Us driving enthusiasts know that comfortable seats are more important for driving comfort than the average driver. I am interested in knowing which factory seats are comfortable to you guys, even if most people find them average. I'm not necessarily talking about the Recaros in the new Focus and Fiesta STs either.
For me, the passenger seat I bought out of a 4th gen Camaro is surprisingly bolstered and comfortable, especially for a GM (muscle car) product. It was understandably way less worn than the driver seat.
My protege5 seats are incredibly comfy.
I used Lincoln mk8 seats in the duster and they are easily the most comfy seats ive ever owned.
The stock worn out bench in my 64 elky is shockingly comfortable.
Yeah, Volvo 850/v70 seats are great, and are power adjustable with memory settings that only needs a +12v to function. (All controls built into the seat.) They tend to be heated too which is just another +12v line.
Down side is they're heavy. You can get manual seats that are lighter.
Aspen
Reader
6/17/14 1:14 p.m.
A vote here for Saab seats at least the Aero seats from the last 9-3. Also JDM Subaru STi seats are very good provided you are JDM sized.
The seats in the MazdaSpeed 3 are awesome. So are most seats in the VW GTI.
The seats in the FC Turbo and FD are also quite good but the newer seats like in the MS3 are better.
88-92 MX6 GT seats.
90-93 Celica GTS/AllTrac seats.
Mid 80's Toyota truck bench seats. Remarkably comfortable. Coming close behind them, tractor seats. I can spend days at a time in either.
Most over rated seats imo, Volvo. Especially the 850 and 70 series. Seem designed by the same people who design seats for airplanes. I would not want to take one on a cross country jaunt.
None of which has to do with holding me in place while I'm flinging the car around the cones. Then I want bolstering to hold me in place, which may not be comfortable. Especially if we're talking about all day driving comfortable.
WRX or STI seats. I'm still amazed that they fit in the Forester/Legacy/Impreza's.
Mazda MX-3 seats, 92-95 Civic seats, mid 80's Toyota Celica seats (I had a pair of these in a Toyota pickup).
The seats in the Miata ('90) were great if you remember to take into account the low-ness of them. It's like it was made for my butt.
...of course, everyone's butt is different, so opinions will vary...
In reply to amg_rx7:
the rx7 seats are great for people who are Japanese sized. I am 6'4" I can assure you (to me) that they are not quite good.
I like Acura TL leather seats, BMW, Mercedes, WRX Momo seat is nice.
The sport seats in my 9-5 Aero are very nice.
So far, the most comfortable seat I have driven in is one from a late 10th generation Ford Thunderbird. It almost seems like the engineers designed those seats just for me. Sitting in them feels like a thin slice of heaven.
'10+ Mustang. Most comfortable car seats I've ever sat in. Also note that I'm oddly-proportioned, so there's that.
The 83-85 Toyota Supras had great seats (with pump-up lumbar bladders) unfortunately they didn't hold up very well over time.
The 1987 / 88 VW Jetta GLI had some of the best seats ever. Power operated Recaros in black leather and grey "mouse fur"
Ian F
UltimaDork
6/17/14 3:10 p.m.
foxtrapper wrote:
Mid 80's Toyota truck bench seats. Remarkably comfortable. Coming close behind them, tractor seats. I can spend days at a time in either.
Most over rated seats imo, Volvo. Especially the 850 and 70 series. Seem designed by the same people who design seats for airplanes. I would not want to take one on a cross country jaunt.
Agree on the former, disagree on the latter.
My '86 Toyota p/u bench was surprisingly not bad. Granted, I sold the truck 15 years ago, so my memory may be fuzzy...
The ex-g/f's '96 850 wagon seats were stunningly comfortable. An hour-plus ride was nothing. Conversely, the seats in her 1800ES were murder on my back whenever I drove that car.
BMW sport seats are a mixed bag. For as supportive as they are, they're pretty good, but even for someone of relatively slight stature, they don't leave much room for mid-trip repositioning during a long driving stint.
Some BMW sport seats are good, some jab me in my wide, child-bearing hips. For this reason the Recaros in the Focus and Fiesta are absolutely out.
I think the seats in my V70R are average with nicer/softer material that I am use to (Atacama). My wife thinks they are the greatest seats in the world.
Anything Swedish has an amazingly comfortable seat.
Joe Gearin wrote:
The 83-85 Toyota Supras had great seats (with pump-up lumbar bladders) unfortunately they didn't hold up very well over time.
The 1987 / 88 VW Jetta GLI had some of the best seats ever. Power operated Recaros in black leather and grey "mouse fur"
Recaro's! I had a set in my Cabby. Just look at those awesomely old seats.
