[2006SiennaLE]

Now... how do I adapt the environment under my rear end to have a longer cushion?
Actually, I'll just live with it, but I would interested to hear of any good ideas.

You could either swap out the seat or take it to an upholstery place and ask them if they can help you.
With the economy the way it is, everything can happen for a price

 

[robaer]

What was that movie (Police Academy??) where one of the characters (a real life former NFL player....and VERY tall/big...can't remember his name right now...Bubba Smith???) ripped out the front driver's seat of an OLD-OLD Honda Civic and sat in the back to drive??? That was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing for a looooong time. My cheeks still hurt even right now (from muscle memory) as I think of it.

Now that's creative leg-room.... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

YMMV.
Good Luck!! 8)

Sad I know this... (hangs head in shame)... but his name in the movie was Hightower and I think the football player was bubba something.

 

[MPower M5]

Funny, I'm 5'7" and my wife who drives the Sienna 98% of the time is about 5'6" and we both find that the drivers seat is quite adequate but the darn passenger seat seems to be angled too high at the back of the bottom cushion making you feel like you're going to slide out of it. The passenger seat for some reason is a manual adjust on our XLE.

Is there some way to modify the buttom cushion angle so it is lower towards the back of the seat?

I wish it had seats like in my car which are 16 way adjustable including adjustable thigh bolsters which some of you taller folks could use in the Sienna.

 

[showgun]

Ya I agree.. I am 5'10'' and I must say the bottom seat cushion is on the short side. My 98 maxima has more seat cushion. I test drove at 2009 lexus rx350 back to back with the sienna and the lexus has has a short bottom. Infact the seats look the exact same as the sienna limited.

 

[marklin]

I too felt the cushion is shorter than our 2004 Highlander the first time I sat in the Sienna! It does not bother me since I am not tall and long-legged, I guess it'll take me sometime to get used to it..

 

[M3 Pete]

just bought a 2010 LE, I'm 6'2" and the seats are too short in the thigh.

BUT ... We drove an 07 Ody with leather and those seats were even worse. Hard and uncomfortable was my first impression. My wife is also very tall, 6'1" and she could not get comfortable in the Ody either. It was the deciding factor in buying the Sienna.

Like M5, I have great seats in the 97 BMW. Might be tough to retrofit them into the Sienna.

 

[Aviatrix]

My dad has a 2008 Prius and had it outfitted with ventilated seats from an aftermarket company. You can't even tell it's not OEM. I bet you can find a place to custom build you seats....... My aunt got a 2010 Highlander and I seem to remember her telling me something about the seats and an option for more room in the thigh area for tall people. She's 6'1". Course I could be remembering wrong.....

 

[topspy]

It might be helpful/useful if you could get any info on contacting the company that either made or installed the seats in your dad's Prius. Or if just a brand/model name is available it might help someone in the future to trackdown a possible source. Any known costs would be a bonus.

 

[Aviatrix]

I will ask the dad. Did talk to my aunt with the highlander and she did get seats OEM that have extended thigh support (guess it is adjustable), and thicker armrests. Why couldn't you just plop one of those highlander seats in your Sienna??? She has a 2004 XLE limited Sienna, and says she was always uncomfortable in the van; but LOVES her new highlander seats....

 

[shineysideup]

Funny, I'm 5'7" and my wife who drives the Sienna 98% of the time is about 5'6" and we both find that the drivers seat is quite adequate but the darn passenger seat seems to be angled too high at the back of the bottom cushion making you feel like you're going to slide out of it. The passenger seat for some reason is a manual adjust on our XLE.

Is there some way to modify the buttom cushion angle so it is lower towards the back of the seat?

I wish it had seats like in my car which are 16 way adjustable including adjustable thigh bolsters which some of you taller folks could use in the Sienna.

I had the same problem in our montana van... along with many others! I took a look at the front seat bolts and concluded that I could put 1/2" or so of washers under the front mounts to angle the seat cushion back. I worked wonders for me. I haven't looked at our sienna yet. It belongs to the wife and I haven't heard any complaints

 

[Texastrooper]

I will ask the dad. Did talk to my aunt with the highlander and she did get seats OEM that have extended thigh support (guess it is adjustable), and thicker armrests. Why couldn't you just plop one of those highlander seats in your Sienna??? She has a 2004 XLE limited Sienna, and says she was always uncomfortable in the van; but LOVES her new highlander seats....

It would be great if you can post the seat brand. I did the same with my Isuzu Trooper back on 2001. But since I could not find any suitable solution I imported one from Germany. But the company only makes seat adapters for cars sold in Europe and the Sienna is not included.
There are several companies in Germany which make aftermarket seats. Recaro, Koenig, Scheelmann, .... Even with side airbags that replace the factory seats with side airbags.
But not for Japanese vehicles. Mainly only Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Opel, Volkswagen, .....

Seat size, leg room and height of the headrest is meanwhile a killer criteria when buying a car. My wife wife drives the van most of the time and I will only do it when necessary. This is why I am thinking of getting a second towing vehicle. One that is comfortable for me.

But if there is an aftermarket company which would offer an aftermarket seat that fits the Sienna I would be all over it. Even if I have to sacrifice the side airbags.....

