Reverse chiropractic! Amazingly uncomfortable seats 2017 Volt.
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I'm curious if anyone complaining about the seats has the black/brandy leather? I find the interface stitching to be raised pretty high, and it hits my hips in just the wrong place. Not too annoying, but I haven't had the car long either. None of the test drives I took had that interior, so maybe it's particular to that combination.
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I think there might be a huge business for 3rd party custom fitted seats, especially for people with back issues. My wife went to sleeping in a motorized LaZ Boy to a fully articulating Purple bed from back issues. We've added a cushion and lumbar support, and she no longer struggles on long trips as all of our cars caused he back to be in pain until now. Too bad nobody has a zero G mode recliner which elevates the knees a bit. Even just a little calf rest that pops out to give a little support like a living room recliner would be great.
MB already has seats with extendable thigh supports. They are great!
You can't recline too much in the car or it becomes a safety issue since you can slide out of your belt on impact.
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I'm surprised nobody offers 5 point harnesses as in a serious accident, I'd rather have that than the single lap/shoulder belt. Strap me in like NASCAR!!!!
The '16-way' drivers seat in my 1990 Buick Reatta has them too.
Looking through the archives of this forum, there seems to have been little effort to replace Volt seats with those from another car. If a Gen 1 Volt seat is more comfortable than a Gen 2, perhaps it would 'bolt in' to a Gen 2? Also Cruze and Verano power seats might be options. Maybe others?
Fortunately, I don't have problems with the Volt seats, nor has my wife complained about them.
That would be very uncomfortable, and exceptionally unsafe, in a street car.
For one, a harness, properly secured, means your torso can't move, PERIOD. Forget leaning over a bit to clear a blind spot in the A pillar, let alone looking over your shoulder for traffic.
Two, check out the seat in a NASCAR car, or any other serious race car. You'll never find a plush, comfortable seat like you will in a street car. Plush seats means your body can fall away from the harness, and that's BAD in an accident, as the impact forces will throw your body into the harness causing all sorts of injuries by itself. There have been cases of spinal compression injuries from people running harnesses on top of plush seats (my personal opinion - putting harnesses on any kind of suspension seat is just begging to get paralyzed one day).
Three, watch videos of those guys getting strapped into the cars. Often times there will be a 2nd man outside the vehicle that will pull the straps tighter than the driver can get them. Properly adjusted, those harnesses are TIGHT on the driver, ensuring that the driver's body can't move around. Non properly adjusted harnesses CAUSE injury in an accident, not prevent it.
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What year Prius do/did you own (3 Prius)? Both my son and I felt that his 2016 Volt seats were not as comfortable as my 2014 Volt. I've made road trips of 8,000 and 10.000 miles in my 2014 and can say that I was comfortable in my 2014 Volt over those distances.
I had an opportunity to ride in a 2012 Jaguar and found the passenger seat to be very comfortable. It was a short ride, so I don't know the long-term comfort level. I suspect that it would be more than acceptable. It seemed to be a very quiet car. Just a little larger in front than my 2014 was my impression. I like quiet!
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I think that although the body needs support, some cushioning to alleviate pressure points to prevent causing eventual discomfort is necessary. I can recall GM products from the 1970-80 era that provided mucho softness with no underlying support: very uncomfortable for any distance travel.
Did the comfort level every improve? I have a 2015 Volt. I love the car but I feel the same way about the comfort level. It is just getting worse, unfortunately. Even driving around town my back starts aching now. I was hoping maybe a newer model might feel different.
I guess it depends on your back. I had a 1991 Integra where for the past year or two (of ownership) I couldn't drive for more than 45 minutes with out getting a pain in my back that resulted in my right leg feeling like it was paralyzed by the pain. With my Gen I Volt I have no back problems although I've only driven it for an hour and a half in duration at a time. Don't know about longer. I have an adjustable lumbar support back cushion for my '80 TR7 which has 40 year old weak seatback rubber straps and have driven it over 3,000 miles round trip to LA with no problems. I test drove a Gen II but not for a long enough time to tell about it's seats. Didn't notice that they were better or worse. Maybe something like the adjustable lumber support cushion is all you need to make you Volt right for you. Don't ask me where I got it or what it cost because the wife bought it off of Amazon.
If you are looking for seats that provide optimal support and comfort you need to buy a Volvo.
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They're not that bad, but could use some adjustable lumbar support !!
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I asked my physical therapist why car seats suck so much these days. Answer: - the seats are designed to put you in an optimum posture to withstand crashes/airbag deployment, not so much for routine ergonomics.
With an 8 or 10 way power seat, and a wider seat like my P/Us had, you can adjust your way out of crash dummy position. Simple manual seats like the Bolt/Volt, you'll either love them or hate them.
I sat in a 2020 Bolt Premier and the difference from the 17 is I could feel the back is a little wider or the bolsters a little less pronounced so the pressure on the shoulders felt a bit less. Bottom cushion no difference.
With an 8 or 10 way power seat, and a wider seat like my P/Us had, you can adjust your way out of crash dummy position. Simple manual seats like the Bolt/Volt, you'll either love them or hate them.
I sat in a 2020 Bolt Premier and the difference from the 17 is I could feel the back is a little wider or the bolsters a little less pronounced so the pressure on the shoulders felt a bit less. Bottom cushion no difference.
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My wife’s back is at the point where we need power adjustable seats with lumbar for both the driver and passenger. So we are forced to either get a luxury brand EV(Jaguar, Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, etc) or upgrade to a higher trim level if we were to get something like a Subaru, Silverado, or Yukon XL. Even our old 95 suburban which is more upright and has plenty of leg room gives her trouble during long trips. She carries a seat cushion and lumbar support everywhere we go, even for airline seats when we travelled before the pandemic.
me too, gotta have my back pillow.
Amen!
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