I am genuinely freaked out by people who are totally fine with buying a car online – sight unseen, no test drive – and just having it show up. You don’t want to at least sit in an example first? I don’t know about you, but when I sit in a new or unfamiliar car, I can instantly identify ergonomic hitches that are going to annoy me to varying degrees, or may even be deal-breakers for considering the car.
Chief amongst the deal-breakers is seat comfort, of course, or lack thereof. I doubt any manufacturer is shipping cars with objectively uncomfortable seats, but not all backsides are the same, and some seats just feel off depending on one’s unique butt curvature, density, and durometer (not to mention shoulder width, torso length, etc.). I for one cannot abide an overly enthusiastic lumbar support. If I plop into the driver’s seat and feel like I forgot to take off a fanny pack, that’s an instant nope.
One of the most apparently comfortable cars I’ve owned was a Ford Country Squire wagon as seen in the topshot. I acquired it from my Dad, and fully expected its lack of dynamic driving excitement to be made up for by sheer comfort. And the big wagon was indeed comfortable as a stationary chair, but awful to actually drive. The split front bench offered no support anywhere (on top of being covered in slippery vinyl), so I had to put a hand down on the bench or brace my shoulder against the door to corner at anything over 30mph. Sadly, highway cruising wasn’t much better. After about an hour or so, the soft seats had me squirming to reposition my butt-bones to alleviate the hot, sore spots that were steadily eroding my will to live.
How about you? What car were you most surprised to find was uncomfortable as hell, or vice-versa? The Autopian is asking!
Top graphic: Imperial Motorcars
I must be jaded; I haven’t been surprised by a single thing for twenty years.
Shockingly uncomfortable: The W177 A-Class sedan. Sure, it was MB’s cheapest offering when it was still sold in the States, it’s small so there’s only so much the suspension can do, and German cars have a (well-earned, in my experience) reputation for being stiff, but goddammit I expected better from Mercedes. Despite being notorious for an Iron Ass, I felt like I’d ridden on one of those old Serbian city buses with wooden benches for seats… for hours.
Shockingly comfortable: Unironically my Chevy Spark. I’ve made several New England – Midwest road trips (typically 15-19 hours) in a single sitting, stopping only for gas and a snack, and all I needed was a good night’s sleep at my destination to be good as new the next day and ready to drive more.
The Ford Flex. Hated it. Rode 7 hours from Georgia into North Carolina in the middle row and hated every second of it. The roofline was too low, the seat too hard, too flat. It was a major bummer because, to me, that was the perfect car: a wagon with an available twin-turbo V6? Amazing!
Surprisingly comfortable: Chevy Express cargo van. I drove one when I worked for an art museum on regular 100 mile round trips between the museum and the foundation that funded us transporting art and other supplies. That thing was one of my most pleasant driving experiences. So comfortable.
I had an Express as my first work van and agree on the comfort. None since have equaled that worn out thing.
Especially hate the Ford Transit I just got: 20 min in, and I’m squirming
I used a Transit for moving boxes (so, I know that it isn’t a prime example) from Boston to Bridgeport, which is around a six hour-ish drive. Wasn’t impressed with the seat comfort, driving dynamics, power, any of it. You can’t beat the rock solid simplicity of the Express.
They have the throttle mapping set so it feels peppy at first, but once you drive it around awhile, you realize that it’s actually pretty gutless. And, even with TCS off, it won’t pull the proverbial greasy string out…
The seating position, I think, has a bit to do with steering wheel placement—and limited range of adjustments for it.
Grumble – grumble…
Surprisingly Uncomfortable: The multi-way power driver seat in a fully-optioned ’99 Blazer. The identical passenger seat was fine. The problem was that in the driving position, there was absolutely no seat position that didn’t somehow hurt my back or shoulders. My wife who mainly drove the car had no issues, so it must have been a “me problem”.
Surprisingly comfortable: The seats in a Land Rover Discovery I. Often criticized for being too flat/not particularly supportive; I found them to be quite nice on long trips, and not having overly large bolsters meant you didn’t have to haul yourself up and over them or risk wearing the seams out from sliding over them all the time when getting in and out of a taller-than-average vehicle. And yet, they were comfortable and kept you in place during more spirited cornering and high-speed curves than you’d think a tall, heavy vehicle should be able to handle. (The original Land Rover coil-spring suspension is remarkably capable not only off-road but for on-road handling; the vehicle’s CG is lower than it looks due to all the heavy bits being concentrated at, or close to, frame level.)
