Mike N.: Are you driving the same car as I am? 2004 prius??? Mine is an excellently-designed, excellently-constructed, and, yes, comfortable car. Okay, it's not a $40,000 Lexus. You can't ask for a $40,000 car for $20,000. I gather that soon you will be able to get a Lexus with HSD, and if a luxury car is what you want, and you can afford it, that's great. But it's kind of pointless to complain that the Pruis is lighter than a Lexus, and doesn't have the materials of a Lexus.
Now, of course, a lot of it is perspective. If your last car was a Lexus maybe the Prius will feel like a step down in comfort and luxury. My last car was a Honda Civic, and the Civic is a fantastic car; I drove it for 15 years and loved every mile of it. But the Prius is luxury to me by comparison, and is even more comfortable than my wonderfully-comfortable Civic. -- Granted, I have not yet taken any long drives in it. That will come later this spring.
But as I read your long post above, it sure seems as though we are talking about two very different cars. Weird!