Your Height and the Driver's Seat

I am 5'11". Drove a rental 1000 miles over a three day weekend, no problems. Have own mine for 1 week and drive 30 minutes to work and 30 minutes from work every day, no problem. Not as comfortable as my other car and truck, but good enough.

 

Welcome to PriusChat, loyalty4life! I'm 5'7" and can drive all day with no problems. From reading other posts about tall drivers, something else you might ask for is how people are tall. Some guys with long legs and a medium torso are comfortable in the seat, if only they could get it back far enough. Some, who are longer in their torso, have problems seeing the stop light. And others just don't fit no way! Even people with moderate stature may need lumbar back support, there's a current thread on a mesh back support now.

The ultimate test is your seat in the seat. I always urge people to rent a Prius for a weekend and do some real driving to know it it's a good match. A test drive of a few miles isn't enough. A few bucks, even a few hundred bucks, is cheaper that the mistake of buying a car you can't comfortably drive.

 

5'10" with a 29 inseam (long torso).

I have the seat all the way down and back. And I could drive it till the cows come home without any discomfort (I do 3-4 hours once a month or so). I could have it forward of it's current position but this would probably reduce the comfort levels a little.

Not sure how much this helps as I beleive the US spec does not have a height adjustment (or did I imagine reading that????)

 

1) 6'4"
2) Male
3) No
4) Usually

Like Bill says, we tall folks are proportioned differently. My torso is a little shorter and legs a little longer (34" inseam) than some. I'd like the seat to go back a little further, but what I'd like more is an adjustment on the seat bottom: a height adjustment at a minimum, angle adjustment even better. My biggest complaint with seating comfort (though I wouldn't say it rises to the level of "discomfort") is lack of thigh support. I compensate for that with an Obus Forme seat.

Using that, I've made a trip of 2000 miles, about 400-500 miles/day, with few problems. First day on the road, I drove until my bladder or my stomach said "stop." My legs were a little stiff at the end of the day (hence, the desire for a little more leg room). On subsequent days I made a point of stopping to stretch my legs every hour or two, and I was fine.

 

5'11"
Male
No discomfort, but wish the seat was lower.
Tend to find myself wishing seat was lower at lights as I tend to hunch over to see them better if I'm close.

Wish I was lower in my seat by about an inch. Plenty of room ebtween my head and ceiling, just feel like I'm in a car with seat up all the way.

 

6'0"
Male
Generally no discomfort
I can always see the traffic lights

The only time I've ever felt "discomfort" was during my two 4.5-5 hour trips this past weekend. We only made one stop, and for a very short time, so that was just a long time to be sitting in one place. I was still fairly comfortable even after that much time in the seat, though.

My biggest complaint is the lack of a seat bottom angle adjustment. I feel like the seat is angled too much "nose-down", and I'd like to angle it up more.

 

5' 7"
Male
No discomfort.
I can always see traffic lights.

I have a 30" inseam, so my proportions are fairly normal, and I have a small, athletic frame. As for driving discomfort, I have made several 11 hour trips in our Prius without any unusual discomfort. The seats aren't as good as the ones in our Aerostar van, but they aren't bad either. On long trips I always use cruise control when safely possible, and move my legs around to different positions. I rotate between three or four different grip positions on the wheel. If I don't do that my arms and legs get tired. I am a 51 year old rock climbing grandfather, if that makes any difference.

Tom

 

i'm 6'-0..2 complaints i have are 1-if i put the seat and back all the way rearward, i cant reach the steering wheel without stretching my arms...wish the steering wheel would have been telescopic to solve this, 2-every toyota i've owned in the past and most other cars had the sun visor slide back to cover the area just where my eyes are when the sun is on the left and low in the sky

 

1) 6'3"
2) 165lbs
3) 34" inseam

I have no problems with the seat other than a lack of lumbar support. My twice a week commute is 1.5hrs-2hrs and I never feel fatigued due to the seating.

My roomate is 6'5" 280lbs and he has major issue with my car. He simply doesn't fit due to his long legs touching the dash or the shifter knob.

