Warning: Gen III front seats are a torture device...

I do not concur.
Definitely NOT torture as defined by the LOAC and the Geneva Convention!

Think of it as 'enhanced discomfiture'...

Heck....I think the Red Cross might even let the carrots down in GTMO sit in them.....

 

Good advice about driving one first, renting for a weekend is even a better idea. I always thought Volvo made the best most comfortable seats in the industry. Coming from those seats to the Prius is inded several steps back. That said, what is uncomfortable to you is tolerable to many and even comfortable to some. To a degree seat comfort is a matter of individual preference.
There are a lot of hybrids out there now, I hope you find a high mileage car that fits you.

 

Please say you test drove before buying. If the seat was so uncomfortable, it would have been on the test drive.

 

Well not every human is the same. I drive a lot in my car, including multi-thousand mile trips and it is no problem. The GenII seats (2004-2009) are supposedly worse than the GenIII seats (2010-current).

I think it just depends on what your body feels. As to the driving, that is standard Toyota it is meant to feel like that. Not everyone wants to feel every bump. A numb steering wheel is what some people like and it is what Toyota and Lexus do. I enjoy it on the Prius. I use my "fun cars" when I want to drive like a maniac but they are completely different machines built for different purposes. If you want uncomfortable seats the DMC12 is up there. And the roof of the car is about the same level as the rear-view mirrors on the Prius so you can only imagine how the driving position is.

 

No problems with my seats after 60,000 miles. The seats seem to be a very personal thing. The vast majority of the people on this site have no problems where the few that do are very, very vocal about their displeasure.

 

If you're going to rant.....this is a good place to do it.
If you're going to WARN people...maybe not so much!

Most folks in this forum either own or drive a Prius already, so for us that ship has already left port.....and there are already 123,436 reviews out there extolling the ability of the seat to keep drivers fully alert...since it's medically impossible to relax in one.
I've got 45,000 miles in type, and you're right....the interior sucks pond water but it's orders of magnitude more dependable than cushier sheet metal out there....which may really be one of the reasons that you're an "ex-Volvo" driver than a current one.
Priuses are very good at what they do, which is not swaddling you in creature comfort.

You may want to consider test driving a Lexus CT200h, and obviously I mean:
TEST. DRIVE.
I'm not a big fan off this car from the outside in, since it looks like a Mazda without the big goofy grin. It's also even MORE expensive than Priuses are however (comma!) it might be a little better for your tush, and you'll get 80-percent of the fuel thriftiness of a Prius.

Cars are about trade-offs.
If you're knocking down 500 miles a week just to get your (one) butt back and forth to work...you're going to have to make some decisions. Some of them will be economic. Others will be ego. Still others will be more fiscal.
You know how it goes...same as me.

Here's the really good news!!!
Priuses have very high resale value - especially ones with about 20,000 all highway miles. That's because there are a LOT of people who want them.....which kinda goes against the whole POS thing....Yaris interior or no.

So.....sell yours and get whatever car meets your needs. BTW....when you say "Trade", I presume that you mean "sell" and not "trade-in".Your post indicates that you are or were in the biz, so you already know that only suckers TRADE.

Good Luck!

 

Very happy with my Prius in general and the seating in particular.

 

I agree about the seats. I have an older Volvo and despite the MPG we try to take it on road trips. Much more comfortable. The Prius is a great commuter car, but IMO limited to that.

 

One thing you have to consider is that Volvo makes the best seats in the business. Anything else will be a step down. I commute 100 miles each way 3 days a week and I like the seats. I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam. I would imagine you're taller since most of the complaints tend to come from taller folk.

 

I would have thought this would have come out in the test drive. I have back problems and I find the Prius Gen III seats to be very comfortable, even on long trips. If you want crummy seats get a GM product, now those are lousy seats.

 

Obviously an over-reaction to judge the whole car on the seats, but the base seats do lack good lumbar support. This is the the number one reason I went with the "Four" model. Thankfully I did a couple test drives, sat in the different models, and researched a bit here, finding numerous posts about the seats...

 

when it "rain"master it pours.. lol.. wow.. tough crowd..

 

Interesting. I drive 100-130 miles a day and I am fine with the whole car including the seats. Nothing else on the market can touch it for efficiency without plugging in. You can always go for a CMAX with its much nicer interior BUT you'll lose 10mpg.

FWIW, I hated the Volt seats more than my PIP seats. LOL

 

Or More!


And as a linebacker built fat azz I'm have plenty of room and am quite comfy. I don't understand how people find the seats so "Miserably uncomfortable." It's not like the 77 Chevy Custom Deluxe I drove which had a bench that was like sitting on a L all the time. Now THAT was an uncomfortable ride!

 

"WARNING !!!" , I think is a little bit of a exaggeration unless there is an ejection seat involved. Sure there are more comfortable seat that that of the Prius but I've sat in much worse. I have New Zealand lambs wool covers on mine and it make a world of improvement. Even at that the Prius seats a far cry from torture devices. You probably sit in a desk chair for 8 hours without so much complaining. Dump the car if it's so bad.

 

Last week, I went to my brother's place, about 430 miles each way. Other than a "pit stop" each way, I drove straight through. No problems with the seats.

 

I completely disagree with the OP's assessment of the seat comfort. In the 3 and a half weeks I've owned a Prius, I've logged 2,900 miles including 2 days at 500 miles each and have no comfort complaints, even from my fiancee who has sciatica.

Rainman, perhaps you might try adjusting the steering wheel along with the seat, since it both tilts and telescopes. Your discomfort may be a result of your arm position.

 

apparently, you never read cycledrum's seat reviews (and there are many) before buying.

 

I found the seats to be much more comfortable than my previous car; a 2007 Ford Focus. I've been on a couple long road trips in the car and have had no issues with comfort.