Are the seats comfortable? Plus, a bonus question - is now the time?

[turner]

Hi all-

New here.... we really like the CX 5 and we're considering the Grand Touring.

Having only driven it really for a short while on a test ride, and being used to "softer" seats, we're wondering how the comfort holds up on longer trips (500 miles?).

I realize everyone's rear is different but figured it would be worthwhile asking.

Next: We also like the CX 9, and if it had better fuel efficiency it would probably be a much easier choice as we like the space (also considering a 2013 Pathfinder). I've seen some mentions of an upgraded engine for the CX 5 in January, but if it's just more powerful but without being as fuel efficient it doesn't really matter.

So, that bonus question... Is there any reason to wait until January? February? Not sure when new Mazdas are released as we've never owned one. Of course, we understand now's also a good time to buy.

Thanks!
Andrew

 

[ta240]

The seats are definitely firm. I find I have to take my wallet out of my pocket on longer drives.

To me they aren't the best seats or the worst seats I've been in on long drives. They aren't as instantly comfortable as the Terrain we rented and put 1500 miles on were. Those just seemed to fit just right and didn't require much adjusting during hours behind the wheel. The Jetta we rented and put about 400 miles on weren't as instantly comfortable as the Terrain but I never really thought about them over the hours behind the wheel at all which seems to be a really good sign. No squirming or wishing they were in just a slightly different position.

By comparison I tend to adjust the CX5 seats fairly regularly on longer drives to adjust where the pressure is, and squirm a bit to work out kinks. I do wish the padding let you sink in just a little bit more. And the common complaint about the headrests being too far forward is also an issue for me from time to time. I prefer the seat back more upright but with the seat back where I want it the headrest pushes my head more forward than what I want. So I'm often adjusting the seat back forward and back a bit on the drive to adjust which part of me feels comfortable. And on less than perfect roads if the headrest is too close to my head as the car hits bumps the headrests tends to hit the back of my head.

If I could add about a 1/4" of soft padding on the seat to let you sink in a bit and shave about 1" of padding off the front of the headrest I'd be very happy. My wife says the seats are fine but I've noticed she rarely sleeps on long drives in the CX5 and in our other cars she'd doze off a lot more.

 

[Evan55]

firmer seats are more supportive and more comfortable on long drives. overly soft lazy boy seats give a great impression on the 5 minute test drive but do not support your back and can cause back pain on longer drives.

most comfy long drive seat ive ever used was a sparco evo race bucket in my track car!

 

[Snacks]

I think the firm seats are awesome.....haven't had a longer than 2 hr drive yet but I don't imagine it would be painful.

 

[ta240]

firmer seats are more supportive and more comfortable on long drives.

only if they fit you well. It is all about the shape. My comment about more cushioning was just for a tad bit more to make it 'feel' like the seats were wrapping around you. The vinyl coated leather is a bit stiff which also probably adds to the feel of the seats being firm.

First generation Miata seats are pretty solid but super comfortable, I could drive for hours sitting in those and have. The Terrain seats weren't spongy, they just had a tiny bit more initial cushion and were formed in a better shape (for me). The seats don't need to be 80's American car cushy but a bit of the feel of give is nice. The Jetta seats were pretty solid but nothing pushed back where I didn't want it to push.
I find the CX5 seats tend to push in areas that I don't want them to so I adjust it from time to time so they are pushing in different areas to keep one area from getting sore.

Everyone will find the seats to feel differently, but my comments were based on long drives in all the cars. 5 hours in a row in the CX5 and the Terrain and around 4 hours without a stop in the Jetta. I do a fair amount of long drives in different cars: 9 hours in a Pilot, 12 in a Magnum wagon, 9 in a Buick Lucerne, 9 in a Protege, 7 in a Tacoma. After an hour in a Ford Edge my back was hurting and the pilot seats were firm but flat and not very comfortable. The Magnum and the Lucerne rode so smooth I probably could have been sitting on a crate. Our Mazda3 seats aren't cushier than the CX5 but I like the shape and seating position better.

Basically if you sit in the seats on the test drive and go "wow, these are nice" then they will be great after hours. If you sit in them and go "hmm, pretty good but I guess I can get them adjusted more later" you may find yourself shifting around on long drives.

 

[paris1]

I would agree with most of ta240's comments. My Touring's fabric seats are fine for me on all but the longest trips. They probably would be a bit confining for larger drivers without providing as much lateral support as one might wish for. My return trip from SoCal where I bought the car was 565 miles and I found my tailbone smarting towards the end of the trip. My suspicion was that I was bottoming out on the seat pan, but when I looked closer at the seat construction after ariving home, I realized that the bottom foam is mighty firm. Overall I would give the seats 3 stars out of 4. As for the headrest complaint (a common one here), I can see how it might bother some, but I rarely sense that it's infringing on my space.

