How roomy is the Prius?
 

So I've decided I need to buy a Prius. The only problem is that I can't seem to find one to test drive. I've spent the last two weekends calling and driving around and visted over 8 dealers, none of whom had a car for me to tset drive. They all had waiting lists and were doing the hard sale thing to get a deposit out of me to get on the waiting list.

Here's my issue: I'm over six and half feet tall and weigh around 270lbs. I need to know if I can fit comfortably in this thing if I'm going to be driving over 100 miles a day in it.

Anyone here over six feet tall? Any big guys driving a Prius that can give me some insight. Anyone in LA or OC mind showing me their car? ;)

Thanks

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

Try out the matrix for a fit check. They are pretty close in size. The matrix #'s are on the left and the Prius on the right.

Interior
Front Headroom 40.6 in. 39.1 in.
Rear Headroom 39.8 in. 37.1 in.
Front Hip Room 51.7 in. 51 in.

Exterior
Width 69.9 in. 67.9 in.
Height 61.6 in. 58.1 in.

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

My big question is control layout. Most small cars are a problem for me. Mainly because the center console cuts into my shin or knee.The one Prius I've seen didn't seem to have a center stack so that's a good sign...

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

Back when I was considering a Prius, I visited Carson Toyota in, obviously, Carson, which is near Torrance, which is north of Long Beach. They had a bunch of them on the lot unreserved, back in July at least. Maybe you're making your search too narrow?

Also, it's apparently illegal in California to offer non-refundable deposits, so there's nothing to worry about if you are asked to leave a deposit.

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

This discussion has gone back and forth, with plenty of 6'+ people weighing in that it is great for them. Personally, while I don't find the actual headroom or seat width to be a problem, I think the windshield/steering wheel positioning is definitely built for someone smaller (I'm 5'8). I find the top of the windshield almost too low, I really wish the seats were adjustable up and down! One advantage of the Prius is that you sit up pretty high for a car, but that also leaves your head much closer to the top of the windshield. While its not a problem for me, I have heard other people say that the steering wheel is not positioned correctly, and it does not adjust very much. My boyfriend (6'1) finds the legroom in the passenger seat relatively limited, and one of these days I am going to kill him when he ends up kicking my stereo because he has his foot up on his knee.

[edit:] as far as the controls, many have said the spedometer display gets cut off if you are too tall (it is fine for me). Other than that, I don't think the controls could be much of a problem, most of the important stuff is in the touch screen, which is pretty high up.

Moral of the story: TEST DRIVE, have a back-up plan, and don't be too disappointed in case it doesn't work out for you (maybe a Honda Civic? I havne't been in one, but maybe you sit lower to the ground and there will be more head room). If you were in my area, I'd be more than happy to let you sit in mine, so maybe you can attend a local gathering?

--
Hillary

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

I have a friend that's ~ 6'3". He was pretty down on my prius. While the seat isn't bad and he does have room to not scrape the roof of the car(a plus for toyota not putting in a sunroof), he complains about the viewing angle outside. The a-pillar is a nightmare for him to look around when driving through a corner.

If you're 6'6" tall, I'm going to commit a sin for the forum and suggest you take a look at the VW Beetle TDI w/ the DSG transmission before you make your final call. As long as you are OK with having nobody in the seat behind you, it's a good fit for your size and you'd be looking at 40-45 real MPG. The interior of that car is the only one I've seen in the 40+ MPG range that I could see someone your size tolerating for 2 hours a day.

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

Ok,

I am 6'6" as well... And I bought a Prius last Saturday. It's surprisingly roomy inside, and I do not feel cramped, crowded or uncomfortable in any way. In fact, I traded in a Saturn Vue (SUV) for this car, and I feel more comfortable in the Prius than I did in the Vue.

The headroom is fine (If I had 3 inches with the Vue, I've got 2 inches with the Prius, so no problem there), and while the hiproom is a little less, the lack of a large center console makes it more comfortable on my legs.

I can't guarantee you'll be comfortable (I've got a 34" inseam, so while my legs are a little longer than usual, I know some people who are 6'6" and are all legs. It all depends on which half of your body - if either - is taller than the other), but I'd concur with the others and say put down the deposit, wait your couple weeks, and try it out. We took ours out for a good half-hour or so test drive (not the little 3 minute two mile loop most dealers do). And my wife (normal height) and I were fine in it... and if you don't like it, you just tell them that and you get your money back and are on your way. They don't need to keep your money because by the time you and your current car drive off the lot, they have the next person coming in to buy the Prius you reserved.

Good luck.

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

I just test drove one tonight (the dealer has 2 they use for rental and to show customer - not a bad idea!) and everything was great until I sat in the rear seat. I am 5' 10" and sitting up in the back seat was fine, however when I let my head lean back to the point it was about to touch the headrest, the top of my head hit the roof, that really slopes down fast. Basically the rear headrest is a waste, as the average persons ( I would say at 5'10" I am average) head hits the roof before the headrest:(

The Brochure lists rear headroom as 37.1 and the front headroom as 39.1. Makes a big difference

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

Well,

I finally had a chance to sit in a Prius.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way I could make it work. Maybe if I moved the seat rails back 6-8 inches, but as it comes from the factory my knee was always touching the "shift lever" thingy. And could barely get me knees under the wheel.

So I tried an Insight, but a two seater will not work for my family.

The Civic Hybrid was a slightly better fit, but not by much.

It looks like I'm leaning more towards the Acord Hybrid. It won't get nearly the mileage I was hoping for, but it will definately be better than the 5.9Liter Dodge pick up I'm driving now. 35 mpg is surely better than 10!

Re: How roomy is the Prius?
 

Have you sat in a 2006 Civic Sedan? It's exactly the same as the 2006 HCH will be in terms of the interior, besides minor changes to the instruments.