Clarity Seats....uncomfortable?

I loved my 2006 Prius seats. My daughter hated it. I hated my 2012 Prius Plugin seats. My daughter says they are fine.

I drove 1500 miles in three days in the Clarity and it was fine.

 

I have the Touring model. I have found the seats to be comfortable even on very long trips. My wife also finds the seats to be comfortable. I wonder if there is a difference in seat comfort between the base and touring?

 

The basic design of the seats are the exactly the same between the trims, the only difference is the material on the main seating surfaces.

My wife did not like the leather because she says it makes her body slip around on the leather.
We got the base with synthetic surface which makes her feel more secure when driving and now she is the daily driver of my Clarity....

 

The Touring's power seats allow you to change the angle of the seat bottom, which makes a big difference to some owners. I think the seats are great; I haven't changed my personal settings since the day we took delivery in December, 2017. My wife likes the seats and her settings, too.

 

I think the shoe analogy is a good one, imagine if shoes were only sold in one size. Many people would find they fit fine, others okay but not perfect, others somewhat uncomfortable but they can live with it, and some people would really not be able to wear them for any length of time without discomfort.

Not a perfect analogy of course, but it's why there are so many different responses to the exact same car seat, as body shapes are actually quite complex, especially when complicated by previous injuries or surgeries or other health issues like joint or back problems. The various adjustments available nowadays helps but that only changes the position of the seat not the size or shape. For people who find a particular car seat uncomfortable especially on long drives it's not something you can ignore and you shouldn't, ergonomics is not something to take lightly as has now become more widely known, especially related to the back. But unfortunately it takes a lot of experimentation with different pads and supports. For seats that are too short you can go to a car upholstery shop and they can often lengthen the base of the seat. Although I don't think they can do anything for width. Some people go to an orthopedic specialist who can prescribe custom fit pads, which in some cases can help.

I'm not sure how or if it's possible to install different seats like Momo, I remember people used to install Recaro seats all the time, but that was prior to side air bags and all of the sensors that are now installed in seats.

In the end some people have to wind up selling the car which is sad, but your health is the priority so do what is best for you.

 

Seats are comfortable for me. I have touring with electric seats. I need to change them a bit from time to time which is why I chose the touring model. I came from a Acura TLX and I find these seats more comfortable. Everybody is different. I always try to sit in a car as long as possible when I am buying a new one.

 

Add me to the list of respondents who have no issues with the Clarity seat back. I do have one question to those who have greater sensitivity to car seats than the rest of us -- have you tried Yoga? (Oops, also a second question -- how ado you handle long airplane rides!?)

And, by the way, I am not a medical doctor, so please don't take any of my advice as based on advanced medical training. I can only relay my own personal experiences.

History: I have very serious scoliosis, which should have made me more sensitive to issues of car seat configurations, but ten years of yoga practice has taught me to have more awareness of what my back muscles are doing, how to compensate, and how to strengthen them. I believe relying on passive lumbar support systems will not strengthen my back and will only lead to long term dependencies.

If sitting in a cramped airline seat I have learned to get up every hour and stretch. That way, even on trans-pacific flights, I arrive with no soreness. Riding in a car seat I try at intervals to consider myself not sitting in the car seat, but perching on the car seat in a balanced way, as if I were riding a fast road bike.

These minor adjustments seem to be sufficient to keep me from experiencing back pain in the last ten years. I suggest those with chronic back issues put in the effort to strengthen and balance their backs. It is worth the effort!

 

All very good advice but keep in mind these are people who were fine in other cars the problem started only when they purchased car (x) which in this case is Clarity. I was previously on the Prius forums a lot being a long time Prius owner, and when Toyota changed the seats in the fourth generation cars (2016) there were several people who found the seats unbearable when they had been fine in their second or third generation Prius. Of course the majority found the seats to be fine and couldn't understand why these people were having a problem.

Not to say that even in these situations remediations like you are suggesting wouldn't help, they certainly might and I'm sure are overall good health strategies anyway.

I have never had any real problem with car seats, the closest I can relate to is America West A318 jets (for those who remember America West airlines). I have flown on a lot of planes over the years including many overseas flights and have never had any discomfort in spite of being six foot two. But flying on America West A318's always gave me a backache and I hated riding on them. Something about those seats and my body shape just didn't align (pun intended). Probably remediations would have worked but I guess I didn't think about it at the time as I knew it was specific to just that one airline's seats.

 

I’m often in the car for long stretches, sometimes more than 6 hours. I already do some of the things you’re talking about. What helps me the most is simply being mindful of my posture.
The clarity seats seem to lack lateral support as well as lumbar for my lower back. I can feel my back flex going around turns when I’m tired.

 

I’m often in the car for long stretches, sometimes more than 6 hours. I already do some of the things you’re talking about. What helps me the most is simply being mindful of my posture.
The clarity seats seem to lack lateral support as well as lumbar for my lower back. I can feel my back flex going around turns when I’m tired.

