[FONT=arial, helvetica]North Vancouver, British Columbia - The fact that a gas-electric hybrid sedan could be voted "Canadian Car of the Year" by a respected group of experienced Canadian auto journalists says a lot about how far hybrid technology has come in the past ten years. Hybrids, once strange-looking oddities from Japan, are now being accepted as trustworthy family vehicles and viable personal transportation solutions to the increasing cost of gasoline and the looming global warming crisis. CanadianDriver: Test Drive - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid [/FONT]
Very nice for the Camry and it is an indication of widespread acceptance of hybrid technologies, but... Many complain about the Prius seats, but when I test drove the HyCam(twice), that seat back curved forward at the most uncomfortable place. I pulled over with the Sales Rep and adjusted/re-adjusted by reclining, raising the headrest, lowering it, pulling forward... but that seat was ridiculously unpleasant.
I really hate how the article goes on and on about how the fuel consumption varies greatly according to whether while implying that non-hybrid cars fuel consumption does not also vary. Several times he implies that it is no more efficient than the 4cyl non-hybrid Camry, but is comparing it to it's rated fuel economy numbers and not real world numbers with the temperatures below 0C.
Is that the cause? I haven't had a car with lumbar support before, so any info would be helpful. I'm talking about where the seat back curves toward the head. It starts below the headrest, but not as low as mid-back. I believe this is a safety feature (the name of this escapes me), so your head hits the headrest sooner in a rear-end impact. The curve started at the most inopportune and uncomfortable place for me so that I needed to sit forward, without touching the seat back. As I said, I pulled over twice during the test drive and the sales rep and I tried to find a comfortable position, to no avail. Sigh... Canada's car of the year was not pour moi.
mmhmm... apparently we need more Trip Computers in non-hybrid cars. Most people assume they're getting rated mileage in the middle of winter Ohh.. the lumbar support is for the lower back so it'll be in the lower part of the seatback. It may affect the way the seat "curves" towards the top of the seatback. i.e. if you deflate the lumbar support, the seatback might feel a bit flatter. The headrests nowadays are jutted forward a bit of minimise whiplash injury. I remember the Prius' headrest doing the same thing (as you've described) compared to our 02 Camry. It took me a while to get used to it. Now it doesn't even bother me.
