Seat options? Miserable...

Wow, ChrisLLK, everything you've posted in this thread is EXACTLY what I'm going through right now. I am so miserable behind the wheel of my CX-5 due to the uncomfortable seat that I've started car shopping again. I feel lost in my search because I did so much research and comparison shopping before I decided the CX-5 was the clear choice for me. I have a 2014 AWD Grand Touring, so 8-way power leather seats, and I've had it since December 2013. Over a year, 9700 miles, (chronic health issues keep me down for weeks at a time, which makes seat comfort an even bigger issue for me) and I have yet to find a comfortable position. I'm a 5'3'' 115lb female for the record. Constantly adjusting the seat and always end up with an aching back, neck, and numb/throbbing tailbone no matter what. I was at my Mazda dealership yesterday (90 mile drive) for an oil change and to replace the driver's side mirror, started talking with the sales dept about trading in. I test drove a 2014 Mitusubishi Outlander Sport SE..the seats were HEAVEN compared to my CX-5, I couldn't believe the difference in comfort. I was seriously considering coming home in the Outlander all because of the seats..I feel so ridiculous. There's other reasons I'm considering trading in as well, finances being one of them, but it really is good to know that I'm not alone in the seats being a dealbreaker. I'm very glad you found something that makes you and your butt happy, lol! Hoping I can find something soon as well, but until then I'll have to resort to sitting on a pillow. :(
 
I was seriously considering coming home in the Outlander all because of the seats..I feel so ridiculous. There's other reasons I'm considering trading in as well, finances being one of them, but it really is good to know that I'm not alone in the seats being a dealbreaker. I'm very glad you found something that makes you and your butt happy, lol! Hoping I can find something soon as well, but until then I'll have to resort to sitting on a pillow. :(

It was an experience like yours that told me I really needed to change something - I had been "suffering" in quiet contemplation for almost 2 months. I wasn't driving any other vehicles but had been riding as passenger in carpool buddy cars along the way and noticed I always felt a lot better when I got to work and home than when I drove. It was a miserable, cold, long winter, I was wearing a heavy goose parka, extra clothes, the car was always cold getting in - so I tried to pin my discomfort to those things for the first month or so. Then one day my one co-worker who has an F150 pickup asked me to take it to the local Home Depot and pick up supplies to build some crates - plywood, boards, etc -- it's about 45 minute drive each way. I realized after driving his truck for an hour and a half that it was the seats in the CX-5 that were the only thing that was wrong - and were causing me discomfort. Not the cold, the clothes, etc. From that moment on I started paying attention, trying seats in other cars, etc... and I realized it was only the Mazda seats that were this bad on my back and tailbone - none of the other cars were nearly so bad. Some were less and some were more great - but these were the overall least comfortable.

I hope you find something to get you into a comfortable seat soon - especially if you have to regularly do long drives (anything more than an hour is where seats really start to become obvious - and I do 90 minutes each way each day). Good to hear I'm not the only one who found it to just not work for them. I did try the cx-5 GT/Grand Touring on Monday evening at the dealership - it wasn't any better than my GS/Touring - other than the leather seating surface it still had the hard sections in all the wrong places, the bolsters too high and narrow, and at the most tipped setting I still didn't feel like I had proper thigh support. My new car is like driving on a La-Z-Boy in comparison for comfort. Love it.
 
It was an experience like yours that told me I really needed to change something - I had been "suffering" in quiet contemplation for almost 2 months. I wasn't driving any other vehicles but had been riding as passenger in carpool buddy cars along the way and noticed I always felt a lot better when I got to work and home than when I drove. It was a miserable, cold, long winter, I was wearing a heavy goose parka, extra clothes, the car was always cold getting in - so I tried to pin my discomfort to those things for the first month or so. Then one day my one co-worker who has an F150 pickup asked me to take it to the local Home Depot and pick up supplies to build some crates - plywood, boards, etc -- it's about 45 minute drive each way. I realized after driving his truck for an hour and a half that it was the seats in the CX-5 that were the only thing that was wrong - and were causing me discomfort. Not the cold, the clothes, etc. From that moment on I started paying attention, trying seats in other cars, etc... and I realized it was only the Mazda seats that were this bad on my back and tailbone - none of the other cars were nearly so bad. Some were less and some were more great - but these were the overall least comfortable.

