I am posting a few different, related threads, as different people might have different feedback and be clued in by the subject line. This is the last one. I have a bad back and was a little concerned about the seats. The problem is that until you drive the car for a while, it is hard to know, and they won't let you take a 2 hour test drive. Anyone have a sense of the longer term comfort of the seats for people with back problems?

The seats in the Prius are very comfortable. Lumbar support is sufficient, but not adjustable. Neither is seat height. I would like both of those features, even if they were not electric but mechanical, however that isn’t offered.

But I have found the seats to be very comfortable on longer drives. The fixed lumbar seems to be in the correct position and the correct firmness to be comfortable but not annoying. The cushions are firm, but supportive. The back seat is also very nice and comfortable, if that means anything to you.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)

I have to disagree there, to be honest. I find them a bit hard, narrow and unadjustable. Though tilting the seat more upright helped with the lower back, they're still not great for long rides. Hey, I may be 18, but my butt still hurts when I'm driving for a while.

Visit my newly-acquired website, Volconvo Debate Forums!

My DW and I just completed an around-Lake-Michigan trip (1135 miles) in 4 days. Spent more time than normal driving that distance because we took scenic (slow) roads when possible.

I have a moderately touchy back (both of us: age 64), and my DW is recovering from a recently ruptured disc in her spine. She does strengthening exercises at a Neuro-spine center.

Guess what. Neither of us had a problem with our backs from riding/driving the Prius. Hotel beds -- that's another story. Although this is clearly not a definitive test (other than for us), it was based on repetition over several days, and therefore is not an insignificant data point.

The best vehicle we've had for back comfort was a 2001 Honda Odyssey. The Prius is neither better, nor worse, than the Odyssey(for us personaly, of course), and it had an adjustable lumbar support. We towed a trailer thousands of miles w/the Odyssey, so our comparison is fair.

I vote thumbs up for the Prius seats!!

ZinFan

Many thanks for the feedback!

I have had long-standing lower back problems and, as much as I like my Prius, it was killing my back. The seats "feel" comfortable, but the reverse angle (butt lower than the knees) compresses the disks in the lower back. After a while, anyone with lower disk problems is going to know it!

I finally stopped by a back store and bought a hard wedge--the soft 'memory foam' wedges are comfy, but you end up sliding off the seat in turns--combined with the bucky I've had for a while (with about 2/3 the buckwheat removed), the seat now works great.

PS Other than this one (huge) issue, I LOVE my car. And should get a cut from Toyota as since November I'm responsible for at least three other folks buying Priuses.

-sd

I had a very severe back injury at age 17 (5 years ago) and only recovered to about 85% range of motion.

Now that that's out of the way, I absolutely love the Prius seats. For my body size and shape they're the perfect fit. Now I'm not really big or really tiny, just average, middle of the road 20something girl. I have never had back pain driving in this car even on longer trips. And this is coming from someone who spent $2000 on a Tempur Pedic mattress just so I could get some sleep because nothing else worked.

I haven't read if heated seats are an option on the Prius...

I too have a bad lower back (as does my wife) and for what it's worth, we find in our smart fortwo cdi cabriolet that the two stage seat heaters melt away any pain that is developed at work or whatever. The seats themselves are good. Also, the seats in that car are high and so the knee/butt relationship is also good.

So, if heated seats are an option on the Prius, get them!

2008 Mercedes-Benz B 200
2005 smart fortwo cdi pulse cabriolet
1966 Peugeot 404 Coupé Injection
1989 Peugeot 405 DL

Nope, they aren't

Visit my newly-acquired website, Volconvo Debate Forums!

The Prius II seats are a huge improvement over the Prius I seats. I've got no back problems at all and the Prius I seats cause my back to hurt after more than an hour or so in the car. Prius II seats haven't caused me any problems so far, and they don't seem like they will as they have much more lower back support and better side to side support too. There are some good back support things that can strap on to car seats so they don't slide away for those with above-average sensitive backs that should be able to fix up the lack of technology in the seats. Also there's massage (vibration) and heating strap-on things that plug into the cigar-jack that may provide additional comfort and pain relief.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
'97 Prius Simulation Prius inner workings