I rented a very new 2010 Camry for our honeymoon. We were driving from our home outside Chicago down to New Orleans, with a stopover in Memphis.
I knew I was in trouble when I didn’t make it out of the Chicago area without being in pain. After 100 miles I stopped at a rural Walmart and bought a gel cushion and a little pillow. They helped, but by the time we got to Memphis, I was in excruciating pain. We swapped it at the Memphis airport for a W-body Impala which was SOOOOOO much more comfortable!
I was gonna say most comfortable was a W-body Impala. I got one as a rental on a work trip. Man that thing was plush. A cloud on wheels. Drove it from San Diego to the San Fernando Valley and back. It just ate up the highway miles and was just so comfortable. A canyon carver it isn’t, but as a highway bomber it was amazing.
Yeah, that thing was great! What a contrast from that torture chamber of a Camry.
Another time I also had a Camry as a rental (I think the same generation you rented), another work trip but just for a few miles from airport to hotel to office, etc. Didn’t have much time to be comfortable.
But, this was right after the whole Toyota unintended acceleration debacle. Toyota had patched all the cars so that if you floored it and then hit the brakes at the same time, it would stop with the signal from the gas pedal. On a deserted stretch of highway I did that. At 60 I floored it and as I was accelerating I stood up on the brake pedal. Sure enough, you could feel when the throttle pedal stopped signaling. That was fun.
I took a trip to Arizona back in 2019. I reserved a Mazda 3 (or similar) as our car for the week. Turns out, (or similar) translates to a Kia Forte.
The positive: Pretty decent gas mileage.
The negative: After 2 hours of driving, upon exiting, my hips hurt so much it was challenging to walk. And I was still in my 40s back then. I felt like a 70+ year-old.
That car was terrible.
I know, it was a cheap Kia.
But I was expecting a Mazda 3. So it was unexpectedly uncomfortable.
I had a ’93 Ford Ranger and holy moley were the seats uncomfortable. Sold it after less than a year because of that. Not unexpected but I once got a ride in my high school fantasy bedroom poster car- a Testarossa… many that thing was miserable. I could feel the heat on my back, noisy and with a jarring ride and loud AF.
The Mrs. has a Ford Edge Titanium with all the options. I cannot adjust the drivers seat to be comfortable at all. Hate driving it for more than 1/2 hour.
Most comfortable – My parents have had a number of Lincoln Town Cars, the cushiest was a 1988, grey with grey velour interior. That thing floated down the road.
2000 Subaru Outback Limited. My grandfather’s second car, at the time, when I borrowed it to drive from New Hampshire to Ithaca to see my folks because my 740 Turbo was on borrowed time and went about 70% as far on a gallon of gas.
That car had every option, I think – weather-band CD stereo, dual sunrooves, heated leather seats. Seats that left me unable to stand upright at the three-hour halfway mark. Only a couple of Civics (’94 and ’01) have come close to being that unsupportive, in my experience. Hell, it’d be a tough call versus my Yaris, even though I agree with Lewin’s take on the throttle and lack of cruise control (https://www.theautopian.com/i-made-the-ultimate-oil-change-mistake-and-nearly-ruined-my-girlfriends-toyota-yaris/).
(That heap-of-shit Volvo, though? Heaters didn’t work, leather looked like a balverine had been at it, but still super-comfy.)
We rented a 2023(?) Chevy Malibu and it was … Perfect. Comfortable, good visibility, ergonomic controls, peppy enough engine. We were impressed enough that it moved onto our test drive list if our daily gets totaled.
About ten years ago I got a Vauxhall Astra as a hire car, and chronic back pain half an hour later, the seats were awful.
I also had a Vauxhall Vectra company car for a while in the late 90’s and the seats were OK but the front and rear suspension was wildly mismatched: you’d roll ove a bump with the front wheels without feeling a thing, then the rear of the car would get kicked up by it.
On the other hand: my 2CV was great, many all day drives in that with no problems.
