Are we sitting comfortably?

[warren t claim]

AKA Is your shite doing your back in?

 

Some cars I just don't seem to be able to reach an acceptable driving position in. My last 306 is a case in point, I just felt awfully uncomfortable behind the wheel which is unusual because it was my 4th 306 and I didn't have a problem with the others. Oddly enough I've never had a problem driving Minis and they're supposed to be terrible for your posture.

 

So then, what cars seem to fit you like a glove and which ones have you begging your other half for a relieving massage after even a short journey?

[Albert Ross]

Modern Vauxhalls have a very short seat base. Leaving me crippled after about 12 yards. The worst offenders are the "sports" models, with their steel side bolsters..... they rub through after about 4 hours, killing your legs in the same way as driving them. I hate Vauxhalls.

[tonedepear]

The Impian seats were thoroughly awful. Everyone who sat in it agreed, but it fit me perfectly. I get loads of lower back trouble, and I've never had a car that I haven't felt long journeys - the Proton was probably the best ever. That said, the crap padding gave me a right numb arse.

 

So far, in the SAAB (famous for their wonderful seats) I've not quite managed to get it adjusted just right. I will though.

 

Citroen ZX Elation (special edition) seats are ace too. Sporty side bolsters nice and supportive, but actually comfy to sit in.Base model Saxo seat was the worst I've known, I think. No lateral support at all so on corners it felt like it was trying to tip you off. Replaced them with chav-sport saxo seats out of a VTS which were much better but no lumbar support which di my back in. The offset position didn't help either. Urgh.

[Father Ted]

Oddly the Micra is more comfortable on long trips than the C8.

[warren t claim]

I'm quite unusual in liking my knees quite high up so the CAVCRAFT Escort fits me better than even my W124.

[r.welfare]

I did 25,000 miles in ten months in a 2007 Saab 9-3 and didn't find the seats as comfortable as I expected, so I hope you find that elusive perfect position tonedepear. I'd go so far as to say the baggy, well-worn ones in my 405s were better, particularly the more bolstered high-spec jobs. I did 500 miles in a day in a new Fiesta last year and I thought that was pretty much spot-on, from a seat comfort and driving position point of view.

[eddyramrod]

Volvo 740 seats are just awesome in their comfort, both long and short term.

My Granada, on the other hand, has pedals so far away that I have to sit right on top of the wheel to reach them, and I don't think my legs are abnormally short. So I just recline the seat a bit more than usual; I like a fairly relaxed position anyway but this is taking the liquid human waste, it really is. I think you have to have a 39" inside leg to drive a Mk1 Granada comfortably!

Minis: was Alec Issigonis related to a chiropractor? Drive one for a week or two and you need a bloody good massage...

My 1978 Daimler Sovereign had lovely thick leather seats, which were spoiled by the footwell being too cramped for a pair of size 11s, even with only two pedals.

The X1/9, on the other hand, is just cramped anyway, but you can forgive it many things because of its eagerness and those rather lovely black leather seats.

 

I've driven several trucks with air-sprung seats. Mixed blessing! On a good road, it's bliss, but hit a few bumps and you're up and down like Princess Anne at Burleigh!

[warren t claim]

Volvo 740 seats are just awesome in their comfort, both long and short term.

My Granada, on the other hand, has pedals so far away that I have to sit right on top of the wheel to reach them, and I don't think my legs are abnormally short. So I just recline the seat a bit more than usual; I like a fairly relaxed position anyway but this is taking the liquid human waste, it really is. I think you have to have a 39" inside leg to drive a Mk1 Granada comfortably!

Minis: was Alec Issigonis related to a chiropractor? Drive one for a week or two and you need a bloody good massage...

My 1978 Daimler Sovereign had lovely thick leather seats, which were spoiled by the footwell being too cramped for a pair of size 11s, even with only two pedals.

The X1/9, on the other hand, is just cramped anyway, but you can forgive it many things because of its eagerness and those rather lovely black leather seats.

