I came to realize the main thing about Prius 2016 sits compare to my old Gen2 leather sits is not that they are worse, but they are different. It took me a couple of months to adjust. At one point I tried a cushion, but now I can say I am fine with my sits without a cushion. Apparently as you get older, it is more difficult to adjust to changes. I wonder how many young folks complain about Gen 4 sits?
I first sat in 2016 Prius Two at SF auto show last November. I have long legs (35" pants inseam), tall and lean. I found the bottom cushion bolsters to jut into my hips quite a bit (not much beef there on me). I figure the seat cushion was designed for much shorter thighs than mine, so where my mid-thigh hits the seat cushion, another's just behind knee would contact that part of cushion. So, for me the front of cushion just shoves up into my thighs, undue pressure and no way to lower tilt. Plus the cushion is too short, really. I rented a Three Touring twice, enough to rule Prius as a whole out. Although my 11 year old, 25 MPG Accord sedan is a bit short on legroom, its seat is decent enough and I just make do with the car. The 2011 Prius had to go as I came to really dislike the interior design and it was so boring to drive. Too bad, but I don't miss it. I think Toyota would be wise to humble themselves a bit and perhaps consult some excellent car seat designers like those from Recaro (for subsequent models) Also found the high center armrest (w elbow on, long arms) to place right hand smack onto the large 9 o'clock spoke of steering wheel, not the steering wheel rim, the place to grab. Steering wheel itself was a tad far away. But, I don't need a hatch really. I put some expensive stuff in Accord trunk and feel more secure having those things in a trunk than under tonneau cover that needs to be opened, closed, again and again.
I have the Three model. My manual driver's seat continues to sink… Every other day, I have to pump it back up. Three or four pulls on the handle. I guess the Prius is not made for big guys.
I don't think that is supposed to happen, Big fella or not! Might be best to get it looked at under warranty.
Or, I could lower the seat all the way down, then just leave it there. Better yet, stop eating so many cheeseburgers!!!
I had a 2007 Prius and sold it because the seat was so uncomfortable to me. I am about to purchase a Prius Four Touring because, they finally got the seat right! I am 6"2 172 lbs and it fits me perfectly. I have tested Grand Cherokees, Lexus RXs, Mercedes E-Class, Subarus, and nothing compares to the seats in my......wait for it......Jeep Wrangler. Except for the new Prius.
I don't think so, Oddjob. Sometimes I will notice it very slowly sinking, as I'm driving. Be that a lesson to everybody. Cut back on the pizza. Today I just lowered the seat all the way down. It didn't have far to go. So I will just leave it there. (Back to my pizza....)
I am not especially tall (5'11") but I need the seat all-the-way down and all-the-way back to be comfortable.
Look online, there are highly affordable lumbar supports that have squeezable air pumps to variably pressurize the lumbar pad. I do an annual 14hour drive in my 2000 Corolla whose seat backs are flat in the lumbar region.
I'm 5'10" and I like my seat high and the steering wheel in my lap. While the seats aren't as comfortable as some cars they are definitely an improvement over every other car I've had. I am definitely glad I have the power seat so I can move it back and forth to get in and out. I also use a moderate lumbar setting which I've never ever used before. If I had an uncomfortable seat, I certainly wouldn't buy the car. There are some other brands offering hybrids this year. If I could have put off my purchase another year, I would have done so just to see what they will be like. But I'm not looking back. I definitely like my car.
I thought about maybe having the dealer check it. (But they probably wouldn't believe me, and there is no way to duplicate it) It's much easier just to lower down the seat the remaining 2 inches. It's no big deal. Other than that, I fit in the car pretty well. I'm 6'-4", and weigh 260. Maybe I should have bought a Tundra!
I just posted a video of the 2016 Prius interior and it includes the same difficulty you have with the side bolsters. See my post on this forum titled 2016 Prius Interior. I have the video link there. I don't know how to put the post link here. I show that if I keep my leg straight I alleviate the problem.
Initially I found the seats uncomfortable, but the long (2000 mile) road trip changed my mind. 6+ hours driving many days and no issues. I tried to analyze why were the seats uncomfortable at first, and these could be the possible answers: 1. With each new car we get older. In my case it is about 10 years. It is more difficult to adjust to the new seats. I never read someone saying: I just bought (test drove) this car, and the seats are so much better than my previous car. Usually it is the other way around. 2. I was feeling big discomfort in the evening after sitting for 9-10 hours straight at work. 3. Generally you are much happier on vacation and very few things irritate you. Whatever the reason is, after 3 months I don't think the seats are uncomfortable.
I drove a 2008 Prius Touring for 8 years prior to my 2016 Prius 4 and the seats are very different. I never had any issues with the seats in my old car but geez, my new seats are a literal pain in the nice person and low back. I originally wanted to just get the 2016 Prius 3 but the seat in that model was SO uncomfortable, I paid a few thousand more for the 4 figuring the 8 way adjustability and pleather would help. It does a little but I'd pay to switch out seats in an instant if I could find one that fit/works....
Try a long (3+hours) trip. You will likely change your mind. I thought the seats in my Two were OK until I sat in the seat for a long trip.
I also had a 2008 Touring Prius and put 125,000 miles on it. My 2016 Prius Four is every bit as comfortable for me. And that includes a 17 hour straight drive up to San Francisco and back.
