How comfortable are the seats?

My last company car was a Volvo S60 fully loaded. Since my motorbike accident, car comfort is big on my agenda. I need good lumbar support and so on.

The standard A5 seats didn't offer me the lumbar support I needed and after about an hour my lower back hurt. Not much though, just a niggling pain. The standard Audi seats weren't as good as the electric seats in my old Volvo. But then you aren't comparing like for like.

The standard non-electric Volvo seats are crap compared to the standard non-electric Audi seats.

The Sports seats were fantastic though. They were really comfortable and afforded me lots of good support.

I would suggest you invest in the Sports seats if you can, you won't regret it.

Highrisedrifter said:

I would suggest you invest in the Sports seats if you can, you won't regret it.

Click to expand...

Just an FYI... in the States, you can only get the Sports seats on the A5 if you opt for the S-line package (in which case they only come in black). Unlike folks in Europe, we don't get the option to purchase the Sports seats a la carte.

soledoc, FWIW... I drove an A5 for 6 months and found the regular seats to be quite comfortable.

Thanks. I would get the S5 sport seats as a stand alone option, but you can't do that in the U.S. I don't want the S line because I don't want 19" rims.

I hope I'll be happy with the standard seats. I don't have any back problems so hopefully it won't be a big deal. I did test drive the new A4 and didn't hate the seats, but they definitely weren't as good as my volvo seats. Even my '98 volvo V70R seats are super comfortable.

Highrisedrifter said:

The standard non-electric Volvo seats are crap compared to the standard non-electric Audi seats.

Click to expand...

I had an S60 D5 SE from 2002-2005 and the seats were absolutely fantastic ... up until my A5 I've never had anything like them.

The standard seats in A3's/A4's were bloody awful as there's hardly any adjustment at all.

I have the sports seats in my A5 with the full electric adjustment (but no memory) and I really couldn't ask for anything more.

On the UK spec the standard seats don't, so far as I'm aware, have any electrical adjustment at all ... is this true on the US spec?

TuffLittleUnit said:

On the UK spec the standard seats don't, so far as I'm aware, have any electrical adjustment at all ... is this true on the US spec?

Click to expand...

No. The standard seats on US spec A5 models have full electrical adjustment, including the headrests.

So how do the U.S. standard seats compare to the U.K. non-electric standard seats? Is there a difference. I guess I'm really looking for someone who's driven a U.S. volvo seat and and U.S. standard A5 seat.

I can't attest to the Volvo seats, but the wife and I took a short trip this weekend in her new 2009 A5, about 300 miles each way. Near the end of the trip I commented to her how comfortable the seats and ride had been. After a few hours I'm usually squirming to find a more comfortable position, but there was none of that in the A5. She previously had a Porsche Boxster and it was no where as comfortable on a long drive.

PS The car created quite a stir with the valet staff at the hotel we stayed at. They kept others waiting while they looked over the car....all positive and complimentary comments.


2009 Sahara Gray with Linen interior

gk2410 said:

PS The car created quite a stir with the valet staff at the hotel we stayed at. They kept others waiting while they looked over the car....all positive and complimentary comments.

Click to expand...

One thing I love about the A5 is that it looks like it costs so much more than it does, if you know what I mean?

Damn, it's such a gorgeous car.

LOL, yeah. I know loads of other cars with a 1.8 engine that cost £32,000

Seriously, I agree. It also looks much bigger than it actually is ... although I do find that it gets much wider when parking in supermarket car parks with battered Renault Scenics on each side (my doors! my doors!)

Professor Ian can probably write us a formula which expresses the perceived width of the A5 as coefficient of the mean average of fugliness of the cars on both sides.

I prefer the standard seats

I know the sports seats look a bit cooler, and have that bit that you can lift up under your thighs if they are feeling a bit tired... however, the sports seats are a little restrictive around the quads for me, and I find the standard seats more comfortable. Of course, that may be because I ate all the pies..
Potemkin.

soledoc said:

I currently drive a volvo S60R with fantastic seats. I am somewhat concerned
about the regular A5 seats...ie. not the sport or S5 seats. Does anyone have
any experience with a volvo seat vs. the A5 seat? I know it's best to drive
a car for about an hour to really get a feel, but since that will be impossible given the lack of demo A5s around I was wondering what you guys think.

Click to expand...

My A5 S-line is quite comfortable, with no complaints

TuffLittleUnit said:

LOL, yeah. I know loads of other cars with a 1.8 engine that cost £32,000

Seriously, I agree. It also looks much bigger than it actually is ... although I do find that it gets much wider when parking in supermarket car parks with battered Renault Scenics on each side (my doors! my doors!)

Professor Ian can probably write us a formula which expresses the perceived width of the A5 as coefficient of the mean average of fugliness of the cars on both sides.

Click to expand...

It is wide! Only 1mm narrower than an A6 Avant.

The sport seats i've got here are fine. Maybe a bit hard for some people, but I do like harder sportier seats.

Still, the major downside about this car, which I know I keep saying, is the stupid offset pedals. The clutch is almost in the centre line of the driver's seat. In stop-start heavy traffic it can be an absolute nightmare. Sometimes I feel like I want to kick that bulky centre console in to give my left leg some room and actually straighten my body from the twist which it has become accustomed to over the 110mile journey I do every day. Thank god I've got the escalade as well.

Rab88 said:

The sport seats i've got here are fine. Maybe a bit hard for some people, but I do like harder sportier seats.

Still, the major downside about this car, which I know I keep saying, is the stupid offset pedals. The clutch is almost in the centre line of the driver's seat. In stop-start heavy traffic it can be an absolute nightmare. Sometimes I feel like I want to kick that bulky centre console in to give my left leg some room and actually straighten my body from the twist which it has become accustomed to over the 110mile journey I do every day. Thank god I've got the escalade as well.

Click to expand...

Thats the joy of it being engineered for left hand drive and then converted - the front axle transfer box pushes out into the right hand footwell, restricting space...