TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Dodge Durango
2013 Dodge Durango Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2014
The Durango's relatively narrow width, a plus for handling, has the opposite impact on interior room. These are very much two sides of the same coin. Because the Durango's cabin isn't terribly wide it feels more agile than wider SUVs. But three passengers in the second row don't have as much space to spread out--those in a Nissan Pathfinder enjoy a couple more inches of shoulder room--and only two people can sit in the third row. (The Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and GM's large crossovers all have three belts back there.) Leg room in the Durango is much more competitive, but still a few inches short of class leading.
This said, comfort isn't only a matter of interior dimensions. Both of the Durango's rear rows are well-upholstered and positioned higher off the floor than the three-row crossover norm. This benefits both thigh support and outward visibility. The Hyundai Santa Fe isn't far off in this regard, but the Nissan Pathfinder's seats are much closer to the floor, and less hospitable to adults as a result. Among the three, I'd prefer to be a rear seat passenger in the Dodge. Among large conventional SUVs, the Ford Expedition has a more comfortable third row, but the Chevrolet Tahoe (which retains a live rear axle despite a comprehensive redesign for the 2015 model year) doesn't come close. And the foot-shorter 4Runner? Its XXS third-row seat is best saved for emergencies.
On the other side of the ledger, the Durango does have a higher floor than the typical car-based crossover. Getting in and out isn't as easy. This vies with curb weight as the top disadvantage of the Durango's conventional SUV configuration.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Dodge Durango
2013 Dodge Durango Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2012
4dr SUV 290-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
There was very little bolstering on the sides of the seat bottoms. I was not able to find a comfortable seating position in the Durango
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TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2014 Volkswagen Golf / GTI
2014 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2015
The original Golf revolutionized the automotive world by demonstrating how practical a small car could be. Though the latest, seventh-generation Golf is much larger than the original, and every major auto maker now offers a Golf-like compact, the Volkswagen continues to impress with its practicality.
Let's start with the front seat. The seat itself is shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The performance buckets in the GTI and R have firmer bolsters that provide more lateral support, but the regular Golf's buckets are cushier and more comfortably contoured. The e-Golf uses the same exemplary seats. In comparison, the seats in the Soul EV are merely okay.
The view forward from the e-Golf's driver seat is also about as good as it gets in a current compact, with a reasonably-sized instrument panel and an expansive, comfortably raked windshield flanked by relatively thin pillars. This said, some people might prefer the higher driving position in the quasi-crossover Soul EV. For me, a conventional car's lower position continues to feel more natural, especially in turns.
Battery packs take up space. Even with the (roughly) 1.5-kWh battery packs used by hybrids cargo capacity usually takes a hit. In the Soul EV, rear seat legroom suffers a three-inch reduction due to the underfloor location of the car's 27-kWh battery pack. But VW engineers managed to design and package a 24-kWh battery pack so cleverly that the e-Golf's passenger and cargo room are identical to those of a regular Golf. Adults will comfortably fit in the car's back seat. The same can't be said about most other EVs--the Soul being a second exception. Even with the three-inch cut, the Kia's back seat is about as roomy as the Golf's. The i3's back seat is far tighter.
Which EV treats its passengers best depends on the season. The e-Golf includes rear air vents, while the Soul EV+ includes rear seat bun warmers.
Moving to the cargo area, the Soul EV's battery pack eats up a dozen cubic feet, leaving just under 50. The uncompromised e-Golf can contain a couple more. But these figures don't convey the differing proportions of the cars' cargo holds. The e-Golf's is a few inches longer, while the Soul EV's is a few inches taller. Which is the better cargo hauler depends on the shape of your cargo.
The much larger Tesla Model S can hold a few more cubic feet, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class about the same as the e-Golf. No other EV comes close, especially not the 12-cube BMW i3.
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