TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2016
As I've noted before (when reviewing the e-Golf), the seventh-generation Golf's front seats are shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The CX-5's driver seat also fit me well, but not quite as well as the Volkswagen's.
Compared to other compact hatchbacks and its ancestors, the current Golf has a roomy rear seat. I can sit behind my 5-9 self with about five inches of air ahead of my knees. Unless unusually tall people populate both rows, the amount of space should be beyond adequate.
Compare the Golf SportWagen's rear seat to that in the CX-5, and a funny thing happens. On paper, the Mazda provides about 3.5 more inches of legroom. When sitting behind myself in both vehicles, though, I had about half as much space ahead of my knees in the CX-5. I've noticed in the past that VW measures rear legroom very conservatively, and apparently they continue to do so. The Golf's interior is roomier than the official specs suggest. Plus its rear seat passengers get air vents. The Mazda's do not.
This said, I'm not entirely comfortable in the Golf SportWagen's rear seat. To me it feels overly reclined. In neither the GSW nor the CX-5 is the degree of recline adjustable. It is in some compact crossovers.
see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review
What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Honda Accord
2015 Honda Accord Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2014
The Honda Accord's front seats are comfortable and properly supportive, but I find the Ford's even better.
The Accord's clear advantage is in the back seat, which is much roomier than the Ford's, and a match for any other in the segment with the exception of the limo-like Volkswagen Passat's.
see full Honda Accord review
What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Honda Accord
2015 Honda Accord Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2016
4dr Sedan 278-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed automatic FWD
There is not quite enough adjustment in the front seat for me. I feel there is an un-natural curve in the front seat that I can't remove with the lumbar support. I sit on a folded towel to get the curve of the seat in the right place for my back. I'm 5'11" if that puts it into perspective for you.
The steering wheel should telescope out more for optimal arm position and the orientation of the HUGE speedometer makes it get chopped in half by the steering wheel. No digital speedo readout on this model. Note that the touring gauges are a little different than the standard V6.
see full Honda Accord review
2014
4dr Sedan 189-horsepower 2.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD
After 3 years of driving this car, I've developed neck problems from the head restraints forcing my head too far forward. I am 6'2" tall with good posture, a 34" inseam, and not overweight. It is difficult to sit in the seats without getting severe neck pain. I tried turning the head restraint around, in spite of the safety issue, but the bottom of the back of the restraint pokes me in the neck then. Just for kicks, I took the head restraint out to see if I could get comfortable, but the top of the seat back then presses uncomfortably into my upper back/lower neck. The only solution I've found so far that works is to put 3" of foam behind my back so that the head restraint is 1/2-1" behind my head. It is difficult to only fault Honda for this, because most cars model year 2009 and newer have the same problem after the NHTSA head restraint rules update from 2007. Honda, Mazda and Chevrolet seem to be the worst for forcing heads forward though. Ford has a tiltable head restraint in most of their vehicles, so they are adequate. Only when you get to the luxury brands do you find comfortable restraints. The BMW 5 series with multi contour seats, and the new Lincoln Continental have excellent seats, but they are also nearly twice as much as the Accord. Honda could fix their seat problems with a fore/aft adjustment for the head restraint and a taller seat back. It seems as if they make seats for a very limited height range with bad posture...
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