My MX5 with Sparco race bucket seats and four-point harnesses was comfy enough that I could drive it all day and only stop for fuel and food. It so comfortable that I tried sleeping in it over night at a track once, which was a mistake. Terrible neck pain.
My Elise and Europa both have non adjustable GRP seats and yet both were/are amazingly comfortable. Surprisingly good ride quality too, even though the Elise had the Lotus Sport suspension.
I just inherited a Europa. The seat is fine once I get my 6’2” body into it. Unfortunately I have to remove one shoe to get both feet on the pedals.
I assume yours is a classic Europa? They’re the cool ones, but really tiny.
Mine is a 2006 and is like a more comfortable Elise. Still tiny, but way bigger than the original.
It is a classic Europa. I tried to talk my dad into a more modern Lotus, but he had wanted an original since they were new.
A friend had a company leased new Escalade about 5 years back. We were involved in organizing an event and I was sent to pick up some victims from the airport. He passed me his keys suggesting his vehicle had more room than my Golf. This truck (being kind here, coulda said tractor or wheel barrow) was about $125K CDN as he had it optioned. WOW, what a POS. The first thing that struck me was the road noise, like no insulation? I think this was a 2018 model, but it was still GM/Fischer Price in the interior, but just covered up with some book leather. Used the auto function to open the hatch to load luggage, then it refused to close. Finally got some compliance, but it was not fully latched so we all had to listen to that too on the freeway back. Only upon arrival did the warning light indicate the hatch wasn’t properly closed.
The actual driving experience was miserable. I totally felt a sense of servitude piloting this thing. Why do people accept this? I guess it’s why they call this a baller truck. Ballers are dumb enough…
My ’99 Toyota Tacoma had a single 2.5 person bench seat that put me in intense pain if I drive it for more than a few minutes. I used the vehicle for camping adventures across California but I left it in my tiny-shared-3 car garage as I took either MUNI or BART back and forth to work M-F. Eventually I found an awesome staunch metal and cloth contraption that made rides tolerable once installed.
I tried a Taco that I don’t think was quite that old. Maybe mid aughts? early teens? From all the adoration I had heard about them, I was excited.
I could barely get in the vehicle. I had to duck my head, but was somehow still uncomfortably low in the seat, which didn’t support anything.
After that, it didn’t matter if it created gold nuggets and could off-road in Siberia. I was out.
Yeah, I test drove a 2018 (3rd gen) a few years back. Great looking truck, but the seat is way too low. It was like sitting in my old Trans Am. Even at only 5’10 I wasn’t comfortable. The new ones are supposed to be much improved; they have a taller cab for a higher seating position.
We had rented a first gen (2000-ish) through Truro in Utah a few years back, it was a fun ruck to drive, but the seating was the same, we had a 6-hour drive but had to stop every 2 to get out and stretch.
The design of the early Toyota 4×4 pickups included a high floor height to give more ground clearance at the expense of passenger room. They actually had different frames for the 2wd trucks, which sat much lower.
The Jeep TJ was surprisingly comfortable. I had to try one because I’ve wanted one for a long time, but they are ridiculously overpriced. I thought maybe if I try one and it ends up being as uncomfortable and utilitarian as it looks, then I’ll hate it and never want one again; but it turns out to be one of the most comfortable cars for a big guy like me. The most uncomfortable cars were actually two: the Mazda MX-5 and Porsche 911. Those cars are not made for people over 6 feet, which is a shame.
A vehicle that was both? I drove a Saturn Astra as a dealer loaner. The seats themselves were very pleasant and the vehicle fun to drive. But the single (!) cup holder was so awkwardly placed that it was *both* hard to reach *and* rendered the center console unusable as an arm rest.
The third-generation Acura TL’s seats fit my body very well. The BMW E60 “comfort seats”, meanwhile, were impossible to find a comfortable position in. I like the 2013-2017 Accord seats (though I’ve never done a truly long trip in them), but the similar-era Mazda6 had some strangely bolstered seats; I remember trying to sit in one at a car show and being disappointed. I really wanted to like that car. Maybe the facelifted ones are different?
Renault R16. The first hatchback. Very comfortable seats and a smooth ride.
I remember driving my Dad’s Marquis of the same vintage, and it was absolutely miserable…all of it.
Meanwhile, my 2015 Fit has been a perfect…fit…for over a decade. It’s the Goldilocks solution.
