Wow, Subaru must have really improved their seats then. The 2013 Prius I have with the Softex seats are some of the most comfortable seats I have set in. I have a bad back, damaged vertebrae in both the lower and upper end. I can still drive that car all day long and feel refreshed. I have yet to hear anyone complain about the seats in our car. And I do question each and every passenger about that aspect. I truly do chauffer a lot of people in our car along with hauling all sorts of things in the back end. Ron (dorunron)
My experience was a little different than Viola's,, my last two ''family vehicles'' was a 2010 Rx350, then a 2013 Rx350, so I should be familiar with these... My 2014 Prius 4 does have the fully adjustable electric seat--- and is every bit [ to me ] as comfortable as the previous Lexus's. I drove the Lexus to Savanna last year, just got back from Hilton Head in the Prius, basically the same trip. The biggest difference to me was my fuel cost was cut in half......I do agree with her decision, if she was not happy with her car--- different strokes for different folks, and all that.
RX450h is a great vehicle. You can't honestly compare it with the Prius though. Ours was 6 times more expensive than our Prius (new RX vs. used Prius 2G) and for relative value for money, I would expect the RX to be much more luxurious which it is. The non-conventional vehicle bug is hard to shake. We now have more electric and hybrid vehicles than normal gassers which is great. Good luck with the RX, it is a lot of fun. And in the snow, it is almost impossible to get it to slip or spin. The only time I was able to make it lose control was in an empty parking lot and I was thrashing it about on the ice and snow trying to make it spin out to see what the car would do and how it would react. With that darn stability control turned on, it did not want to spin. Just sound warning alarms and gracefully slow itself no matter how stupid I was with the throttle and steering. I really wish the Prii and Leaf had the adjustable power steering wheel of the Lexus RX450h though. I like how when you get in the car and start it everything comes to you and then when you turn it off it all retreats automatically.
The snow story reminds me of Robert Lewellyn (Kryten on BBC) when he tried to drive his Prius on the snow. "The car just stopped. It would not move. Of course the Prius is drive-by-committee. You input your desire & the computer decides what it wants to do. On that day it said, "We have looked at the conditions & we find them unfavorable." Was the rudeness necessary? He didn't like the car. He's allowed to not like stuff.
Those are great lines LOL I'm pretty sure he was talking about hte G2 Prius. The traction control is a lot more forgiving nowadays.
Comparisons here are often too funny, comparing an RX to a Prius, and one without the optional seats no less. But, since the topic is why the OP is ditching the Prius, I can't argue with the rationale. Like Sagebrush said though, it's not black & white and that same rationale certainly does not apply to me. I also think the "drive by committee" comment is priceless.
I'm convinced that it is just about impossible to make a seat that fits everybody happily. E.g., I LOVE Subaru seats. In fact I prefer the Subaru cabin and driving experience to any other car I know. The difference between OP and I are the relative importance we place on those car characteristics. I look for 'good enough' amongst my top choices based on reliability and fuel economy/emissions.
We are all different people and we drive different cars for different reasons and we all change our minds from time to time. That is just the way we are and we have the right to do that. Good luck to you with whatever you drive. I had a 2011 Prius and I just traded it for a new Avalon Hybrid XLE touring because I wanted a luxury comfortable car and I'm very glad I did it. I get close to 40 MPG in town and the MPG trade off was worth it to me. To each his own.
I've never had any problem with any seat in any car. Not Prius or Civic or Mitsubishi or Dodge. Even my stripped-down 1999 Insight seat (which is barely a seat) does not bother me. I just drive and drive & I feel like I'm in a semi-recliner. Except for the Beetle. The leather bucket seats are terrible, since they push my shoulders forward. After a 10-hour drive my shoulders are in pain. Never again will I buy bucket seats.
About the only thing great about a Subaru is that if you can;t afford an Audi, It does have AWD. Without AWD, the Subarus are a pretty cheap car, inside and out. I know many here in the north country that have them, it's hard not to. They drive pretty well now, although their engines are very time due to Subarus desire not to get crappy gas mileage anymore. If you don't need AWD, there are far better choices at better price points that don't have chincy seats, used paper towel upholstery, and the looks of a 1984 Corolla. If you can do a WRX, go for it. But bear in mind that underneath, you have the chassis of an early 1990's car mated to a decent power plant, overpriced as it is. Someone that switches from a Prius to a Subaru does't know which end to wipe basically. Entirely different purposes. If you don;t need AWD, Subarus can be replaced by many superior vehicles.
Replace 'Subaru' with 'Prius' in your snotty opinion and you have the ignorant critique of hordes of Prius bashers.
LOL True. If not for the great gas mileage.......... True also. Both the Prius and Subarus do have that in common, they excel at one thing. One has AWD, the other has great gas mileage. Both are pretty reliable. It's that combination that makes them sell pretty well. Most of the criticisms of both the Prius and the Subarus are spot on, just reality. But as you've said, it depends on what weighting you put on their traits as to whether they fit for you. Pointing out that a Subarus has relatively cheap interiors and would't sell at all if they didn't have AWD isn't "snotty", it's reality. Heck, I fully understand that my Prius v has a so-so interior, which doesn't translate into snotty nor does it mean I trash my car. They are what they are.
I live in North Dakota where winter lasts 8 months on avg, and snow.. Well let's just say I think the North Pole has less. On avg we have 4-8 feet on the ground. The prius has always managed flawlessly and has never gotten stuck.
I recently got my Prius smashed and had to go back to my Subaru Forester. The Forester is a great AWD vehicle, but in terms of overall fun, mileage, road handling behaviors - the Prius is better. The Prius blind spot is the only caveat I have as the Forester allows great vision all around. I know my Prius is a new car- but its aero looks (almost Loewy-like in some ways) and low impact on the environment makes it a feel good car. The cockpit is also fun. I used to have a Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback and the design is somewhat reminiscent of that car. Sell used 1979 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback All Original 112k miles Runs Excellent No Rust in Brentwood, California, United States, for US $3,750.00
the fact is subaru does have less quality interiors than that of the camry/fusion/accord because they have to cut corners somewhere by offering the awd system. keep in mind, the awd system in most cars usually is an add of 1500-2000 dollars.
I love the Subaru interior. If it is inexpensive then Subaru deserves extra congratulations. Actually, the only thing I don't like about Subaru is the fuel economy.
You said "fact". State your factual source. I own 2 Subarus, a 2011 Forester and 2010 Legacy, as well as a 2013 Prius, and I think you are spouting some crap. You're entitled to your OPINION, but it's not a FACT. Compare a Legacy interior with a Camry or similar car, you might pick the Legacy. I did. I find the Camry interior kind of plain. It's not a "fact" that Subaru interiors are subpar. As much as I love my Prius, if my Subarus got 50+mpg, I wouldn't own the Prius. I've been following this thread from the 1st post, I actually hate it. Go to a Honda forum where somebody posts "Accord or Camry", and if you show any love for anything not Honda, you are clearly outnumbered by the Honda fanboys, and it's no different here, which is why this thread continues to live. The OP way back when, said why they were going back to Subaru. Prius fanboys - Accept it and deal with it. There ARE other good cars out there. Different strokes for different folks.