Should I be concerned about seat depth?

[greatatboats]

Yesterday I test drove a 2015 SR5. Everything was great with one exception. The driver's seat cushion felt shorter than what I was expecting. I'm 6'3" for reference. I didn't have any discomfort from it but the test drive also wasn't exceptionally long.

For my personal situation I can of course go back and spend some more time sitting in the seat but I wanted to know what experiences others have had. I'm planning on test driving a few other vehicles as well and will make this a specific area to pay attention to as I shop.

Questions:

1. I did some searching and it doesn't seem like measurements on the seat cushion are published. Does anyone know of a place that tracks them?
2. For current 5th gen owners with long legs, have you exeperienced any leg discomfort on long drives due to a lack of thigh support?

 

[1engineer]

I'm 6'4" 250 lbs. Last week, in six days I drove 3,061 miles which is around 50 hours seat time. Only about 50 miles of that was off road. No problems for me and my wife who is a regular sized human. The seat bottoms are adjustable. If you have ANY questions on comfort you need to test drive, test drive, test drive.

The internet is the WORST place in the world to ask subjective questions (what's the best color, or is that seat comfortable?) as you know nothing about any of us. Also measurements are useless too because a seat could be shorter and feel better due to the design. Get it? Test drive.

 

[greatatboats]

Thank you for taking the time to reply with your emphatic test drive advocacy. The reason I'm asking the Internet is that there are potentially hundreds of people with far more hands on experience than I can put together during a test drive. I don't know of any dealer that will let me do a 600 mile test. I'll make my final decision for myself but I always like to know what other people have experienced.

You mention that "The seat bottoms are adjustable". Can you point me to more information about how that's accomplished? I read the owner's manual and it lists the following adjustments for the power seat:

• Seat position adjustment
• Seatback angle adjustment
• Seat cushion (front) angle adjustment
• Vertical height adjustment
• Lumbar support adjustment

 

[noisebeam]

Your concern is valid and worth more hands on testing. I am also tall (6'3" 165lbs) and find the seat depth too short and it does not get high enough either. Because of this the thigh support is limited which does cause some discomfort after long drives. Also when the seat is at highest setting the armrests are much too low and the windshield not quite high enough. Off road I don't notice any of this though as I become a much more active driver.

 

[greatatboats]

Thanks noisebeam. These are exactly the sort of data points I'm hoping to hear about!

 

[meder24]

I am 6'-4" and when I first test drove my 4runner, I too was concerned and somewhat put off by the seating position. Enough to the point I was almost ready to walk away from the 4runner. Seating position was one of the main considerations for me in switching vehicles.
However, once I spent some time in the vehicle and was able to properly adjust all of the seat adjustments to my liking, it felt entirely different for me.
I find the ride in the vehicle to be very comfortable and adequate for my tastes. I have a Limited, so I am not sure how different the seats are in the two models, but with some proper adjustment it was night and day for seating position and feel.

 

[1engineer]

I don't know of any dealer that will let me do a 600 mile test.

If you are really concerned go rent one for a few days. Most rental fleets have a new 4Runner. Seats might be a different material but the design and space is the same.

Seat bottom angle is what I was referring to for my personal comfort.

 

[LandCruiser]

I'm 6'3" and 230-240 depending on how big of a dump I take in the morning.

My TE was very uncomfortable before the seats softened up after 15k miles.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

I'm 6'3" and 220 lbs. Long legs.

The seat is great! The left door armrest is about 3 inches too low. That really only gets old after about an hour on a highway. Off road I'm never using the armrest.

 

[noisebeam]

How do you tall folks adjust your seat? If I have it set for max height my knees are still bent up and my ass bones are still a single pressure point of contact, or to get more thigh support to spread the load out I can move the seat further back, then it is an uncomfortable reach to the steering wheel.
I am not complaining, just noting it is far less accommodating for tall people than other vehicles I've owned. The solution, which is actually a reasonable one is I constantly move my seat position during long drives.

My 4R has 2600 miles on it now, which is basically the two road trips I've done (1300 and 1100mi each) plus a bit of round town driving, so I do have multi hour drives time, near exclusively.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

How do you tall folks adjust your seat? If I have it set for max height my knees are still bent up and my ass bones are still a single pressure point of contact, or to get more thigh support to spread the load out I can move the seat further back, then it is an uncomfortable reach to the steering wheel.
I am not complaining, just noting it is far less accommodating for tall people than other vehicles I've owned. The solution, which is actually a reasonable one is I constantly move my seat position during long drives.

My 4R has 2600 miles on it now, which is basically the two road trips I've done (1300 and 1100mi each) plus a bit of round town driving, so I do have multi hour drives time, near exclusively.

My SR5 has the power seat option -> I usually have it pretty far back; as low as it goes; a bit of tilt up at the back; the seatback a bit tilted back. Gives me plenty of leg room - plenty of head room - Also have the tilt wheel about in the middle.....