What are the best seats you’ve ever experienced in a car?
This week’s question to you, members of the Hagerty Community, is based on your experience while ensconced in the cars of your past and present. Which one had the best seats?
I came up with this question after buying new seat foam for a pair of bucket seats in an old Mercury. Holy cow, the difference between 50-plus-year-old foam and its modern replacement simply cannot be put into words! What can be explained are reasons that inspire you to choose a seat for multiple reasons, as there’s a fair bit of science in these critically important components.
A well-sorted seat is crucial to having a pleasant experience in an automobile. Saab knew this, and went into painful detail in its sales literature in the 1980s. It ensures you know why its seats are soft at first but supportive ’till the last mile. Saab explained how the chairs adjust for everything, including a variety of thigh lengths.
As one of Hagerty Media’s steadfast fans of American Iron, I hate to say the following statement: the Europeans (namely Saab and Volvo) made better seats to accommodate a variety of needs. If it weren’t for the competition, Detroit would have taken longer to add the level of support we now expect in automotive seating. And it picked up the slack quickly: Not long before GM tapped Lear-Siegler for optional seats in third-gen F-bodies and C4 Corvettes, Ford had spoken to Recaro for performance derivatives of their Fox-body platform. And Ford’s headrest designs in the 2000s changed drastically upon its purchase of Volvo in 1999.
Seats must do a lot of things while appealing to a wide cross-section of body types and safety regulations. My choice for the best seat I’ve ever sat in comes from a vehicle I neither own nor have spent a significant amount of time with: the Mercedes-Benz W124 E-Class.
These are my favorite chairs for several reasons, few of which actually pertain to my needs or wants. First, they came in a wonderfully luxurious and grippy cloth fabric, something we never (rarely?) got in America. Second, they were immensely supportive, as they held you in perfectly without resorting to aggressive bolstering that made ingress/egress difficult.
But lastly (and most importantly) the W124’s seats were so accommodating that just about any body type could be blissfully relaxed in them. The latter is something that body-hugging seats in performance cars can’t touch: Very few seats are fantastic for everyone. The W124 catered to all, and never discriminated once you entered. That’s why I voted for it, but what are the best seats you’ve ever experienced in a car? We can’t wait to read your answers!
The seats in my l322 supercharged Range Rover were heated, cooled, and adjustable in every way possible. The best seats of any car, including those in my current l405 supercharged autobiography which aren’t as cosseting but have super soft leather.
My 1979 Sedan DeVille with the d’elegance pillowed velour. It was like driving in your favorite living room recliner. Combined with Cadillac’s cloud-like ride, it could be driven all day with nary a hint of fatigue.
This probably seems odd but the most comfy seats in any of my cars were in my 2016 Nissan Leaf. I could drive it for many, many miles, if I hadn’t run out of charge every hundred miles.
My 2017 Volvo V60 had really comfortable seats, only beaten by my 2019 BMW 430xi GranCoupe.
My 1988 Olds 98 Touring Sedan with multi-adjustable leather Lear-Siegler bucket seats. Absolutely the best I have ever sat in. They provide all day comfort without peer. This pampered car has been in our family since 1989.
There are undoubtedly lots of opinions on this subject, and lots of very comfortable seats. My personal experience is after having a number of mostly domestic vehicles is my 2005 Cadillac SRX had the best seats I have known. I could drive that car for endless hours without feeling any signs of tiring.
For me, it was the seats in my 89.5 Mustang LX 5.0, which were the cloth sport seats with adjustable knee bolsters; I think they were Lears, but looked like Recaros. All-day comfort, excellent bolstering. I’m rarely uncomfortable in a seat – though after several hours some require taking a break – but those were remarkable. I prefer cloth over leather or vinyl.
As far as I car I’ve owned, our 2007 Volvo S60.
Both my 2009 & my 2013 Ford Flex had the greatest most comfortable seats.
My son’s 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee had really great seats as well.
I absolutely hate the premium luxury seats in my 2022 Lincoln Aviator. They are the most uncomfortable, worst seats ever. Unfortunately for me, my wife loved the car.
Volvo 140 seats in the late ’60s set a benchmark for comfort, support and an adjustable lumbar cushion . Volvo even sold swivel bases that turned them into household seating. Most dealer waiting rooms used them .
Volvo 1800 seats from the seventies. Owned a ’71 when I was young and loved those seats along with the car.
Bought a ’73 1800ES in British Columbia and drove it across Canada to Ontario several years ago. Even these old bones(middle to late sixties) enjoyed the ride. My wife has no trouble, actually suggests, hopping into the car to go for a ride. Happy wife, happy life for an old car fan.
Our 2006 Chrysler 300C have the best seats and I’ve owned lots of cars. My wife has had 12 back surgeries and she is really comfortable in this car.
My 2005 Pontiac GTO had very comfortable and supportive seats. Hard to believe that the Holden produced car could have a much better overall interior than the US produced GM vehicles. Never should have sold the car.
The most comfortable seat is in the Citroen SM; and the DS. The Volvo seats are great too. We have a XC60 T6 for long distance.
Clearly the back seat of my ’56 Ford Fairlane Victoria for a reason many might figure out.