 

[Aviatrix]

So my dad had lumbar support and heat added to his OEM seats on his Prius. It was done by Coach Remodelers off of Batavia in Orange, California. You'll have to call them to see if they can help you out if you live close enough.....

 

[topspy]

Thanks for the lead.

Doing some Google research, I came up with the following which I believe to be the company you referenced. Aside from seats/upholstery, they also offer other auto-related services and products. They apparently currently have several locations (SoCal 2 / NorCal / Portland, OR / Kansas City, KS):

Coach Automotive Restyling
http://www.coachautomotiverestyling.com/

YMMV.
Good Luck!! 8)

 

[MPower M5]

Funny, I'm 5'7" and my wife who drives the Sienna 98% of the time is about 5'6" and we both find that the drivers seat is quite adequate but the darn passenger seat seems to be angled too high at the back of the bottom cushion making you feel like you're going to slide out of it. The passenger seat for some reason is a manual adjust on our XLE.

Is there some way to modify the buttom cushion angle so it is lower towards the back of the seat?

I wish it had seats like in my car which are 16 way adjustable including adjustable thigh bolsters which some of you taller folks could use in the Sienna.

I had the same problem in our montana van... along with many others! I took a look at the front seat bolts and concluded that I could put 1/2" or so of washers under the front mounts to angle the seat cushion back. I worked wonders for me. I haven't looked at our sienna yet. It belongs to the wife and I haven't heard any complaints

Just read this now. What a great idea! I will try this on my wife's Sienna for sure.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[wag]

Funny, I'm 5'7" and my wife who drives the Sienna 98% of the time is about 5'6" and we both find that the drivers seat is quite adequate but the darn passenger seat seems to be angled too high at the back of the bottom cushion making you feel like you're going to slide out of it. The passenger seat for some reason is a manual adjust on our XLE.

Is there some way to modify the buttom cushion angle so it is lower towards the back of the seat?

I wish it had seats like in my car which are 16 way adjustable including adjustable thigh bolsters which some of you taller folks could use in the Sienna.

I had the same problem in our montana van... along with many others! I took a look at the front seat bolts and concluded that I could put 1/2" or so of washers under the front mounts to angle the seat cushion back. I worked wonders for me. I haven't looked at our sienna yet. It belongs to the wife and I haven't heard any complaints

Just read this now. What a great idea! I will try this on my wife's Sienna for sure.
Cheers,
Scott

This kind of modification won't work on the Sienna, the seat mounting bolts don't mount in a downward position. A thick steel bracket would have to be fabricated to raise the front of the seat.

 

[brian_bp]

I have built seat mounting hardware for our race-prepared car, but I suggest caution in doing this, as substantial forces can exist in a crash situation, and the seat mounting is part of the system of restraints which holds the occupant for safety.

 

[wag]

I have built seat mounting hardware for our race-prepared car, but I suggest caution in doing this, as substantial forces can exist in a crash situation, and the seat mounting is part of the system of restraints which holds the occupant for safety.

Agreed. The brackets would have to be VERY stout indeed and in addition they would have to be designed in such a way as to prevent any sideward shifting of the seat in a t-bone or rollover accident. This would put it beyond the scope of a "do it yourself" project for most people.

 

[shineysideup]

Funny, I'm 5'7" and my wife who drives the Sienna 98% of the time is about 5'6" and we both find that the drivers seat is quite adequate but the darn passenger seat seems to be angled too high at the back of the bottom cushion making you feel like you're going to slide out of it. The passenger seat for some reason is a manual adjust on our XLE.

Is there some way to modify the buttom cushion angle so it is lower towards the back of the seat?

I wish it had seats like in my car which are 16 way adjustable including adjustable thigh bolsters which some of you taller folks could use in the Sienna.

I had the same problem in our montana van... along with many others! I took a look at the front seat bolts and concluded that I could put 1/2" or so of washers under the front mounts to angle the seat cushion back. I worked wonders for me. I haven't looked at our sienna yet. It belongs to the wife and I haven't heard any complaints

Just read this now. What a great idea! I will try this on my wife's Sienna for sure.
Cheers,
Scott

This kind of modification won't work on the Sienna, the seat mounting bolts don't mount in a downward position. A thick steel bracket would have to be fabricated to raise the front of the seat.

Sorry I spoke too soon. I did not actually look at how the seat was bolted in... just assumed that it was the same way as my montana . My montana (good riddance...) had long enough bolts that were mounted to the floor that I could put washers underneath and still have more than a full nut of threads left. Guess this isn't going to happen with the sienna. I personally wouldn't fool around with the seat brackets for safety reasons...

 

[bill_toyota]

I thought it was me but apparently these seats do stink. I just picked my sienna up not to long ago so I'll give it some time. It might just be that I need to adjust it properly. Coming from a chryler voyager with no adjustments to the sienna ltd with all sorts of adjustments is quite a change.

 

[wannabe]

I went to Goodwill and bought a firm pillow for $1.50 and I sit on it. Of course this is after I slide the seat all of the way back and lower the seat ( this allows more leg room), and adjust the seatback. I'm six foot and about 200 lbs. and it works fine, especially on longer trips.