 

[CX-SV]

Agreed, seats are firm but comfy based on my experience with trips of 2.5 hours in length.

Based on my current vehicles, the firm seats in my Mercedes are most comfortable for long trips, the soft seats in my Lexus are the least comfortable for long trips.

 

[ta240]

and I'm in no way saying the seats are uncomfortable just that they aren't perfect for me as I do tend to notice them more than other cars, including our Mazda3. Not an actual pain sort of comfort problem but just an annoyance every now and then.

 

[turner]

Thanks all... good food for thought.

 

[dougel]

The seats are definitely uncomfortable to me. Enough so that I would have bought a different car in hindsight. Start to get sore after about an hour in the lower back. After a few hours it is miserable for me. I have made trips in other cars of 16+ hours with no issue, I could never do that in the CX-5. Also as someone else mentioned my wife cannot fall asleep in this car with the passenger seat pulled back, even though she regularly does in other vehicles.

 

[HandA]

Enough so that I would have bought a different car in hindsight.

that's one of the really hard things when car shopping, unless places rent the car you are looking for it is really hard to spend any time in it. I've joked before about going by the dealer at lunch and telling them I'm just going to be sitting in the car for an hour.

 

[PhoenixINX]

Funny... compared to the 3i, the CX-5 has GREAT seats.

We've done 10+ hour road trips in the CX-5 without any backpain. That said, I'll take the seats in our Tundra any day.

 

[thanew]

Had some problems a year ago and broke my tailbone, so that was definitely one of the things I looked at when buying the car. I've only had two trips over 2 hours so far and everything has been fine, I definitely like it better than my previous car. The seats were actually one of the first things that grabbed me when I test drove it.

 

[rcs914]

One of the things I noted was that if you have a larger than normal rear end, the seats in the sport and touring are really uncomfortable due to the side bolstering. I had the same problem in the Mazda 3 we rented. The GT however was a different story - the bolstering did not hurt in the same way at all. I know they are basically the same seats, but I was not nearly as uncomfortable.

 

[Lando]

The seats are definitely uncomfortable to me. Enough so that I would have bought a different car in hindsight. Start to get sore after about an hour in the lower back. After a few hours it is miserable for me. I have made trips in other cars of 16+ hours with no issue, I could never do that in the CX-5. Also as someone else mentioned my wife cannot fall asleep in this car with the passenger seat pulled back, even though she regularly does in other vehicles.

As I posted a few months back, these will make your ride a lot better. http://www.oregonaero.com/softseat

 

[Schulzmc]

I absolutely love the seats. They were one of the reasons I went with the CX-5 instead of a CR-V or Ford Escape.

 

[paris1]

As I posted a few months back, these will make your ride a lot better. http://www.oregonaero.com/softseat

Wow! I should hope so for that kind of $$.

 

[MikeM.]

Are there different seats for the different trim levels (besides the fabric or leather differences)?
Coming from a Volvo S80, I really like the seats on my Touring model CX-5 which are made even more comfortable by the roomy cockpit.

 

[Lando]

Wow! I should hope so for that kind of $$.

Yeah, I gulped when I saw the price, but at the time I was driving a Honda CRZ on a 75 mile daily commute and it was killing my back after about 30 minutes. I was even thinking about dumping the car at a big loss until a pilot recommended the cushion. I had already wasted money on a worthless cushion from Walmart, so this was my last resort. It ending up saving me a lot of money, as the CRZ actually became a pleasure to drive and I kept it for 2 more years before getting my CX-5.

I also use it in my wife's TSX for long trips. I really don't need it as much in the CX-5 since the seats are so much better, but on long trips I always use it. As a bonus, I take the cushion to sporting events and on the airlines. I put it in my teak rocking chair in the house to make the wooden seat more comfortable for guests and on the hearth when sitting by my fireplace, so I am getting my moneys worth out of it.

It is made of very dense memory foam and takes a few minutes to conform to your backside as the foam warms up. Then it's amazing. And no, I don't work for the company.

Hope this helps any of you who are having issues with the seats.

Rob

 

[turner]

Thanks again everyone!

Ok, we drove the car again yesterday. During the time between our original test-drive and yesterday (a week or so I guess), and as I thought more and more about the seats, the harder they got... in my head

However, yesterday, since we went in with the idea of paying more attention to the seats, I took the time to set up the seat comfortably (fully adjusting position and recline) and I'm happy to say they were pretty comfortable.

Just out of curiosity, do these types of seats (the leather ones) break in after a while?

cheers
Andrew