 

I've driven several trucks with air-sprung seats. Mixed blessing! On a good road, it's bliss, but hit a few bumps and you're up and down like Princess Anne at Burleigh!

 

My old Series 2 XJ6 had the most ridiculously hard seats I've ever experienced in a car.

 

You do know that you can adjust the damping on air sprung truck seats don't you?

[eddyramrod]

Want a hard seat, Warren? Take out a 5-series, as recent as you can lay hands on. Fuck me, they're like park benches! This is supposed to be a luxury car? You sink into a Cadillac seat (or even a Volvo); a BMW actively flings you off.

As for the truck seats, yes, but I never managed to find a happy setting for my weight. Possibly because you have to get out of the cab to make adjustments, then get back in and try it out. Progress, eh?

[Cavcraft]

Mk3 Golfs. Hopelessly shit, you just seem to sort of perch on them and accept you're going to slide round everywhere.

 

By the way, talking of comfort, does anyone struggle with the clutch pedals in some cars? I don't know if it's have size 12 feet but I don't half get ankle aches/pains in some cars due to the way the clutch pedal is placed.

[eddyramrod]

Oh good, it's not just me then! Ta Billy, I'm so glad you said that. Also, what is it with pedal pressure? The clutch in my Granada is like pressing on someone's chest!

[autofive]

Golfs.

 

+1

 

terrible seats in a GTi

 

mk4 cortina L seats furkled my dads back when i was a nipper - he still has trouble with base model seats in his nasty corsa 3-pot

[wuvvum]

My current fleet is actually pretty good from a comfort point of view. The 106 gets a bit tiresome on long journeys, and so to a lesser extent does the Innocenti, but that's mainly due to offset pedals, and in the 106 a rather cramped footwell. I do have back and leg issues though and tend to find smaller Japanese cars rather uncomfortable on long journeys due to unsupportive, as well as most Beemers and a lot of Mercs which seem to have seats made out of plywood (the E3 is actually better than most in this respect, although still not brilliant). Standard Saabs are OK but in my experience not as good as their reputation suggests, although the Aero interior in my last 9000 was GR17.

 

I was expecting the Scimitar to be horrible as due to the car's mileage the driver's seat is rather tired, but I drove it non-stop back from Didcot without any major aches or pains. SVX is supremely comfortable, but the steering wheel is set far too low - not uncomfortable in itself, but it means I have to crane my neck to see the top of the dials and certain warning lights, which is less than ideal. Rovers, Jag, Alfa, Talbot and Stagea are all fine for long journeys, as is the Renault 6, surprisingly.

[Shep Shepherd]

Volvo 740 seats are just awesome in their comfort, both long and short term.

 

Agreed 100%, but 850 and 70 Series seats are even better, as they have superior lateral support

[Pete-M]

Jag seats are fine. Seem a bit hard initially but they're bloody comfy.

 

Rangie seats are comfy.

 

Jeep seats are soft and squidgy. Seat cushioning seems a bit soft on the drivers seat base so I suspect not as comfy as it should be.

 

604 seats are mega comfy but the driving position is, frankly, pants. Peugeots' mad curved runner idea from the mid '70s, if the seat is far enough from the wheel it's tilted so the front of the seat cushion is higher than it should be. Move the seat forward to sort that and the pedals are too close. It's a no win situation, and one that my dad reckoned killed far more 604 sales than anything else. He sent quite a few letters to Peugeot asking them to sort it but they never did.

 

Escort is comfy. Would be better with Scheel roll-tops, but at the moment it needs a floor more than it needs seats.

 

Comfiest seats I've ever had were i my old Mk2 Granada 2.8 injection. Man size Recaros, totally comfy.

