Seat Height Adjustment

[nyprius]

In Japan and Europe, Prius's come with manual driver's seat height adjustment. This is one of the most basic comfort and safety features on a car. It is hard to understand why US Toyota did not include this feature on the Prius. Perhaps they didn't want to make the Prius too nice, and thus canibalize Camry and other sales.

When a car has seat height adjustment, taller drivers would lower the seat, while shorter drivers would raise it. Probably 70% or more of Prius drivers would adjust the seat height if they were given the option. But they don't have it. So they feel varying degrees if discomfort. Installing manual driver's seat height adjustment would be inexpensive for a company of Toyota's scale (It's already on most other Prius's).

Every time I get in my car, I have the feeling the seat is too high (I'm 6'1"). I like to have the seat back straight up. For me, that's more comfortable. Since the Prius has a sloping down roof in the front and back, my vision is obstructed out of both windshields. I often must crouch down at traffic lights to see what color they are. And I can't see far out the back windshield if the road has any slope up.

It seems there are few features that have a greater benefit/cost ratio than driver's seat height adjustment. For a small cost, Toyota could greatly increase the comfort and safety of the Prius.

Does anyone know where to get a retrofit Toyota seat, perhaps from Europe or Japan? Toyota should provide these at very low cost. An industrious person on this site rebuild their seat to add height adjustment. But that's not a realistic option for most drivers. Others have installed Recaro seats. But this is expensive and you lose the side airbags.

Probably if enough of us ask Toyota to provide cheap retrofit seats, they will make it happen. I've already asked. I suggest anyone else that wants height adjustment also request that Toyota provide it.

[efusco]

It won't be easy to find, check under the modification forums, but one person located and installed an adjustable seat in a US Prius....it isn't easy though.

[timcarlos]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyprius @ Apr 1 2007, 10:34 PM) [snapback]416267[/snapback]</div>

In Japan and Europe, Prius's come with manual driver's seat height adjustment. This is one of the most basic comfort and safety features on a car. It is hard to understand why US Toyota did not include this feature on the Prius. Perhaps they didn't want to make the Prius too nice, and thus canibalize Camry and other sales.

When a car has seat height adjustment, taller drivers would lower the seat, while shorter drivers would raise it. Probably 70% or more of Prius drivers would adjust the seat height if they were given the option. But they don't have it. So they feel varying degrees if discomfort. Installing manual driver's seat height adjustment would be inexpensive for a company of Toyota's scale (It's already on most other Prius's).

Every time I get in my car, I have the feeling the seat is too high (I'm 6'1"). I like to have the seat back straight up. For me, that's more comfortable. Since the Prius has a sloping down roof in the front and back, my vision is obstructed out of both windshields. I often must crouch down at traffic lights to see what color they are. And I can't see far out the back windshield if the road has any slope up.

It seems there are few features that have a greater benefit/cost ratio than driver's seat height adjustment. For a small cost, Toyota could greatly increase the comfort and safety of the Prius.

Does anyone know where to get a retrofit Toyota seat, perhaps from Europe or Japan? Toyota should provide these at very low cost. An industrious person on this site rebuild their seat to add height adjustment. But that's not a realistic option for most drivers. Others have installed Recaro seats. But this is expensive and you lose the side airbags.

Probably if enough of us ask Toyota to provide cheap retrofit seats, they will make it happen. I've already asked. I suggest anyone else that wants height adjustment also request that Toyota provide it.
[/b]

Check out the following thread:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...table&st=20

Also, I'm including here a copy of my contribution to the thread for your convenience, although I have never followed through with my discovery.

"Well, I've discovered that the Prius in Portugal is available with a height-adjustable driver's seat. For anyone else who speaks Portuguese, see http://www.toyota.pt/cars/new_cars/prius/equip.asp and look at the section titled "Bancos". There you'll see the first line "Banco do condutor com regulação em altura" as available on the Prius High Pack version.

Now I've just got to figure out two things, does theirs RISE from our standard height or LOWER from our standard height, and if they lower how to get ahold of one of these potential darlings! Thinking that it might be easier to import from Canada, I also looked at the Canadian website for Toyota; their site only shows 4-way adjustable seats like the USA.

