Mid-Sized SUV...w/Comfortable Seats?

Joined
Feb 8, 2019
Messages
275
Location
Northern Michigan
My wife has, and always has had back issues with vehicles. I have been looking for a mid-sized SUV with comfortable seats. There is no gray area here, with-in a couple blocks on a test drive she knows. It doesn’t seem like the options are any better now than they were years ago. Generally what I am looking for,
- Can take or leave the third seat...we have grand kids but would likely use this seating only a couple times per year
- Probably prefer no GDI or turbo...but this seems to be the way things are now
- CVT or conventional tranny...could go either way I guess. Folks seem to rag on CVT’s, yet these Aisin 8-speed tranny’s that seem to be everywhere these days aren’t exactly perfect either?
- Not interested in the Big Three...

Started looking at the Pilot, Sorento, Highlander, and CX 9 but all do not offer adjustable lumbar even in the highest trim levels...so for $50K (Sorento is less) you still need a rolled up towel and pillows to stay comfortable in the passenger seat. The Telluride does offer adjustable lumbar at the highest trim level but this vehicle seems to have quite a bit of hype around it right now, and I have not ready to get into a bidding war for a Kia?

On to the luxury brands...Audi, Volvo, Lexus. We have owned a couple of Audi’s and yes the seats were comfortable and they have a luxury feel about them in the ride and handling...but you get everything else that goes along with them. Seems like this is true withe the German brands, and Volvo? So what about Lexus,

Have owned three Toyota’s over the years but not Lexus. I recently spent some time on the Club Lexus RX 350 forum and found some unhappy people...”droning” noise, vibration, sluggish 8-speed transmission wanting to down shift vs get up and go (probably tuned for fuel economy?), and a generally a lack of luxury feel given the price paid. Yes, forums can get negative...but this seemed worse than normal. It is hard to tell if one in ten are unhappy or one in 10,000?

Any thoughts on seat comfort...I know my wife would be really pissed off spending the big bucks on a vehicle and still ending up with crap seats!
 
I generally really like Volvo's seats and I rent cars/SUV's on a very regular basis. But my comfort requirements are likely quite different than hers. In the end, I find that the perforated leather heated/cooled seats in the F150 Lariat's are the most comfortable seats available, anywhere, at any price. That's why I have three of the trucks!

Ford Escapes, Edge, Ecosport and Explorers have, in my opinion, substandard seats. The Ford Expy is comfy and the Lincoln Aviator is V comfy.

Just an FYI, I generally don't like BMW seats AT ALL. I don't know what they are thinking, but it does not work for me. I'd pick a Lincoln Aviator over any BMW SUV for overall seat comfort.

Edit: Also, almost forgot, my boss has a fleet of Mercedes SUV's. I absolutely love the seats in the GL550
 
Last edited:
Although the RAV4 is still classified as a compact (two row seating) the interior size defies that description. Have you considered one with power driver's seat & lumbar adjustment? The Highlander could also be a consideration with the 3 row seating.
 
On to the luxury brands...Audi, Volvo, Lexus. We have owned a couple of Audi’s and yes the seats were comfortable and they have a luxury feel about them in the ride and handling...but you get everything else that goes along with them. Seems like this is true withe the German brands,
Wife has had her Q5 for 6+ years now. It has the sport seats which I find supportive and on the firmer side, yet still very comfortable, even on long trips. I personally prefer firmer seats as I find them more supportive. The soft seats that you sink into lack good support and end up being tiresome after a while.

It's been reliable so far. No issues, really, other than outside temp sensor that had to be replaced under warranty as it was reading incorrectly.

The only issue is with side visibility - the side view mirrors tend to block a lot of your view as you're making left/right turns. However, this is our first SUV, so I don't know - maybe they're all like that because the mirrors are much larger than on a sedan, which is my point of reference.
 
Last edited:
Go to your local VW dealership and have “her” try out the Atlas and Tiguan. Our Tiguan has very comfortable seats. And, the driver’s side has the adjustable lumbar support system. I think that you and your wife will be pleasantly surprised of how good the seats are. My wife and I both have lower back problems and our Tiguan sits real nice.
 
My experience is Lexus has comfortable seats. The lady of house had an RX300. Now NX300. Both with comfortable seats. She briefly had RX350. She and I hated it. Too big for her when parking. She downgraded to NX300 and which is closer to size of the RX300. It seems they put more thought into the NX300 vs the RX350.
 
I’d look at a Lexus or RAV4 or Sequoia that’s probably the most comfortable. Not sure about how comfortable modern Mazda are but those are the only brands I would consider.
 
The RX might do the trick. But as others have said, you gotta see what works for you.
The RX has great seats; I prefer the F Sport because they are better bolstered.
They feel smaller, but are definitely sturdier.

Good luck.
 
My Durango had incredibly comfortable seats, as does its sibling the Grand Cherokee. My parents CX-5 is super comfortable and has lumbar adjustment as well.
 
Look into this model...
20210204_125058.jpg
 
Wife and I both love the heated and adjustable lumbar in our Ram Laramie. Now if they would just figure out how to make trucks for old geezers that are not needing ladders to get inside, that would be very nice.
 
Back
Top