[Des]

Seats with a knob to adjust the backrest seem better for me, the lever type with a dozen or so positions never seems to have just the right spot, it's only small increments but always feeling either pushed into the steering wheel or gangsta lean side of ideal, usually find myself hovering off the backrest. A couple of years ago did an 800 mile run in my first ever kraut, not comfy, noticed the horsehair padding on the backrest had allowed the metal springs to work their way through, so picked up some 3/4'' foam sheet, pulled seats apart and gave them some extra padding, increased the comfort level to barely scraping acceptable, what is it with Jerry and hard seats, do they all sit around at home on breeze blocks?

[tonedepear]

Actually now I think about it the seats (and centre armrest) in my B5 Passat were about the only good things about it. I got on OK with my Mk3 Gowf seats too though, so I must just have a weird arse.

[Des]

And the cloth version of rhe rangy seat is sublime.

[RobT]

Good thread this Interesting what some of you've said about Saab seats, as I've often been put off getting a 900 classic simply by the look of the seats - compared to Volvo 740 ones they don't look very supportive.

 

Of moderns, Mk2 Mondeo Ghia seats I found to be very comfy all round when I owned one a few years ago, no aches even on long journeys. Best shite seats I've ever experienced are in my current Rover Montego. They are quite firm but have excellent lumbar support, and the base of the seat is long and raked upwards enough to prevent thigh ache in the throttle leg. BX seats are soft, squidgy things in comparison, and are almost as good but probably aren't the best if you're a big bloke as they seem quite small with a definite bucket shape to them (they fit Mr Average fine though).

 

Rover 400/45 seats look inviting, whether or not they are I dunno.

 

I've always had a problem with VW ones - rock hard, crap thigh support and I find the headrests in non-adjustable spec sit too close to my head, forcing me to lean forward a bit and get shoulder ache. I find that in a lot of moderns though - I know it's there to prevent whiplash but it gets my goat when they don't give you one that tilts back and forth. Probably have to pay extra for that in a VW

[Jonnyvalenta]

Peugeot 305 GTX/505 GTi, Volvo 940.

[Cavcraft]

Seats with a knob to adjust the backrest seem better for me, the lever type with a dozen or so positions never seems to have just the right spot, it's only small increments but always feeling either pushed into the steering wheel or gangsta lean side of ideal, usually find myself hovering off the backrest. A couple of years ago did an 800 mile run in my first ever kraut, not comfy, noticed the horsehair padding on the backrest had allowed the metal springs to work their way through, so picked up some 3/4'' foam sheet, pulled seats apart and gave them some extra padding, increased the comfort level to barely scraping acceptable, what is it with Jerry and hard seats, do they all sit around at home on breeze blocks?

 

One million percent agreement. You can never get the lever adjusted ones to exactly where you want them.

 

Comfiest seats of ever?

XJ6 Series 3 or Citroen BX.

[michael1703]

my range rover classic is seatwise very comfy, but my right knee aches driving it, its like the throttle pedal is offset too far to the right

 

minis cause my left foot to get trapped under the heater demister

 

i find minors cramped even for a short arse like me

[dollywobbler]

Another vote for Range Rover Classic seats. Spent about 7hrs at the wheel yesterday. No problem.

 

Citroen BX gets a vote from me, but not my wife. Her odd, curvy spine is more suited to the Mini, which she finds amazingly comfortable whereas I find it painful after more than half an hour at the wheel. 2CV is good too, though the condition of the seat rubbers means no two are exactly alike. I've survived over 17hrs out of 24 at the wheel of the 2CV with no real aches. (just deafness!)

 

CX seats feel comfortable, but I find them lacking in lumbar support after a while. Lots of modern cars have seats that seem to have been hewn from granite. I do not like firm seats. Peugeot 205 GTi seats are pretty comfortable, but you don't really get to appreciate that because the side bolster has ripped a chunk out of your leg as you clambered aboard.

[scooters]

Volvo 960 - very comfy - dare I say more so than Saab - 960s made for big yank bottoms

 

Citroen BX seats are also bery comfortable as are CX and XM

[theorganist]

The most comfortable seats I have experienced were those in my Rover 825SLD just the right amount of softness and subtleness. My mark 1 Orion and Sierra were also very comfortable.