One thing I’ve learned is you can’t tell by looking at them. From best to worst in my opinion, but everybody’s different.
1988 911 Carrera w/ sport seats. Incredible.
1983 Lincoln Mark VI. A delight. So soft, but with depth.
1993 Lexus SC300. Excellent.
2015 Peugeot 508. Great seats, suspension also super comfortable.
2001 E320 wagon, standard seats. Pretty darn good.
2010 E550 sedan, multicountour. Worse than the standard seats, not terrible.
2015 Highlander. Fine, but after four hours you’re squirming.
1976 450SEL, orthopedic option. People say it’s good for you, it’s all lies. The Grape Nuts of seats.
1989 FJ62. Lovely vehicle, seats are too small.
1998 Subaru Outback. One positive, a good place to watch the head gasket blow.
2001 330ci, sport seats. A torture device. Made me think I had gout in my back.
Your experience is EXACTLY why I have hated every American barge I have ever driven. Seats that are comfortable as hell for a test drive around the block, but torture devices after an hour or so. And then there is the inevitable nausea-inducing ride.
My car that is FAR more comfortable than one would ever expect is my Triumph Spitfire. Despite being 4/5ths the size of a Miata, it is roomy and has quite comfortable seats. It also rides really well on it’s Koni reds and fat sidewall tires for a tiny car.
My comfort nadir is the circa 1993 Ford Tempo rentalcar. I don’t expect much of basic cars, but I also don’t expect a steel bar in the seat back perfectly placed to jab my shoulders. Fortunately when I told Hertz “no Tempo” I got a Ford Probe which was fine and the Contour a few years later was comfortable
Your Ford experiences reminded me that the post facelift first generation Fusion was a marvelous car, with comfort good visibility, nice controls, and a good size. We rented them frequently when we lived in NYC.
I would hope the Fusion was good since it was basically a Mazda6 in a Blue Oval
Point taken!
I’ve got that Fusion in my fleet – Mazda motor and manual transmission. It is surprisingly comfortable and fun to drive.
The year I graduated high school my parents rented an ‘08 Caravan for a family road trip up the California coast. We had an ‘01 Pontiac Montana and most of our friends and family also had minivans. I’d been in most brands of minivan by that point, including my best friends parents old Caravan.
The rental was shockingly bad, worse than any minivan I’d been in before or since. Noisy on the highway, talking with the third row was basically not possible. The engine was terrifyingly slow, and the slush box had horrible gear spacing. Coming up through the hills of Northern California, the van was constantly either banging off the rev limiter in 2nd when we tried to pass trucks, or struggling to lug along in 3rd, ultimately unable to maintain a safe speed, at which point it would violently shift back down to 2nd and be on the receipt limiter again. The ride was harsh, worse than our 160k mile Pontiac. The seats were hard and weirdly shaped, and my dad, who never complained about seats, was vocal in his displeasure. And the blind spots…you could hide a Honda accord in the blind spots. Which actually happened when some dude cut us off and we ran an Accord off the road. Fun times
Another one that was surprisingly bad was a super clean ‘89 S10 Tahoe I owned and daily’ed for a while. I’m well familiar with how compact pickups drive…I’ve had Toyotas, this S10 and now have a ‘97 Ranger I’m thrilled with. The S10 was easily the worst riding of the bunch and I could never figure out why. I tried new shocks, smaller rims (back to stock) with taller profile tires, everything I could think of. Still, it bucked and bounced horribly. Part of the reason I sold it.
That vintage of Caravan was one of the most miserable cars I’ve ever driven. Ironically, the Pacifica that replaced it might be my favorite minivan to date from a driving/comfortable perspective
Porsche Panamera. The seat bolsters are adjustable, but not enough, and they’re very stiff on the old tuchus
The 2004 Saturn Vue my wife used to drive was uncomfortable for a reason I’ve never experienced before or since: The gas pedal. Something about the angle of it and the spring weight meant after a long drive the top of your foot would be sore from constantly lifting your foot toes-up the entire time. Any long drive where I couldn’t use cruise control would leave me with a sore right foot.
I took a car service from Manhattan to the Newark airport. The rear air shocks in the Lincoln Town Car were toast and every expansion joint went straight up my spine.