Leading From Behind: Vehicle Seat Comfort and Owner Loyalty

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Are comfortable seats the secret behind the popularity of the Jeep Compass/Patriot siblings?

Many would argue that rock-bottom pricing and a lack of knowledge of better choices could have something to do with it, but a study by J.D. Power finds that drivers stay loyal if their seats treat them right.

In its 2016 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study, J.D. Power ranks the top cushions in each vehicle category, based on feedback from 80,000 people who bought or leased a 2017 car or light truck. Drivers were asked about any seat defect, malfunction or design problem in their vehicles.

Seats aren’t sexy. Well, the non-massaging kind, anyway. But we spend a stupid amount of time in our vehicles, and an uncomfortable seat can break a driver-vehicle relationship (in addition to our backs and asses). Reliability isn’t everything.

When asked to rate their loyalty to their vehicle, 68 percent of drivers who gave their seat comfort a perfect score said they’d “definitely” re-purchase the same vehicle. Only 45 percent of drivers who gave their seats a nine out of 10 would do the same. What about seven out of ten? Seats that are just okay? Less than one-third of drivers said they would buy the vehicle again.

The Jeep Compass and its boxier sibling will die early next year, and this study hands it a solitary accolade as it heads to the gallows. J.D. Power claims the fantastically old model has the best seats in the mass-market compact SUV category, followed close behind by the Ford Escape and Chevrolet Equinox.

The Acura RDX carried the luxury SUV field, while the Toyota 4Runner pleased the most backsides in the midsize/large SUV category. Ford’s Super Duty topped the list of mass-market trucks and vans.

Among compact cars, the funnest entry (Mazda MX-5) nailed the top spot. In the midsize/large car category, the far, far less fun (but still comfortable) Toyota Camry ranked the best. We’re not sure how many taxi drivers J.D. Power surveyed. The best luxury car seats are found in the Porsche Cayman, a vehicle that would still be fun if there was a pin in each cushion.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Frylock350 Frylock350 on Sep 02, 2016

    I think the seats in most new vehicles are generally pretty good, though there are a few exceptions in both directions. For me as long as there's a height adjustment, fore/aft tilt, and some way of reducing lumbar I'm happy. For most folks lumbar support alleviates back pain; for me it causes it. The Chevy Captiva seats are terrible. I could not get comfortable. The seats in my Silverado are fantastic. They're a good combo of soft and supportive and I can and do drive for hours upon hours in them.

  • Hemi Hemi on Sep 03, 2016

    Funny enough I have a 2016 Compass rental and surprisingly it is very comfy and nice. It's very basic, but I would take it over a Crv/rav4 due to the cheap price. Some of the worst seats I've sat in is the 2013 C and E class. I sat in a 2017 E class and we're slightly better. The Benz seats don't do it for me.

    • Sgeffe Sgeffe on Sep 06, 2016

      The seats were OK in a Compass I had a couple weeks ago. The rest of the driving position sucked!

  • 1995 SC I will say that year 29 has been a little spendy on my car (Motor Mounts, Injectors and a Supercharger Service since it had to come off for the injectors, ABS Pump and the tool to cycle the valves to bleed the system, Front Calipers, rear pinion seal, transmission service with a new pan that has a drain, a gaggle of capacitors to fix the ride control module and a replacement amplifier for the stereo. Still needs an exhaust manifold gasket. The front end got serviced in year 28. On the plus side blank cassettes are increasingly easy to find so I have a solid collection of 90 minute playlists.
  • MaintenanceCosts My own experiences with, well, maintenance costs:Chevy Bolt, ownership from new to 4.5 years, ~$400*Toyota Highlander Hybrid, ownership from 3.5 to 8 years, ~$2400BMW 335i Convertible, ownership from 11.5 to 13 years, ~$1200Acura Legend, ownership from 20 to 29 years, ~$11,500***Includes a new 12V battery and a set of wiper blades. In fairness, bigger bills for coolant and tire replacement are coming in year 5.**Includes replacement of all rubber parts, rebuild of entire suspension and steering system, and conversion of car to OEM 16" wheel set, among other things
  • Jeff Tesla should not be allowed to call its system Full Self-Driving. Very dangerous and misleading.
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  • Steve Biro I have news for everybody: I don't blame any of you for worrying about the "gummint" monitoring you... but you should be far more concerned about private industry doing the same thing.
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