 

5'8"
Female
No discomfort
No problem seeing traffic lights

I have a 32" inseam and a rather large frame (for a girl). I ride with the seat all the way back and the steering wheel up as high as it will go. I find the reach to the steering wheel to be just right, but then I have rather long arms. I haven't taken any long trips in the Prius yet, because I've only had it for four weeks. My longest drive so far was around 45 minutes, and I experienced no discomfort. I do drive the car every day to work and back, which is approx. 25 minutes each way. I find it to be a very comfortable and enjoyable ride.

For what it's worth, I don't think I've ever taken a really long drive (4+ hours) in any vehicle and not found it to be noticeably uncomfortable. I see that as just the nature of the beast and a good reason to stop frequently, stretch, and take in the scenery.

 

I should add one more thing. Others besides F8L have voiced concern over lack of lumbar support, some to the point of discomfort. I have mild degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine. The Prius' seating has never aggravated that, even on my 2000-mile trip.

 

Jimbo, I should have stated that my desire for lumbar support does not stem froma discomfort issue but more for stability. I tend to slouch too much and I find lumbar support tends to make me sit up straighter.

 

Though I read this forum regularly, I can't recall that I have ever posted a reply. After reading with some amusement for many months the complaints from so many "tall" people not fitting well in the seat, and now with the pointed request of this OP, I can't resist the urge to contribute a response.

I am 6' 8" tall, and have a 38" inseam. I am all arms and legs, and quite slender.

I have always driven small, fuel efficient cars. I started with a '69 VW Squareback, then a VW Rabbit, a 4 cyl. Izusu pickup, a Honda Civic wagon, a Chrysler minivan (the only 6 cyl.vehicle I've ever owned), a Toyota Tacoma peashooter pickup, a Subaru Forester, and now, a Prius.

With the possible exception of the minivan, the Prius offers me more driving room and comfort than any other vehicle I've owned. Slide the seat all the way back, tilt the seat back a good way to give my arms some room to stretch, and I'm good to go. I'm used to being careful with my right knee and the shift knob. Phoenix to San Diego, 5 hours plus with only minimal stops, no problem. As far as general seat comfort goes, I would never have known there was a problem if I didn't keep reading about it in this forum. My torso is only about average, so I have no problem with the lack of seat height adjustment, though I can't deny it could be an issue for some.

Comfort is a relative thing, and I've lived my whole life with things that don't really fit well -- I guess I'm just used to it. The additional room the Prius offered over the Subaru was a selling point for me.

So if someone is say 6' tall, and they're complaining that the seat doesn't go back far enough, please forgive me if I just have to smile and shake my head.

I hope you can resolve your fit issue, because the Prius is a great car.

 

I am 5'7", female. No problem with stop lights but I do wish the seat had more thigh support. Not a problem for driving around town but I went on a 2 hr trip this past weekend and my leg was tired by the end of the trip. I am probably going to get some sort of wedge or seat cushion.

Oddly enough, I had a Prius as a rental car for a week and drove it 4 hours in one day and didn't notice the seat at all.... I bought mine 2 weeks later because of that rental.

 

6' (w/ 29-30" inseam; i.e. short legs/long torso)

Male

No problems with drives up to 4 hours (the longest drive I've done in the Prius to date)

No problems with seeing most lights.

 

I'm pretty close to the OP's size, 6'2", roughly 215#, 34" inseam, big ol' size 13 feet, and I find the seats reasonably comfortable. I did a 2800 mile trip when the car was just a week or so old, and one stretch, the return leg of 1300+ miles, was basically non-stop other than for a couple of brief snoozes in rest-areas along I-94 & 90, and it was fine.

 

• 5'7"
• Male (and if "You got $5? I'm gay." -- old Richard Pryor joke)
• No insurmountable discomfort due to the seat (I have mild sciatica; I use a cheap mesh back support on the seat -- it works for me, but may not for you -- everybody is different)
• Yes, can see the traffic lights