not good with this seat. It pushes you more foreward and the lack of thigh support is made worse.

I love the car but you would have to go a long way to find worse seats!!! It might be a reason to sell the car. I am seeing cars for sale with only a few hundred miles on them so wonder if that is the reason.

 

I agree the seats are not as comfortable as I would like. I want adjustments so I can tilt the seat section, raise and lower the seat, and lumbar support. My biggest gripe about the otherwise wonderful and interesting car is the head rest is too far forward which gives me neck aches. I've reversed the head rest which helps but then it is too far back. However reversed is better even if, I suspect, less safe.

My second and only other grip is the Toyota style cruise control. I don't like where it it mounted. I don't like having to turn it on every time I start the car. I don't like that it erases the cruise speed when dropping below 25mph.

Otherwise I can't wait to drive the Prius. Every time we have to go somewhere I get excited thinking about the fact that I'm going to get to drive it once again. We've had the car less than 3 months and we've put 6,000+ miles on it because our other car is seldom driven any more. We plan our day so my wife and I can either ride together or take turns using the car while the Honda Odyssey (great car) sits in the driveway. Every time I drive the Odyssey I feel like I'm spilling gas on the road.

jd

 

I so agree about the neck pain. My neck and the top of my shoulders ache after I have been driving 20 minutes. Whoever designed those seats should be shot!!! I thought the headrest was pushing my head forward in an unnatural way and you just validated my suspicions. Thanks. I will try reversing the headrest to see what hapens. Have you tried removing the headrest altogether? Of course it would be unsafe. But the daily neck pain vs. the chances of an accident are hard to talk yourself out of.

What people don't realize is that having the ablility to move the seat up and down and sideways will NOT make the difference we hope to see. The seat itself is all wrong. It should hug or turn in toward the hips to give stability. It should give more thigh support. It should not cause neck and shoulder pain. When will Toyota listen to us?????????
I have written them a complaint letter. Hope you all do too.