 

So, yes... The seats in the Honda Clarity are really bad..... The reason!!??
Well when I looked into the history of the car, this car has been available in Japan a couple of years before coming to the states.....
This car is a 100% import. Designed and built in Japan, for Japanese drivers......
That's the problem.... The seats are more narrow between the bolsters, shorter seat bottom and worst of all the seats are closer to the steering wheel than most cars designed for the American market...
Now, you probably won't notice an issue until you go on drives longer than about 40 miles.... I'm a commuter, this is why I bought this car (came out of a Ford cmax) I drive 105 miles per day.
These seats are bad, there are no extention rails available as of yet so I can sit back a few more inches (I'm 6 foot)... Really don't know what to do or where to turn for help, on paper this is simply the best plug in hybrid sedan currently available. But I would have never bought this car if I thought the seats might be an issue....... When you commute comfort is everything..... My cmax was half the size but more comfortable,not perfect but better than the Honda.....
This car is less than a year old so I'm lookin at a pretty big loss if I have to get another car......
I wish I could love this car, but I do have buyers remorse..... Custom seat extensions are 1500 hundred dollars...... When I ride in the passenger seat I'm more comfortable.... Again, not good for long trips but more comfortable than the drivers seat

 

I'm 6'2 and I have the seat back almost laying down while I drive. I lay back, like I am home in the recliner, and I can still see out the windshield. I actually moved the seat forward, so I can still reach the steering wheel.

I also have a tapered pillow backwards to give better support on my thighs. I have the base model, or I would have used the power seat to lean the seat bottom back.

I have taken several 12-hour trips comfortably, with the seat in this position. I drive 100+ miles a couple times every week.

 

Just curious, are you in a base or a touring? I'm 6' 3", have always put my seat as far back as it will go in every car I have owned, and don't have any problem with how far the seats in my Clarity touring go back. I'm just curious if maybe there is a difference in seating distance between the two trim levels because of the power seat upgrade.

 

I own the Touring

 

There goes that theory ... maybe I just have short legs for my height.

 

So I would ask you, is that your normal driving position??? I mean have you driven every car you've ever owned with the seat fully reclined? Have you needed pillows for thigh support in your other vehicles????
If you had to drive 50 miles with adult passengers in the seat behind you would you be as comfortable???
If you have to recline the seat all the way back and buy pillows to be comfortable then maybe the seats aren't really comfortable. I've tried and returned several pillows/cushions from Amazon. I use one regularly, but the seats are still an issue on commutes..... Everyone is built a little different, so some may be able to tolerate the seats better than others. But I've owned several cars and for me, the seats are pretty bad

 

The Clarity was very expensive to produce as a completely ground up design that was expected to sell in very small numbers. To reduce the cost, they used existing parts from other models as much as possible. The seats are from the Civic, which is unfortunate for bigger drivers because the Clarity is so wide they could have easily installed seats from the similarly sized Accord or even the Pilot. I suspect the Civic seats are the lightest because that's a major consideration.

 

Totally subjective. I think the Clarity seats are quite comfortable. We've taken 1,200 mile round trips and many 300 mile round trips. The comfortable seats, smooth ride, quiet interior, ACC and LKAS make long distance driving a pleasure.

 

Funny, I thought the Clarity seats are an excellent fit for my body.
Even on a long distance drive, I felt less aches & stiffness compared to the same drive on my BMW, Land Rover, and Chevy.

OTOH I think American, British and German cars have the worst seats designed for my body. And I have owned many cars & SUVs over the years and still find the Japanese cars the most comfortable.

Guess all cars have a certain fit engineered to fit a majority of people ??

 

Yes Bill.
I do yoga. Three times a week in fact.
And the seat in the Base model is still uncomfortable. I test drove the only Clarity on any dealer's lot in Austin and it was a Touring, which allowed me to tilt the front of the bottom cushion up. The Base model does not have this adjustment. And how much can you tell about a seat's comfort in a twenty minute test drive anyway?
There is a large racing supply company in North Austin with very knowledgeable and helpful folks. I made two trips up there and spoke extensively with the Shop Foreman. Bottom Line: The front seats cannot be replaced by racing seats in the Clarity because of airbag sensors.
So now I am about half way through a 9,000 mile trip to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, a seven-long-day drive one way from home. Thanks to the cushion my sweetie made for me, I am muddling through. It is still far less comfortable than the seats in my 2002 Maxima SE. I am posting a photo of the cushion - it is about 4" thick.
I otherwise love this car, especially the adaptive cruise control. It sickens me to think that I will never fit in these seats. (Actually, the back seats are more comfortable than the front - was it designed with the Chinese market in mind?)
Incidentally, my friends in Yellowknife insisted that I bring jerry cans in the trunk with gas in them to make it over the long stretch from High Level, Alberta to Fort Providence, Northwest Territory. It turned out to be unnecessary because all the motels have outside electrical outlets for people to plug in their block heaters in the winter. With a full charge and a full tank, I made it with ease.