Looking for new seats

Yeah the seats really suck. It helped a little putting Wet Okole seat covers on as there pretty thick but the lumbar part of the seat just hits me wrong and there too stiff for me. On a 3 hour trip I'm pretty much crippled getting out.

I have only sat in a Gen3 and was impressed with the seat. Plus the headrest on the G3 was really nice too as it seemed like it was where it should be, right behind the head as opposed to the Gen2 which is way way back. Not a natural position to drive with your head so far back. Its messed up.

I thought about aftermarket seats too but the seat air bag is an issue. Please post if you come up with anything. Thanks.

 

Hello, I'll try to be brief, but doubt I will .... here's what I know

1) 3rd Gen Prius driver's seat will definitely not drop right into the 2nd gen. The frame is larger and rail width is wider. It's possible, then you'd need to adapt it to floorboard and satisfy electrical interface. I wouldn't recommend it.

2) Is that plural? 2 front seats? If so, and you can swing it, maybe buy another car. There is a guy on PC, don't remember handle, but somehow he put a pair of Volvo power leather seats in his gen2, but never began to say how he did it.

Seats are AFAIK never interchangeable between car models for safety reasons. A Recaro seat would come with an adapter to fit to floorboard, then seat goes into adapter. Then you have the issue of how to satisfy airbag, seat position sensor and seatbelt switch connections, and occupant detection ECU on passenger seat (for passenger airbag).

Very few change seats on regular cars.

3) I Hate the original gen2 Prius driver's seat. It has been sitting in the house since May 2009. I should never have bought this car, but fell into the trap on it. Seat bottom has terrible contour, no height adjustment and upper seatback not very supportive. Also, the steering wheel does not telescope and brake pedal centered in front of the seat and should be closer to the gas pedal. For comparison, any Jetta in the 2000+ year range - that is a quality sit and feel in a car in comparable price range. Not that I'm a VW fanboy, just saying.

4) I've been to the 'fix the seat or sell the car' point several times so far. I own the car and could sell it to buy even the new Prius, but would rather not take the loss. I made a custom seat and have pulled it out about 10 times to improve it over 1 1/2 years and $2,000 total. First was a seat that just slides back further, then the big modification of blending a Prius and Corolla seat to get the necessary height adjustment, past year has been trying different upholsteries and covers for bottom of seat plus getting used to a far reach to steering wheel.

5) I've never sat on a Recaro seat in a Prius, but was quoted $1,700 parts and install price for a Recaro touring type seat, not a racing type.

6) I have driven 3rd gen over 1k miles and driver's seat, wheel and pedals completely outclass the 2nd gen (although 3rd gen still has some quirks, it's a more robust car) -

it is height adjustable, seat bottom is longer and wider, it has a much better tilt offering good thigh support for me right away, lumbar support fine although I never need it, 2.5" more seat travel which is a lot when you're short on it, foot pedals better positioned, steering wheel adj/placement still needs more work.

7) 3rd gen Prius has quirks with steering wheel IMO - limited tilt and telescope range and not centered laterally in front of seat - it's at least 1/2" skewed to left. Driver's door armrest lower than center console. Kind of a shame and bit of a turn off to me. On/off seat heater buttons hard to get to under floating bridge console, should be adjustable seat heaters. Look forward to improvements in the 4th gen Prius.

 

Just one more quick thing -

If you have enough spare headroom, I highly suggest putting a genuine sheepskin seat cover on the seat bottom only. I've found it to mask the crapiness of the stock Prius seat bottom. You can find a decent 2 piece cover for ~ $70 at a good auto parts store. If you don't like it, return it.

If you put sheepskin on the seat back too and you are a bigger person, the cover will take up 'real estate' of the seat bottom which is already very small (can't sit as far back in seat with thick back cover).

The sheepskin cover on my 2009 is actually part of the difference between keeping the car or not. I've tried thinner seat covers, but they just don't work for me. The seat bottom is so bad on the 2009- for me, it must be doctored up with something very thick and comfortable, like sheepskin.