Poll: Are you Satisfied with the Prius Seats ?

I've done multiple 750 and 1,000 mile trips, 14-24 hour solo and dual drivers, in both our 2003 and 2010 Prius and only wish I could move both back about 0.25-0.50 inches. But my wife had two back surgeries and arthritis. I have gone to a salvage yard thinking about replacing at least her seat with one:

• fully power articulating
• rise enough she can lay down comfortably

Since her most recent medical event, I'm now interested in:

• seat that rotates and extends partially out the passenger side door (some tricky mechanical issues here and must be powered)
• wider opening passenger side door with a mechanical lock so it won't swing when she uses it for support (possibly with a power assist on opening and closing)
• rear passenger side door, suicide opening so we can more easily stow her wheel chair or walker (possibly with power assist on opening and closing)
• removing the passenger side rear, hinged seat back or other passenger side, rear seat area, stowing option so there is more space behind the passenger side seat for various aids and a fully reclining passenger seat

Actually, I would prefer an Estima minivan and think she would too. We loved our Caravan and would do it again if we could afford the gas.

So yes, I would have bought an upgraded seat package for my wife. But due to age and medical issues, I am beyond what might ordinarily be offered.

Bob Wilson

 

Like the pics of your mod but had a bit of trouble orienting myself. Am I correct that you installed a hinged, flip-out board about 5" wide and 12" long on the driver's side edge of the bottom of the center console? Nice idea! Did not think the plastic of the console would be strong enough to support the weight of your right leg like that. Does it bend at All? Do you then brake with your left leg or move the right leg off the board for braking? Board is unpadded, right? Thanks!

First of all, very sorry your wife has the medical issues!
Long time ago I was active in the field of human factors, also called ergonomics, and I saw examples of such rotating, sliding, tilting seats such as you describe. Unfortunately, I believe they were "one-off" feasibility studies or demos. Not sure where that research is right now, but maybe some of the NASA folks there could help point you at what is currently available?
The space to work with is just very limited in the Prius, so small minivan probably is more practical from the overall height and room for custom installation point of view.
If you do make a mod I would be very interested in pics and details. None of us are as spry as we used to be a few decades ago!

 

One of the many reasons these online "polls" are labeled as bunk. They invariably confirm the views of the person writing the "poll". In this case the view of the "pollster" is "I tend to think a small minority...." which his "poll" then "confirms".

Why Online Polls Are Bunk - Slate Magazine

We do see a continuous posting of new threads as new owners discover the poorly designed seats that so many find uncomfortable. Some folks get overly defensive about "their Prius" and confabulations such as this poll which you, and others, "can't answer" are part of the defense of the dark arts.

Is it the driver's seat or my butt? | PriusChat

 

the way i look at it is that i didnt expect much from a 25K car... comfy seats, quite, smooth... its a 25K car.. a toyota at that... so going into it with these thoughts i was surprised and satisfied. If you want comfy seats and for it to have no road noise, and ride really nice you have to step up... get into the 35-40K range and you will get what you are looking for. Just saying.

 

I don't care whether the seats are powered or not, but I have the "base" seats and they are very uncomfortable.

 

I agree 100%. Other cars have base seats that offer more comfort.

 

The added comfort of the softex, power adjustment, lumbar and seat heater made the difference in comfort for me of buying a Prius vs. not buying a prius. Test driving cloth seats was one of the worst experiences I have had. Test driving a Persona with softex (but not adjustable) was quite a bit better. However, still does not compare with the fully power adjustable heated seats of a Prius 4 or 5 for comfort. Sometimes an 1/8" adjustment to my seat makes a HUGE difference, or a little more Lumbar support or a few minutes of Heat, when I have had a hard day and my back or hips are sore.

 

So Thursday I visited the local Toyota dealer. I had gotten a 'teaser', a $20 off coupon for service. But while I was there, I took a peek at their Prius v. Compared to the C-MAX, much more space but the adjustable, rear seats gave me an idea.

I can pull out the passenger side seat and the folding, passenger side, rear seat back. Then install rails to mount a new seat that has the ability to move all the way along the new track. In effect, the passenger side becomes a small 'lounge' for my wife with a seat designed to be fully articulating for my wife:

• articulating seat and back
• fully prone position
• cushions and vibration isolation

One new degree of freedom is to allow the seat to rotate 90-120 degrees towards the door. This will make it a lot easier for her to get in and out of the car. Once in the seat, it can rotate and shift back giving much easier ingress and egress.

There are technical issues such as making sure the rails and seat are able to handle crash stresses without becoming loose objects. Also, the seat mounted, air bag needs to be addressed. Regardless, it sounds like an interesting and practical project.

Bob Wilson

 

Pictures!

 

Applaud the thought, however the poll as formulated doesn't sample opinions concerning seat comfort. Poll response choices offered are constructed around an underlying assumption that comfort comes as consequence of power seats and how much folks would be willing to pay for them. A power seat is a matter of convenience not comfort.

Good orthopedic design is the foundation for seat comfort.

If you were looking for a simple read on how folks perceive seat comfort, the question could have been something as simple as; "How would you evaluate the overall comfort of the seats in your Prius", using a scale of one to five with one being least comfortable and five being most comfortable.

 

That sounds really interesting!
(Ensuring "crashability" of that pivoting seat mount might be Problematic. In aviation test to failure is common method but too expensive / impractical in this case.)
Would also like to see pics if you do this.

 

Did I mention I have power seats?

 

I wouldn't disagree that the seat needs to be progressively adjustable to accommodate the widest range of body types. In well executed seats there are zero compromise in adjustability between manual or power seats. Toyota's cost driven execution of a manual seat is the culprit you're describing. Other manufacturers use rotary knobs in manual seats that are infinitely adjustable rather than the cheap detent adjustments that Toyota uses that limit the range of adjustment.

That Toyota's manual seat offers compromised adjustability compared with the power variant is an indictment of Toyota's cost-driven execution that couples seat adjustability to your pocketbook.

Manual seats with rotary knob adjustments are also superior in strength and crash performance than either manual seats with spring-loaded detent adjustments, OR power seats. For crash-test performance, a power seat is the worst-case scenario.

At any rate; this thread concerns a simple poll for seat comfort. There are already plenty of threads about seat design.

 

European cars have typically used rotary knobs. In manual variants, the rotary knob is turned manually. In the power variants, the knob is replaced by an electric motor. The seat frame is identical.