I hope you find something to get you into a comfortable seat soon - especially if you have to regularly do long drives (anything more than an hour is where seats really start to become obvious - and I do 90 minutes each way each day). Good to hear I'm not the only one who found it to just not work for them. I did try the cx-5 GT/Grand Touring on Monday evening at the dealership - it wasn't any better than my GS/Touring - other than the leather seating surface it still had the hard sections in all the wrong places, the bolsters too high and narrow, and at the most tipped setting I still didn't feel like I had proper thigh support. My new car is like driving on a La-Z-Boy in comparison for comfort. Love it.
Hi @ChrisLLK Can I ask what you finally did?

I just bought a 2018 cx-5. Test drove about 4 for 25-30 min each never felt the seat issue until I bought it and drove longer. So bummed like you. Trying store bought cushions? still playin’ around. Also thinking of trade in if it does not work. Appreciate if you found a solution. Steve
 
I've gained 25 lbs or so since COVID made me a homebody. Now I kind of notice the side bolsters. It's not uncomfortable yet, but I think I know what people are talking about now. Before, I had to imagine. I think the seats are comfortable, better than my previous Acura, Nissan, Honda, Infiniti, Mercedes and Isuzu. I like support. I hate bean bags.

Maybe Mazda needs some volunteer American butts for their human factors group though.
 
Hi @ChrisLLK Can I ask what you finally did?

I just bought a 2018 cx-5. Test drove about 4 for 25-30 min each never felt the seat issue until I bought it and drove longer. So bummed like you. Trying store bought cushions? still playin’ around. Also thinking of trade in if it does not work. Appreciate if you found a solution. Steve
Hey - wow old thread - I'm 2 cars on since my '15 CX-5 experience... So no - I never found an answer other than trading the car. I got a Land Rover Discovery Sport SE in March 2015. I ended up only keeping the CX-5 for about 5000km (3000mi). Traded it and decided afterwards that there really were a lot of things I had "settled" on in buying it that should have been warnings ahead of time. I found the sheet metal build quality to be pretty flimsy (things like the gas filler door felt like it was made out of a tin can). There wasn't enough interior storage for someone who does a long commute - door pockets, center console with room for wallet, keys, cell phone, water bottle, etc. The infotainment in the '15 unit was pretty crappy. The headlights weren't very bright. The back seats were awkward to get my son's car seat in and out of. The sun visors weren't big enough to block the evening sunset. The shift points of the transmission were somewhat awkward. AND THE SEATS. Moving into the Discovery Sport was like going from a honda civic to a Mercedes C class but at almost the same price point as the CX-5. I got $30k back on my trade (makes sense you don't get the sales tax, dealer dest and prep fee, and a few other things back, and there's the "it's off the lot and not new" penalty of a few K... The Discovery Sport SE was $41,490 + fees list. I talked them down to $38,000 and then gave them my trade for $30k, so I had to pay $8k + tax (about $9,000 to walk out the door with the car). It was a huge step up in comfort, luxury, etc... I kept that until December 2019 (basically drove it almost 4 full years - put about 200,000km (120,000 miles) on it with minimal issues. Traded it in for a 2020 Honda Pilot. That's what I'm driving now - and probably will until sometime in 2022 when I'm hoping/planning on getting a Tesla Model Y LR AWD.

So - sorry to say I couldn't "FIX" my CX-5 - but I hope it made someone happy - they probably got a good deal on it - and maybe they fit the seats properly. By the way my carpool buddies all approved of the swap out of the CX-5 as well.
 
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