Seat Height Adjustment

[nyprius]

At 6'1", I feel the Prius driver's seat is too high. I like to ride with the seat back up all the way since it's more comfortable for my back on long trips. When the seat back is leaned all the way forward, I often must crouch down to look up at traffic lights. Also, my vision out the rear view mirror is restricted by the sloping roof. If there's a slight upward slope on the road behind me, I can't see very far behind me. I must use the side mirror instead (ie: if the seat was lower, I would have much better visibility out of the front and rear windshields). Also, the top of the speedometer numbers are cut off by the dash due to my high angle over the dash. And my head is too close to the roof of the car, which makes me feel more cramped than necessary.

I was told the interior of the Prius was designed by a Japanese woman. This seems to make sense, as I can't understand why Toyota would not provide seat height adjustment. Manual adjustment on the drivers seat only would be great. Given Toyota's scale, the incremental cost would be low. Even the Corolla has seat height adustment. The Prius has so many excellent features. It's too bad they missed this one. I bet most people over 5'10" would immediately lower the seat once they got in the car if they had the option.

I had a retrofitter move my seat back three inches, which makes the car way more comfortable and luxurious feeling. (The specifics of how I did this and safety issues are discussed in other posts.)

Lowering the seats seems to be more difficult. Four triangular pieces of metal rise up from the seat rails to support the seat. The seat is secured by one bolt at the top of each triangular piece. It looks like you could drill holes in the triangles one inch below the existing holes and re-attach the seat.

Has anyone tried this or figured out a different way to lower the driver's seat?

[BVISAILMAN]

Please tell me where you took the car to allow the seat to go back 3" more. I have 2006 and I have the same problem, I would love the seat to be able to go lower but at least going back furhter would be a big help.


Thanks

[nyprius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BVISAILMAN @ Jul 28 2006, 01:31 PM) [snapback]293879[/snapback]</div>

Please tell me where you took the car to allow the seat to go back 3" more. I have 2006 and I have the same problem, I would love the seat to be able to go lower but at least going back furhter would be a big help.
Thanks
[/b]

I had the work done at New England Wheels in billerica, MA. They charged about $300 and it took less than 4 hours. They did an excellent job. They've done this many times before on other cars, often for professional basketball players.

The work involved drilling out the two pedestals that were riveted to each of the four seat rails, welding about 4 inches of strong steel to the front of the seat rails, welding the pedestals back on 3 inches forward from their original position, then painting the whole assembly black. It looks great and works perfectly. Plus all the safety features work, which would not be the case with replacement seats.

If you don't live nearby, try calling a local basketball team and see who modifies their cars. Good luck!

[brasche]

My 5'2" Thai woman says she fits perfectly!

[nyprius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brasche @ Jul 28 2006, 11:24 PM) [snapback]294159[/snapback]</div>

My 5'2" Thai woman says she fits perfectly!
[/b]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. I did mention I had a 5'2" girlfriend in another post. She's from Bhutan, not Thailand, but I never mentioned her nationality in other posts. She can reach the pedals when the seat is all the way up, even after I shifted the range of motion back 3 inches. It makes you wonder who the car was designed for. With the seat all the way up, prior to modification, it seemed there was hardly any room between the seat and dashboard. Perhaps the Prius is designed to be comfortable for an anorexic midget or a legless person that will put hand controls on the steering wheel.

Even after I moved the seat back three inches, there's still enough legroom in the back seat for a tall person. Perhaps Toyota wanted the Prius to have the reputation of lots of rear legroom, so they restricted the backward motion of the seat. I've heard the interior of the car was designed by a Japanese woman. That might explain the lack of seat height adjustment and the unusual range of motion of the front seats (ie: unnecesarily shifted forward).

[Autosmiler]

Now that's not fair - I'm 5'3" and "petite" (I suppose built like a Japanese woman). The Prius seems to be made just for me! I've just driven 15 hours and my back, feet, arms, etc. are all fine. Problems with seating and fit may be more related to body proportions than height.

By the way, I know you didn't mention this as one of your problems but it seems appropriate. I've read in other posts that tall people can rotate the rear-view mirror upside down for more visibility.

[walt]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyprius @ Jul 24 2006, 11:31 PM) [snapback]291803[/snapback]</div>

At 6'1", I feel the Prius driver's seat is too high.

Lowering the seats seems to be more difficult. Four triangular pieces of metal rise up from the seat rails to support the seat. The seat is secured by one bolt at the top of each triangular piece. It looks like you could drill holes in the triangles one inch below the existing holes and re-attach the seat.

Has anyone tried this or figured out a different way to lower the driver's seat?
[/b]

check out this thread
http://priuschat.com/Finally-Iand39ve-got-...eat-t22855.html

[nyprius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Autosmiler @ Aug 2 2006, 04:47 PM) [snapback]296529[/snapback]</div>

Now that's not fair - I'm 5'3" and "petite" (I suppose built like a Japanese woman). The Prius seems to be made just for me! I've just driven 15 hours and my back, feet, arms, etc. are all fine. Problems with seating and fit may be more related to body proportions than height.

By the way, I know you didn't mention this as one of your problems but it seems appropriate. I've read in other posts that tall people can rotate the rear-view mirror upside down for more visibility.
[/b]

Hi, I was saying the Prius was built perfectly for someone of your size. I was complaining about it not being good for tall people. I don't like driving with my knees significantly bent, something I had to do before I had my seat moved back three inches. Some others taller than me didn't mind the Prius seat the way it was. Perhaps they lean the seat back more (a la Barko lounger) and/or they don't mind driving for long periods of time with bent knees. I feel so much more comfortable in the car with the extra leg room. The car should have been designed this way.

Thanks for the tip on flipping the mirror! I'll try it...

[nyprius]

[quote=walt @ Aug 2 2006, 08:19 PM) [snapback]296648[/snapback]</div>

check out this thread
http://priuschat.com/Finally-Iand39ve-got-...eat-t22855.html
[/b]

THANK YOU!!!!! That's an excellent post! Very helpful!

I'm also glad to hear there are others who don't like having to crouch down at traffic lights to see what color the light is. Lack of feedback on this was leading me to believe that perhaps I was the only one who thought the seat was too high for tall drivers.

I find it simply amazing and unbelievable that Toyota would put driver's seat height adustment in Japanese Prius's but not in US Prius's. What the]#*! where they thinking??!!! On a percentage basis, it seems obvious that there are more tall drivers in the US than in Japan. I don't get it.

[darelldd]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyprius @ Aug 2 2006, 08:38 PM) [snapback]296769[/snapback]</div>

On a percentage basis, it seems obvious that there are more tall drivers in the US than in Japan. I don't get it.
[/b]

Maybe the adjustment was put in to boost the short guys??? Or.. maybe they couldn't reach the EV button without this feature.