Sorry if this was addressed elsewhere, I could not find any posts matching keywords "leg room." I have a 2006 hatchback. I sat in the back of the Prius v during a test drive yesterday. The salesman said the leg room in the back seat of the v is 3-4 inches bigger, but comparison of specs at sites like cars.com and kelly blue book provide rear leg room values of 35.9 inches for the v and 36 inches for the hatchback. Is there more room in the back seat of the Prius v than the current hatchback? Does it depend on the front-back sliding position of the front and back seats? Thanks!
Technically, no, it doesn't. The v is only 6 inches longer (in body) than the liftback, and gains most of that 6 inches behind the rear seat for cargo space. gain even more by sliding the seats forward to a certainly unusable position. I ordered a v back on june 4th, and pick it up tomorrow - very excited, but in my buying and test driving this is what I found. To me, the standard prius had more leg room. even though the seat felt closer to the front seats - i could get my size 12s under the front seats allowing me to slightly stretch out at the knees. on the v - much harder to do, and with the rear seats mounted up on the track platform as I call it - i found my heel or toes hitting that ledge upon entry and exit. the fact that the seats recline though - gives you much more "breathing" room - which also gives the feeling of more space. Personally, I plan on driving my v, not riding in the back seat - so it wasn't a deal breaker - though my litmus test was that I set in the driver seat - positioned comfortably, then climb in behind the driver. If I couldn't sit there comfortably, then I couldn't in right mind expect my kids to. I had looked at the Chevy Cruze as an example and to get the driver seat where I needed, I couldn't get a closed fist between the front and rear seat. much less my leg....or my kids legs. so I deemed it too small for my needs. Hope that helps -?
I never sat in the back seat of the regular Prius, but according to my wife our vee has more room in the back than our CX-7. She was actually excited to take a trip in it (as she tends to sleep in the back while we drive and the reclining seats makes it much easier). I know that I am 5'11" and setting the seat at my normal driving position, and climbing in the back of my vee, I have enough room where my legs do not touch the seat. It felt incredibly comfortable and I can imagine 4 adults could road trip long distances without complaint.
The only thing that really stuck out - that only time will tell, is if the hard hinge points in the v's back seat will be noticeable or cause discomfort - where the 'fixed' seat of the liftback doesn't have those... the recline should help add a little clearance for kid car seats too.
Our salesperson did his homework and then corrected his statement. The leg room measurement, (however leg room is calculated) is nearly the same for the Prius V and the regular hatchback. We considered moving "up" to the V because we have two growing teenage boys sitting in the back. So the leg room measurement is the same, BUT as others have noted, the redesigned interior and the reclining seats leave the impression that there is more room in the back seat.
I would correct that while the leg room may not be more, I would say the seating is higher than you would get with the Prius. It has a slightly higher seating position, IE: Prius, while called a hatchback, is a sedan style seating. The Prius v's is closer to a truck/suv/cuv seating style.
The hinge design being above the seat bottom prevents add'l clearance on an infant seat with a base. Despite having 3" more of rear legroom than my 4Runner, the baby seat fits better in the 4Runner. I've thought about moving the baby seat to the middle of the 2nd row to allow better access to the baby from the front passenger seat and free up a little room for the passenger seat to move fore and aft.
The rear seats on the Prius v move forward and backward, kind of like in a van, as well as recline. Does anyone know at which position this legroom is calculated? I would guess, since I don't have a clue, that in the rearward most position there should be more legroom than in a standard gen III Prius?
Have the V and have had numerous clients ride in the back seat, as well as front, and most recently a bunch of friends as we went on a day trip. Some of them drive much more expensive cars..they all commented on how comfortable the back seat was as well as the over all ride. My clients have always been comfortable..and most of them are real people versus super model sized...My husband and I are both tall, my son is 6'4 and rides in the back seat nicely..it is not the same as his Lexus in his opinion, but it is till quite nice..YOUTH ..lol
I have sat in the back of regular Prius and my head nearly touches the roof top. My son who is 6ft tall finds more than enough room in the back of V for both legs and head clearance. When I sit in the back of the V there is lots of room between the top of my head and roof top, I also find the leg room sufficient. I am only 5'11".
What you knew about the back seat of the new Prius (Hatchback) as compared to your 2007, without having to resort to numbers, is that your car has more rear seat legroom. The Gen III rear seat gained a little bit more headroom and shoulder room over the Gen II, but at the expense of 2 1/2 inches of leg room and a touch of hip room. However, do not think that the Prius v is only a longer version of the Prius Hatchback. The new Prius v also is wider and considerably higher. The rear seat of the Prius v, compared to the Prius Hatchback has more than two inches of additional hip room and shoulder room, two additional inches of head room, and about the same leg room. (But is still is 2 1/2 inches less legroom than your 2007.) I'll add that the rear seats of the Prius v seem to me to be more comfortable and roomier, by virtue of sitting higher, kind of "stadium" style, than either the Gen II or the current Gen III hatchback. Courtesy of Edmunds, here are the pertinent stats: 2007 Prius: Rear hip Room: 51.6 in. Rear head room: 37.3 in. Rear leg room: 38.6 in. Rear shoulder room: 52.9 in. 2012 Prius Hatchback: Rear hip Room: 51.2 in. Rear head room: 37.6 in. Rear leg room: 36.0 in. Rear shoulder room: 53.1 in. 2012 Prius v: Rear hip Room: 53.5 in. Rear head room: 38.6 in. Rear leg room: 35.9 in. Rear shoulder room: 55.2 in.
The comment from my 6'+ sons is that the v has more headroom than the hatchback we test drove and they have no problem riding in the back seat.
