Jump to content

Car Seats


idun
 Share

Recommended Posts

Over the last couple of days I have been visiting family and done several hundred miles of driving.

We don't have a new car, a second hand Berlingo, which we bought when we were moving as there is lots of room for shifting stuff, AND is still being used for carting DIY things around. And yet, I was very comfy on my drive.

Friends have new cars, or almost new and they cost a fortune, and yet, when I have sat in them, even on shortish journeys the seats have not been comfy, even the leather ones.

So which car has the most comfy seats, I have decided that this is rather important to me, economy, reliability and comfort.

I remember being told years ago that french cars had the most comfy seats, was this ever true and is this still true?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For reasons beyond the understanding of us normal folk, manufacturers have somehow decided that rock hard seats are best. Apparently it gives an impression of quality?

This started with VAG cars (VW, Audi etc) and has spread to most other manufacturers now as they try to imitate the "quality" feel VW are supposed to have inside.

IMO the best seats and seating positions are found in Volvo cars - They were very much into proper ergonomics decades ago when many other manufacturers had never heard of the word.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best seats? Saab. Always Saab.

But Saab is no more so we ended up with a Merc after trying bone-shaking test drives in Audis and various other makes. It seems to be all part of the "how fast will it go around the Nurburgring?" fixation that some motoring writers (and hence car makers) have.

I have heard and read that the main French manufacturers (especially Citroen) have opted for harder rides and less comfort than they used to (and which made their name).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well thankyou one and all, because I found that the seats in these up market cars my friends have are hard, far too hard for my taste.

 Is it to keep the driver awake? too much comfort may result in feeling drowsy? What about the passengers, although I prefer driving to being the passenger, for all I am not interested in cars, I like driving.

I would have loved a Saab 99, I am not someone who is bothered about cars, but Saabs always looked good and solid and reliable to me, but it was not to be. I didn't mind the old volvos, but the new ones just look like most other cars to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I could only get a 25-year old Volvo 240 with a nice low mileage and otherwise in good condition, I'd buy it right now. Not only were the seats really comfortable (and the front seats were heated), it also had that ventilation system that let you warm your feet and have nice cold air on your face.

Why do we accept that newer is better? There's a lot of evidence that it isn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="AnOther"]Speak for yourself !

I've always found VW (and now Skoda) seats perfectly comfortable and I'm talking over several 100's of thousands of miles.

[/quote]

Another (excuse the pun)  thumbs up for Skoda seats...  we bought an Octavia estate towards the end of 2014 and have done a couple of drives down to the Lot (around 650 miles each way) and found them to be excellent.

However, comfort is in the eye (or bottom) of the beholder. I'm a keen cyclists and participate on cycling forums. The question of what saddle is recommended is regularly asked. It's pretty much a waste of time as what works for one, won't work for another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely right about the comfort of Saabs, Pickles! We had a couple of Saabs which each lasted us years and years, only changing them when large bills began to rear their ugly heads, but hated losing each one. As you mentioned, that marque sadly came to an end. The seats were supremely comfortable, and the cars always felt special. Ours were 9000s, but I always fancied a 900, like Idun.

The Porsche also had extremely comfortable seats, really good for bad backs, but creaky knees made getting in and out of it more and more difficult, otherwise we would still have it, I think.

We moved to a Prius when our last Saab went, and initially I found the shape of the seats uncomfortable, not good for doing long distances to the south of France, especially with my bad back. However, I soon got used to it and find it very comfortable.

My current car is a VW Polo, as was my previous one, both OK, but the previous one had more comfortable seats than this one. However, I don't drive far in it, and bought it very cheaply from my SIL when she had to give up driving. I sold my old one through 'We want any car' and got a pretty good price for it.

Having had a 90 minute train journey, followed by a plane journey of about the same length today, I've had a really painful back, but during the 90 minute or so drive home in the Prius, it worked it's magic and I'm now very comfortable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="idun"]Well thankyou one and all, because I found that the seats in these up market cars my friends have are hard, far too hard for my taste.

 Is it to keep the driver awake? too much comfort may result in feeling drowsy? What about the passengers, although I prefer driving to being the passenger, for all I am not interested in cars, I like driving.

I would have loved a Saab 99, I am not someone who is bothered about cars, but Saabs always looked good and solid and reliable to me, but it was not to be. I didn't mind the old volvos, but the new ones just look like most other cars to me.


[/quote]

Sorry to tell you that Volvo were owned by Ford and the latter models were based on the Mondeo chassis. It is now owned by the Chinesse.

A good Saab 99 will cost you between £15k and £18k these days. Clarkson did a very good 'tribute' piece on Top Gear about Saabs when they went bust and rated them as one of the best makes of cars in the world and in particular the 99.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/1664360796001

Enjoy

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The most comfortable seats I have ever had were in my Citroën Diane and SWMBOs' 2CV. We collected our new G C4 Picasso just over a week ago and the seats in that are very comfortable too, but I would still go for the Diane and 2CV for both comfort and fun!!