 

I would definately say the seats in the Renault 14 are very comfortable in the typically French way very soft but also don't give me any problems on a long journey, the Maxi was the same.

 

I recently had a ride in a nearly new BMW 5 series with leather seats. Quite frankly I thought they were awful it was like sitting on a concrete slab! I was glad I was only in the car for fifteen minutes. I don't quite understand this obsession with hard seats, modern trains are the same. Maybe I am just used to the softness of the cars I have recently owned from the 1970's!

[Pete-M]

I prefer slightly harder seats as they stay more comfortable for longer in my experience.

 

Soft and flobberly ones are nice to sink into, the Jeep seats feel really comfy when I first get in, but after an hour or so I'm wishing they had more support.

 

The XJ and Rangie seats are a bit harder and although they're not as comfy initially they support a lot better on a long run. Jag ones often surprise me with how much harder they are than I expect, and then 1/2 hour later I've forgotten all about it.

 

I had a Merc W124 with leather for a year or so. Seats like granite, but it was comfy on a long run, just had zero cornering support.

 

The least comfortable seats evah for me are the ones in the Ford Cougar. Built by Lear so they should be comfy, but a Cougar is the only car to have properly put my back out to the extent where I was off work for a week after driving one.

[M'coli]

Oddly enough, Triumph Dolomite seats are pretty good. I can't comment on the Dolomite's seating position, my Dolomite seats were in an Imp!

The Cavalier fits me just about perfect, and I find the seats comfy enough. I agree with Albert about modern Vauxhall sport seats, I last about half an hour in them before I start suffering real pain in my right leg (it's an old injury to the muscle sheath, amongst other things). Polo Gti seats are similar, I test drove one with a view to buying 2 years ago and knew I was going to be in pain within 5 minutes.

The current crop of VW seats are too narrow across the shoulders for me to sit comfortably, I had this problem with teh Polo estate that I bought after the GTi experience - the leg bit was fine, but the back wasn't.

Rover seats are pretty good, as are Peugeot 106 seats. The Ducato's are ok, but too hard and the driver's seat doesn't go low enough.

[face]

I've had a couple of oldish Jap hot hatches - a 323 GT and a Lancer Gti, both had fantastically comfortable seats

[theorganist]

I prefer slightly harder seats as they stay more comfortable for longer in my experience.

 

Soft and flobberly ones are nice to sink into

 

I did have a mark 1 Astra with hard seats which after a long journey did get more comfortable. I suppose it is just the first impression you get with soft seats!

[ashmicro]

BAD:

 

Citroen AX Diesel - gave me lower back pain in about 10 miles (which took about half an hour). The seat was too soft, and the pedals were too close together, too small and at an angle.

 

Ferrari 308 (The Magnum jobbie) - when I got the seat back far enough to reach the pedals comfortably, I had to twist slightly and lean forward to reach the gearlever. Nice Strada/Regata switches, though. My mate was given the car as payment for a debt. It was shit.

 

Any VAG SEAT. For a car actually CALLED SEAT, they are way too hard for me. I dont like the gearchange, and the steering is weird on the 1st gen Leon. 1.4 gutless, thirsty and noisy.

 

GOOD:

 

Rover Metro GTa/GTi. Brilliant comfy seats, lovely positioning of pedals, gearchange etc.

 

Rover 25 - as above, plus GR32 tactile surfaces.

 

Jag X Type SE - took me an age to get the seat position right, and then I forgot to save it - D'OH! However, once right it's excellent.

 

BEST OF EVAH:

 

2nd gen Montego - Whoever designed the car's interior must have done so around a person of precisely my dimensions and weight. Singularly the most perfect driving position I have ever experienced. My LX version was better than the MG 2.0i, which I can only assume was down to softer suspension.