Something still baffles me, the average height of Americans and Canadians is taller than other countries yet Toyota doesn't offer the 6-way adjustable seat in either country. Go figure...

If I find out anything else I'll post it here.

Tim"

[efusco]

I'll try to abreviate the search as it takes about 3 links to get to the document on the actual retrofit of an adjustable seat:

[Charles Suitt]

Howdy nyprius

You say "70% of drivers." May I ask where you got that statistic? Mind a link to your source?

No offense intended, but quoting George Jessel {He was entitled the "Toastmaster General of America" some years back.}:

"Stastics are like a Bikini bathing suit. What they reveal is fascinating, but what they conceal is vital."

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Apr 2 2007, 02:16 PM) [snapback]416480[/snapback]</div>

Howdy nyprius

You say "70% of drivers." May I ask where you got that statistic? Mind a link to your source?

No offense intended, but quoting George Jessel {He was entitled the "Toastmaster General of America" some years back.}:

"Stastics are like a Bikini bathing suit. What they reveal is fascinating, but what they conceal is vital."
[/b]

47.5% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Seriously, though, I wondered about that statistic too. As for me adjusting the seat hight, I don't know if I would. I've never owned a car that had height adjustable seats, and I've had a few: Camaro, Jeep, Honda Accord, Honda CRX, Subaru, Ford Aerostar, another Honda Accord, and the Prius. Even the airplanes I've owned didn't have height adjustments, although I sat on a cushion in one.

Tom

[jgills240]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Apr 2 2007, 01:45 PM) [snapback]416508[/snapback]</div>

47.5% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Seriously, though, I wondered about that statistic too. As for me adjusting the seat hight, I don't know if I would. I've never owned a car that had height adjustable seats, and I've had a few: Camaro, Jeep, Honda Accord, Honda CRX, Subaru, Ford Aerostar, another Honda Accord, and the Prius. Even the airplanes I've owned didn't have height adjustments, although I sat on a cushion in one.

Tom
[/b]

I dunno about the statistic, but it makes sense to me. Good example is my old Subaru Outback; I drove it with the seat adjusted all the way to the bottom of it's adjust ability, and whenever I got back in it after my mom had borrowed it, I could barely squeeze between the seat and steering wheel 'cause she drove it with the seat all the way to the top of it's adjust ability. So if the seat was fixed, it seems like it would probably have been a little uncomfortable for the both of us.

[Texas911]

All cars need this, be it manual or power. Just makes sense. Hopefully for Prius Gen III.

[mywhitenoise]

I personally find the seats 100% comfortable. Though it would be nice to have an option for other drivers (I'd also like it if it were powered, rather than manual).
Why did they take out so many basic features away from the US model?

[nyprius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Apr 2 2007, 02:16 PM) [snapback]416480[/snapback]</div>

Howdy nyprius

You say "70% of drivers." May I ask where you got that statistic? Mind a link to your source?

No offense intended, but quoting George Jessel {He was entitled the "Toastmaster General of America" some years back.}:

"Stastics are like a Bikini bathing suit. What they reveal is fascinating, but what they conceal is vital."
[/b]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'd seen the pdf about rebuilding the seat before. That's way too much work for me! I would like the process to be a lot easier (ie: dealer installs retrofit seat for low cost in short time). If enough of us ask for it, I think it will happen.

Re the statistic, I did make it up. It seems like common sense to me. I roughly assumed the seat would be too high for one third of drivers, too low for another third, and about right for the final third. Another way to look at this is to ask, if the driver's seat did have height adjustment preset to the same height as our seats, how many would never adjust the height? I suspect the answer is close to zero.

Corolla's have seat height adjustment. Are Prius's lower end than Corolla's?

Clearly it was a stupid decision on the part of US Toyota to not include seat height adjustment. I understand from previous posts that the lack if seat height adjustment is due to decisions made at US Toyota not at the parent company, which makes sense when you consider the state of US auto operations versus Japan.