#seating

Modern car seats are notoriously uncomfortable. We can blame manufacturers for cutting costs while seeking to standardize snazzier equipment elsewhere. Buyers often don’t consider the importance of seat comfort, especially when they’re only spending 10 minutes on a test drive. However, worsening road conditions have made us long for prior decades when car companies went overboard with the springs and foam. 

The industry knows this and the phenomenon may even help explain the popularity of crossover vehicles, which often have softer suspensions than their sedan counterparts. But Honda is working on something that would bring the buffering inside the cabin. 

Thanks to all who answered the call and filled Piston Slap’s coffers with queries. We’re good for a while, so let’s do this thing.

Pete writes:

Greetings Sajeev,

Last winter I bought a lightly used, CPO Accord Sport, six-speed manual. While I do love rowing through the gears and revving the hell out of it, I’m thinking about getting rid of it. You see, the seats are the most uncomfortable things I have ever experienced. The headrest forces me to navel-gaze, which I believe I could fix with the right application of force, but the cushions are horribly uncomfortable and cut off my circulation. I really can’t stand sitting in it for more than about 20 minutes. I got what I believe is a really good deal on the car, so I’m not opposed to spending a few thousand if I can get that “Aaaaah” when I settle into it.

I’d consider replacing uncomfortable seats with some from a 2018 Accord sport (with power adjustment), or maybe an Acura. I’ve tried the new Accord’s seats and they’re pretty good. Before you mention it, I don’t want a new Accord… or a Civic, thanks.

Refuting everything we assumed we knew about the North American car market, some Porsche dealers are claiming the Panamera Wagon is already getting a lot of positive attention. Could that could be down to Porsche offering a more practical seating configuration?

While the rear of the Sport Turismo does provide extra storage space and easier access, it’s not a game changer over the standard sedan. What it does offer is room for five, something the German carmaker couldn’t bring itself to implement on the standard Panamera. Of course, that was likely preordained. Porsche understands most people actually care about the ability to bring all and not just some of their children with them on a journey. By omitting a seat in the sedan, it gave consumers another reason to take a look at the wagon.

I recently attended the press launch for the new Lexus RX, which is a competitively priced, midsize luxury crossover that was styled by an angry man with a sword.

At this press launch, several topics came up. For instance: why did they give the styling job to this angry sword-man? Why was he so angry? What sort of sword did he have? And when are they going to put out a new plate of shrimp for us to eat?

There was also one other topic I discussed with a few people: the fact that the Lexus RX still doesn’t have three-row seating.

As the 1966 Dodge A100 Hell Project progresses (slowly), I’m finally at the point at which T-shirts and towels draped over the trashed seats— nuked by over a decade of outdoor storage in the Colorado sun— no longer cut it. It’s time to fix ’em up!