[petej88]

The Prius looks beautiful and the test drive was fantastic.

Unfortunately, I cannot buy it because of the steep slope of the ceiling in the back seat area. I realize it's necessary for aerodynamics and getting the best gas mileage. But my wife and I cannot sit up straight without slumping our heads forward. There's no way I can even get my head to touch the head rest (very sad).

I would gladly buy it if the ceiling was more ergonomically functional for us, even if gas mileage went down slightly. Too bad for me. Other than this painful situation, I give the Prius a strong thumbs up.

If you are under 5' 10" and/or you do not have a long upper torso, you are good to go.

 

[petej88]

Luckily, there are some other possibilities. Toyota will be coming out with a Hylander Hybrid. And the Honda Civic Hybrid back seat is functional for someone like me as well.

cheers,

 

[award]

Unfortunately, I cannot buy it because of the steep slope of the ceiling in the back seat area. I realize it's necessary for aerodynamics and getting the best gas mileage. But my wife and I cannot sit up straight without slumping our heads forward. There's no way I can even get my head to touch the head rest (very sad).

I'm curious... I'm assuming that you'd be buying the car for yourself and/or your wife, so why is the short-headed back seat a problem? Do you cart around a lot of tall friends, or am I missing something? I know I've never ridden in the back seat of my '02.

 

[petej88]

Unfortunately, I have several friends in the 6' plus height. At work, we often car pool to lunch, etc. In my family of three, we take turns sitting in the front and back, etc.

Hopefully Toyota is reading this so they can also come out with a full bodied hatchback alternative hybrid to handle folks like me. 8)

 

[dupie61]

To Tall:
That's to bad that you don't fit with in a 04 Prius cabin, it is larger then an 03 Buick Century.
Just to make you feel better I picked up mine today, Salsa Red with package # 3 I just want you to know you are missing out on one of the best cars that Toyota has made todate. Rules can change as to who will ride in the front seat.
dupie61

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys:

___Does the rear seat back recline at all or is locked into place at a particular angle? If the rear seat could recline by even a small amount, maybe Petej88 could find an angle that is not only comfortable but one that satisfies his rear passenger head room needs as well?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:3v5ykjym][email protected][/email:3v5ykjym]

 

[petej88]

I looked at a Honda civic hybrid yesterday. Head space is adequate in the back seat. The problem I have with the Honda Civic sedan is that, "They are boring and old style, not to mention mpg in the 40's instead of the 50's" (very subjective on the first part I know).

Now my mind is still trying to figure out how to buy a Prius and possibly give special front seat privileges based on my mood or whatever. I suppose I'm really spoiled by all the interior space of my Suzuki Aerio SX AWD.

 

[petej88]

At lunch today, I took my wife in to test drive a Prius. When she got to a stop sign, she thought the car lost power because she couldn't hear anything. To put it lightly, she was absolutely amazed. She likes it except for the head room in the back.

During the test ride, I sat in the back seat. I had roughly one finger width of room before touching the ceiling. If I leaned my head back a little, it immediately touches the ceiling. In fact, I cannot rest my head on the head rest, without first moving my hips forward so I could theoretically take a snooze. I believe in an actual accident, my head may be forced back into the head rest and be protected, theoretically.

Bottom line: I'm 6" 1". I can handle the back seat, just barely. Because of all the other great features, I'm going to make a final decision this weekend.

 

[Henry]

Pete, factor this into your decision: because of the rush on the part of present Prius owners to buy the '04, there are lots of fairly low-mileage '01-'02-'03s for sale out there. Have you tried the back seats in the Classic? Maybe this is what you need.

I'm only 5'10" but the back seat headrooom in my '02 is quite adequate, with room to spare.

Another thing to ponder: do you want to take a chance on a first-year model? The Classic Prius was on the market in Japan since '97, so when the '01 was introduced here the bugs and kinks had been largely worked out of it. This is not the case for the '04.

Just a couple of things to think about over the weekend.

Henry (a very satisfied '02 owner)

 

[petej88]

Did Buy a 2004 Prius Today

I did it! I placed an order for a new Prius with option 7. My region is currently only selling options 1, 7, & 9. I actually wanted option 3 but would have had to wait much longer, because there is a major feeding frenzy to buy the 2004 model. CA folks have been placing orders with money up front for months. In OR, the competition is not as great, so I expect to get my vehicle within 3 - 6 weeks --- one or two ship loads from now (fingers crossed).

Also, I do not cosider the 2004 Prius a brand new 1.0 version of the hybrid --- same technology in a newer revved up generation. :wink:

 

[volvowagon1991]

Room

Hey all,

I just got my 04 Prius last week (yay!) and thought I'd chime in. My take after reading quite a bit as well as sitting in all the seats is that everyone should sit in the car themselves. I'm 6'0" and feel great in all the seats. My carpool buddy is 6'2" and even his big Texas hair didn't hit the ceiling. Both of us are on the leggy side, so maybe we're not as tall sitting?! Anyway, apparently the room is inadequate for some, but you shouldn't stay away from the dealership just because you're tall. I love mine and will be completely happy once I take the instructions from this forum and turn that [email protected]#%[email protected]#$ reverse buzzer off!!

Cheers,

Paul