I've gotten serious about trading up to some kind of hybrid. I'd like to consider a Prius but my husband is 6'8". Will he fit? Any tall people out there driving one? How tall are you?

Thanks! Jen

I think there has been some discussion of seat mount extenders over in PriusChat but I don't remember the particulars. I'm 6' and find I 'just fit.'

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

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I'm 6'4" and I fit fine. I'm not sure if I would with another 4 inches. Depending on how he is proportioned (torso length vs. legs) he might find insufficient legroom or headroom, or both.

The only complaint I have about seating is lack of adjustment of the seat bottom for height and angle. The result is lack of thigh support. I have an Obus Forme seat cushion to compensate. It seems to do the job pretty well.

Presumably he will test drive it first. That might tell him right away. If not, you might consider renting one for a couple of days to get a good sense of how comfortable he will be after sustained driving.

Jim

Lifetime fuel mileage:

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Most of his height is in his legs. He usually has the most problem with the center console being to big, so there's little room between the steering wheel and his leg OR, believe it or not, the front console is too low and he can't get his foot on the gas pedal. Maybe the extra padding from a Obus Forme cushion would help with angle of his leg though.

I think we will try it out this weekend. He doesn't fit in a Element. So I'm a little worried.

I'm 6' 8" and I don't fit in the current Prius.

Two issues:

1. The track the seat is on is too short to allow me to move back from the dashboard far enough. Even at its limit, my knees continually rub the dashboard in the front. Besides being uncomfortable, it would not be safe under any accident scenario. This is especially unfortunate since there is still plenty of room behind the seat for a longer seat track.

2. Even if the seat could move back further, the steering wheel doesn't extend. In other words, even if you could move the seat back a bit further, you'd just be getting further and further from the steering wheel.

In the end, I actually fit better in the Honda Civic Hybrid... except for one issue there. They have the DUMBEST handbrake design that needlessly both a) doesn't recess all the a way and b) actually angles inward toward your legs. As a result, it painfully rubs against my knee the whole time.

As a result of all this, we don't yet own a hybrid. Initial reports are that the new Prius will be a bit bigger. It's supposed to be "revealed" in Jan. 09. We may wait to see that (or buy the Civic and modify the handbrake in some way).

Good luck.

thehorsts: Try slipping a pcs. of foam insulation 4" long over the HCH e-brake handle. No more pain in the knee. H

It has good headroom, but it has poor legroom. Sadly, if you hop into the back seat, I find it has more backseat legroom than the average car and Toyota could easily have allowed the seat track to extend back a bit more than they have.

I don't think a 6'8" person would be happy sitting in the front seat for any length of time.

I'm 6'4" and I tried as hard as I could to fit in the Prius. I have somewhat longer legs proportionally and both of my knees were right on the dash with the chair back as far as it could go. If the driver's seat was able to move back some and be lowered I would be driving a Prius. The Civic Hybrid fit the bill (at least in the driver's seat) and the seat itself is much more comfortable.

We actually went to check one out last weekend. As thehorsts and rickallen said his knees were right on the dash. In addition to being uncomfortable and dangerous in an accident, he was actually able to shift with his right knee. Bad news... to be zipping down the highway at 60 miles to the gallon, only to suddenly go into reverse and have your transmission drop out!

The dealership has called a mobility specialist (read: a company that retrofits cars for disabled drivers and passengers) to see if they could move the seat back. So far they've said it's not a technical issue. Apparently, the floor of a Prius is flat and the rails are attached to raised pieces that are then attached to the separately floor. They could easily detach the whole mechanism and move it back 3-4 inches. (Thehorsts point about the steering wheel extending is a good one though.)

They are checking with Toyota on whether or not moving the seat would negate the warrenty and/or if the airbag would still function properly. We're waiting to hear back on Toyota's answer and how much the retrofit would cost. I'll post here when we do.

Excellent! I would really like to hear how this works out. I 'just fit' and getting a little more leg room on a long drive would be a blessing ... especially in the passenger seat.

BTW, you'll still have the 'door jam' to negotiate but I suspect 'backing in' to the seat would solve that problem. Actually being a little behind the door jam should be a little safer in an accident.

Be sure and do both front seats.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.