TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI
2016 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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2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2019 Buick Enclave
2019 Buick Enclave Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2018
Despite its size, the original Buick Enclave had a tighter, less comfortable second-row seat than many smaller crossovers. With the redesign this has been fixed. Second-row legroom has increased by a substantial three inches and--of at least equal significance--the seat cushions have been raised higher off the floor. Adults sitting in the second-row seats now enjoy a modicum of thigh support.
But if you want to fit three people in the Enclave's second row, you can't. All Enclaves are fitted with captain's chairs. For an eight-passenger large crossover, check out the related Chevrolet Traverse.
The Enclave's third-row seat isn't as roomy or as comfortable as its second-row seats, with both knee room and head room in shorter supply (the latter thanks to a bulge in the rearmost section of the headlinder). But if the second row is moved forward a couple of inches (also necessary for folding the third-row seat) then both rows offer plenty of legroom. It helps that there's plenty of space for toes beneath the second-row seats. Plus there's enough shoulder room for three people in the way-back, one more than in most three-row crossovers.
Occupants of both the second and the third rows enjoy an open view forward thanks to stadium-style seating.
Volvo's reputation for comfortable seats is based on the comfort of its cars' front seats. The Volvo's second-row seats are comfortably high off the floor, but they aren't as roomy as the those in the larger Buick. It's third-row seat is considerably tighter than that in the Buick, and can only hold two (optimally prepubescent) people.
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2019 Buick Enclave Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Comment
Similarly, while the Buick Enclave's front seats are comfortable, they're marginal for those in a nearly $60,000 vehicle. The Volvo XC90's front seats are available with a much larger number of adjustments and even without these look and feel much more posh than the Buick's.
Some people might also find the Enclave's tall center console overly intrusive. I personally like the sporty vibe it brings to an otherwise unsporty vehicle. In general I like what Buick's designers tried to do inside the Enclave, with clean, flowing lines and a low-profile Audi-like instrument panel.
There's just something missing in the execution--it's about 95 percent of the way there--and I can't quite put my finger on what the missing 5 percent is. It's in the details.
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