The longest drive I have ever done was in my Diane. From Lake Garda to Le Harve in one go. About 720 miles. Knick-knacked? Yes, but not uncomfortable and the only stops were for fuel and the odd sandwich, about 14 hours... I went through the Mont Blanch tunnel, before the horrific fire, and swore that I would never do that again!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had 5 Jag XJ's to date, all very comfy, even the 3 supercharged XJR's were very nice.

We also currently have a Volvo V70, that too is comfy.

However, my vote goes to my own new toy, a Bentley.

My good lady calls it the quickest leather lounge you can buy. It even has massaging seats!

As for French cars, I was always of the impression that they had softer suspension than other makes.

The most firm ride is probably the German marques.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just driven 1500km each way to the UK (with stops admittedly,  but 6-7 jours per day) in my Peugeot 207 SW and the only thing that played up was my left  hip with so little exercise. 

As far as I am concerned, height, depth and ability to be adjusted are more important than softness / hardness of the seat, though in a British winter I loved my heated Volvo 340 (sadly now gone to that ocean in the sky!) driver's seat!

Progress backwards, as usual!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="vette"]

As for French cars, I was always of the impression that they had softer suspension than other makes.

The most firm ride is probably the German marques.[/quote]

Vette, we have a Peugeot 3008 and I can confirm the suspension is not in the least bit classed as soft, it will find any imperfection in the road and jolt you all over the place. Even some of the reviews when it first came out said "suspension only just acceptable" On a good flat road it is good but with of the state of the roads now-days its not comfortable.

We had a C5 before and that was superb. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The comment about the C5 reminded me of something I read or saw. At horse racing tracks (in the U at least) they always use the Citroen cars with the liquid height adjustment system to do the race filming because they jolt the least giving a stable platform to film from. Some versions of the Range Rover use a similar system which is why they are the prefered vehicle when they need to film at faster speeds like TV motoring programs. A friend of mine a C5 and it is comfortable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Quillan"]The comment about the C5 reminded me of something I read or saw. At horse racing tracks (in the U at least) they always use the Citroen cars with the liquid height adjustment system to do the race filming because they jolt the least giving a stable platform to film from. Some versions of the Range Rover use a similar system which is why they are the prefered vehicle when they need to film at faster speeds like TV motoring programs. A friend of mine a C5 and it is comfortable.[/quote]

Many years ago they used the big Citroen estates because as you say the suspension was very soft, but now days they can use anything, as they use stabilized remote control heads.

Just a thought on the subject of comfort in cars, lots of people forget the wheels and tyres, big flash alloy wheels and skinny tyres give a hard bumpy ride. When I bought my car I specified small wheels big tyres as we spend quite a bit of our time in France following behind tractors who tend to leave lots of mud on the roads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Quillan"]

[quote user="idun"]Well thankyou one and all, because I found that the seats in these up market cars my friends have are hard, far too hard for my taste.

 Is it to keep the driver awake? too much comfort may result in feeling drowsy? What about the passengers, although I prefer driving to being the passenger, for all I am not interested in cars, I like driving.

I would have loved a Saab 99, I am not someone who is bothered about cars, but Saabs always looked good and solid and reliable to me, but it was not to be. I didn't mind the old volvos, but the new ones just look like most other cars to me.

[/quote]

Sorry to tell you that Volvo were owned by Ford and the latter models were based on the Mondeo chassis. It is now owned by the Chinesse.

A good Saab 99 will cost you between £15k and £18k these days. Clarkson did a very good 'tribute' piece on Top Gear about Saabs when they went bust and rated them as one of the best makes of cars in the world and in particular the 99.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/1664360796001

Enjoy

 

[/quote]

I saw that program, but really £15k to £18k? Do you actually know how much that sounds, it is a fortune, or maybe it is just because I lived in France, there is so much to this than 'just' those figures. [:-))]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fair number of marques like VW, Porsche  etc featured Recaro seats, sometimes un badged for normal cars, I am sure it is where the very shapely but sometimes harder seat idea came from.  The S40 Volvo reputed to be comfortable gave me backache after a while but the previous owner was a fat blob so probably put many more miles of them than their actual age. The same vehicle the Mitsubishi lack of Carisma had the same seats as Ford must have begun to go cheap then but the mondeo chasis version was much better as it's a fleet vehicle it must have good driving attributes. The others Volvo's are mainly Ford focus based so still a good chassis.

Saab, now defunct (again) but was working on electric cars with a Chinese partnership making 9-3's after being sold by Spiker who got stiffed by GM in court (US court so what did they expect)

I used to like watching Morris minors from the back, the car used to stay still but the passengers bounced up and down [:)]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RAF used to use BL Ambassadors as pool cars and they were jolly comfortable. Hysrospastic suspension and big comfy seats.

As I said before it's all rather personal really like beds, some like it hard and others soft (the mattress that is [;-)] ). Seats with adjustable lumbar supports are quite good for the over 60's as is neck and shoulder support to stop neck and back ache on long drives. Having had some very expensive cars compared to Bentley's in my long distant past I can assure you that the more money spent does not ensure a good seat or a good ride.

By the way I was watching some horse racing today and noticed that they still use Citroens like I said. [:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...