Want less headrioom? Buy a Lexus 430

Robert Taylor · 01-20-2005, 09:34 PM

One comment from an XXL sized fellow student in my Spanish class was: this is comfortable! when he sat in the drivers seat of the Prius.

Which got me to doing a little research.

My truck, a Ford F-350 dually crew cab, 1997, has less legroom and 2/10ths more headroom than the Prius.

The Avalon, Camry, and even Lexus 430 (which is the flagship of the brand I think) have about the same legroom/headroom dimensions, and the Lexus actually has one inch less headroom and three inches more legspace for the driver than the Prius.

I got to noticing that I was eye level with the roof of compacts in front of me at traffic lights, and got to studying the height of the Prius. Again, the flagships of the Lexus and Toyota brands are comparable.

One other thing, the rear trunk space is quite a bit more than I first thought, since that tub above the spare is the actual floor.

For years now I have been the biggest vehicle on the road in the truck, and everything looked the same. Smaller.

But now, BMW's, etc. all look like ancient designs and very inefficient.

Lets face it, the Prius is not some warmed over 1980's design. This is the future.

And the price for the fully loaded Prius is really starting to look like a bargain indeed.

removeum · 01-20-2005, 09:55 PM

8) Robert Taylor,

I agree with your statement. My wife has a 03 Avalon and I the 04 Prius.

Ben

sfmark · 01-20-2005, 10:45 PM

I had a Lexus SC 300 and although the seat in the Prius is not as fancy, I have more headroom and almost as much leg room in the Prius. Being 6'3", the Lexus was very tight on top, and it's not an issue on the Prius.

And as someone with a bad back (who doesn't?), the Prius seat is good enough, unlike some fancy German cars I've ridden in.

Robert Taylor · 01-20-2005, 10:58 PM

Yup, the specifications tables on the Toyota and Lexus motors of america websites have easily tabbed dimensions areas with which to quick reference this information and it shows how much room you really DO have in a Prius.

Now, my brother says that the Lexus 430 is vault quiet and I can tell you that the main difference HAS to be the gosh awful tires that the Prius comes equipped with from the factory. They positively howl.

The Michelin hydratrack??? is the flagship tire I think, and on their website they rate it a 10 on a 10 scale for being quiet. I would sure love to know what tires are the finest in all season capability and absolute lowest on the noise scale.

Now, a Lexus is most seen in leather seats, but for the genuinely picky there are threads where people have paid to have the upholsery auto pros make fine leather for the Prius seats and installed them.

As far as I am concerned, a top grade of cloth is superior. Its warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The ultimate in discomfort is total no breath vinyl.

I really would like much better tires.

sfmark · 01-21-2005, 12:04 AM

The Lexus is quiet because it IS a vault. It's heavy, tightly sealed, and well padded. I think you could have put studded tires on my SC 300 and barely heard them. Of course, that makes a very heavy car, and I got 22 MPG.

Which is not to say that quieter tires wouldn't help the Prius a bit.

And while the seat was very comfortable and infinitely adjustable, I never liked the leather. Yeah, it wore pretty well (though it did get scratched), but I'll take the standard Prius fabric for skin-to-seat comfort.

**Tideland Prius** · 01-21-2005, 12:43 AM

The family car's the 02 Camry with moonroof. The rear headroom is slightly better due to the better position of the little indent in the roof (since the Prius' roof slants down a bit sooner than the Camry). There's more legroom in the rear of the Prius than the Camry. Note because of the lack of a moonroof option, front headroom is quite abundant. The only thing I have against the rear compartment is that the headrests only have two positions - fully extended and fully retracted.

01-20-2005, 09:34 PM	#1
Robert Taylor Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Rocket City Posts: 451 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Want less headrioom? Buy a Lexus 430 One comment from an XXL sized fellow student in my Spanish class was: this is comfortable! when he sat in the drivers seat of the Prius. Which got me to doing a little research. My truck, a Ford F-350 dually crew cab, 1997, has less legroom and 2/10ths more headroom than the Prius. The Avalon, Camry, and even Lexus 430 (which is the flagship of the brand I think) have about the same legroom/headroom dimensions, and the Lexus actually has one inch less headroom and three inches more legspace for the driver than the Prius. I got to noticing that I was eye level with the roof of compacts in front of me at traffic lights, and got to studying the height of the Prius. Again, the flagships of the Lexus and Toyota brands are comparable. One other thing, the rear trunk space is quite a bit more than I first thought, since that tub above the spare is the actual floor. For years now I have been the biggest vehicle on the road in the truck, and everything looked the same. Smaller. But now, BMW's, etc. all look like ancient designs and very inefficient. Lets face it, the Prius is not some warmed over 1980's design. This is the future. And the price for the fully loaded Prius is really starting to look like a bargain indeed.

01-20-2005, 09:55 PM	#2
removeum Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 404 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Want less headrioom? Buy a Lexus 430 8) Robert Taylor, I agree with your statement. My wife has a 03 Avalon and I the 04 Prius. Ben

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01-20-2005, 10:45 PM	#3
sfmark Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 12 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I had a Lexus SC 300 and although the seat in the Prius is not as fancy, I have more headroom and almost as much leg room in the Prius. Being 6'3", the Lexus was very tight on top, and it's not an issue on the Prius. And as someone with a bad back (who doesn't?), the Prius seat is good enough, unlike some fancy German cars I've ridden in.

01-20-2005, 10:58 PM	#4
Robert Taylor Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Rocket City Posts: 451 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Yup, the specifications tables on the Toyota and Lexus motors of america websites have easily tabbed dimensions areas with which to quick reference this information and it shows how much room you really DO have in a Prius. Now, my brother says that the Lexus 430 is vault quiet and I can tell you that the main difference HAS to be the gosh awful tires that the Prius comes equipped with from the factory. They positively howl. The Michelin hydratrack??? is the flagship tire I think, and on their website they rate it a 10 on a 10 scale for being quiet. I would sure love to know what tires are the finest in all season capability and absolute lowest on the noise scale. Now, a Lexus is most seen in leather seats, but for the genuinely picky there are threads where people have paid to have the upholsery auto pros make fine leather for the Prius seats and installed them. As far as I am concerned, a top grade of cloth is superior. Its warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The ultimate in discomfort is total no breath vinyl. I really would like much better tires.

01-21-2005, 12:04 AM	#5
sfmark Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 12 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	The Lexus is quiet because it IS a vault. It's heavy, tightly sealed, and well padded. I think you could have put studded tires on my SC 300 and barely heard them. Of course, that makes a very heavy car, and I got 22 MPG. Which is not to say that quieter tires wouldn't help the Prius a bit. And while the seat was very comfortable and infinitely adjustable, I never liked the leather. Yeah, it wore pretty well (though it did get scratched), but I'll take the standard Prius fabric for skin-to-seat comfort.

01-21-2005, 12:43 AM	#6
Tideland Prius Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 13,909 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 11	The family car's the 02 Camry with moonroof. The rear headroom is slightly better due to the better position of the little indent in the roof (since the Prius' roof slants down a bit sooner than the Camry). There's more legroom in the rear of the Prius than the Camry. Note because of the lack of a moonroof option, front headroom is quite abundant. The only thing I have against the rear compartment is that the headrests only have two positions - fully extended and fully retracted.