Has anyone had their seat foam altered?

[sm1ke]

I reckoned that's where you were going with this.

These types of solicitations draw merely anecdotal complaints. Then there is the matter of the counter arguments and unintended consequences.

A commonly cited complaint is that the seats are too narrow. A second is that the bolsters are too firm which would be less of an issue or a non-issue if the seats were wider. A third is the seats are two firm, thus the discussion of adding padding.

It is hard to see how the seats can be widened. Maybe an inch each with a total redesign of the console and a narrowing of the storage compartment/armrest. It would seem wide bodied individuals need a wider vehicle. That's a non-starter. Maybe the CX-50 will add some body width and seat width to go with it, but judging from the pictures I would not count on it.

Softening the bolsters or adding more padding takes me to the unintended consequences and counter argument. Drivers such as myself like them just the way they are. The 4 out of 5 seat rating from Consumer Reports and no complaints from Car & Driver in their 10 out of 10 review would indicate I am not alone. You're not likely to get many people such as myself responding to your solicitation saying, "don't change them."

Some have observed, including myself, that the general design of the vehicle coming from an Asian mindset does not acknowledge the width of American bottoms. While the US is a primary market, these are global designs. In the end, seats cannot fit the wide range of body types, American or otherwise. The buyer has to find the vehicle that fits, not the other way around.

Another consideration is you are not differentiating the fabric seats, the faux leather and the actual leather seats. Do you assume they all have the same characteristics? I wouldn't.

Personally, I don't care what they do to the seats going forward. If my vehicle maintains the reliability I anticipate it will be many years before I trade it at which point it will be a blank slate analysis of the options. My Sienna trade will happen first and that replacement will be a vehicle larger than CX-5. This is my first Mazda and I'm far from married to the marque.

My comments relate to your methodology and the inherent limits of forums where the preponderance of threads relate to what is wrong and and far less about what is right. Assessment of seats in particular are idiosyncratic compounding the problem.

I get it. You don't think it's useful to have this information, and you've explained your reasons clearly enough for me to understand your point of view. We can just agree to disagree and leave it at that. I'm fine with this being an exercise in futility, if that's what it comes to.

 

[181962]

I get it. You don't think it's useful to have this information, and you've explained your reasons clearly enough for me to understand your point of view. We can just agree to disagree and leave it at that. I'm fine with this being an exercise in futility, if that's what it comes to.

Fair enough. Though I must add that "agree to disagree" is a phrase you'll never hear from me.

I was going to end my comments there but a story just came to mind. Many years ago I sat my 6' 1" body in the driver's seat of an RX-8 at the Chicago auto show. After sliding the seat all the way back my immediate reaction was, "d*mn, they built this things for short-legged people". Deal breaker. I had the same reaction in my neighbor's Honda S2000. Those seats would have needed several more inches of backward travel to fit me. Did I think these cars should be modified for more front leg room? Of course not--that would require a redesign of the platform. Instead I bought a car that fit me, an Accord V6.

If somebody needs more padding, as is the topic of this post, modifying the seats is a worthy consideration.

 

[Anchorman]

I reckoned that's where you were going with this.

These types of solicitations draw merely anecdotal complaints. Then there is the matter of the counter arguments and unintended consequences.

A commonly cited complaint is that the seats are too narrow. A second is that the bolsters are too firm which would be less of an issue or a non-issue if the seats were wider. A third is the seats are two firm, thus the discussion of adding padding.

It is hard to see how the seats can be widened. Maybe an inch each with a total redesign of the console and a narrowing of the storage compartment/armrest. It would seem wide bodied individuals need a wider vehicle. That's a non-starter. Maybe the CX-50 will add some body width and seat width to go with it, but judging from the pictures I would not count on it.

Softening the bolsters or adding more padding takes me to the unintended consequences and counter argument. Drivers such as myself like them just the way they are. The 4 out of 5 seat rating from Consumer Reports and no complaints from Car & Driver in their 10 out of 10 review would indicate I am not alone. You're not likely to get many people such as myself responding to your solicitation saying, "don't change them."

Some have observed, including myself, that the general design of the vehicle coming from an Asian mindset does not acknowledge the width of American bottoms. While the US is a primary market, these are global designs. In the end, seats cannot fit the wide range of body types, American or otherwise. The buyer has to find the vehicle that fits, not the other way around.

Another consideration is you are not differentiating the fabric seats, the faux leather and the actual leather seats. Do you assume they all have the same characteristics? I wouldn't.

Personally, I don't care what they do to the seats going forward. If my vehicle maintains the reliability I anticipate it will be many years before I trade it at which point it will be a blank slate analysis of the options. My Sienna trade will happen first and that replacement will be a vehicle larger than CX-5. This is my first Mazda and I'm far from married to the marque.

My comments relate to your methodology and the inherent limits of forums where the preponderance of threads relate to what is wrong and and far less about what is right. Assessment of seats in particular are idiosyncratic compounding the problem.

A totally overblown account that however way you sugarcoat it does argue in favour that they are comfortable. It doesn’t matter which reports you quote to justify your opinion, Mazda have changed them because they themselves accept they needed improvement. This is important for somebody buying one, not somebody who’s got one and finds it acceptable.

 

[hemismith]

In the hopes of better illustrating the issue, I made some edits to a 2021 CX-5 seat picture to highlight the parts of the seat that people may find uncomfortable. I'm hoping that this helps provide some clarity to existing owners (seeing that other owners are experiencing issues in the same areas) and potential buyers (getting an idea of what to expect before actually being able to test drive the car, especially with limited availability in the current climate).

This picture is of a 2021 CX-5 interior (apparently the 2022 gets redesigned seats). If you are/were having comfort issues with your seats, quote this image and state which areas are most uncomfortable to you. Some extra info that might be helpful is listing your build/weight, but only if you are comfortable doing so.

In the off chance that Mazda sees this, they will at least have some easy-to-interpret data from actual owners (past and present) that they might be able to utilize and consider in future models.

View attachment 306322

A: Headrests
B: Upper back: Middle
C: Shoulder bolsters
D: Side bolsters
E: Lumbar area
F: Armrest
G: Seat bottom bolsters
H: Seat bottom
I: Thigh support
J: Length of seat bottom (lack of thigh support)
K: Center console

It appears that the majority of people who have issues are dealing with discomfort in areas G and/or H.

*sorry for the low quality edit, Photoshop is bugging out for me at the moment so I had to use Paint to make the edits

G, H
6'1", 160 lbs, 32" waist

 

[hemismith]

Wow, a lot of responses. Of course, seats are a subjective matter, but it seems there are a lot of complaints about these.

I certainly do not have the experience of magazines, but I have been driving for over 40 years and have had 25 cars (although only half were my main car and half were my wife's). We also regularly take long road trips, I am an enthusiast and have done some racing, and I worked for two auto and a seat manufacturer. So seats are important to me. I have had seats that were too soft, but only two were as uncomfortable on trips as this one, and those were both due to lack of lumbar support. A seat can be supportive as well as comfortable.

I think there are a number of variables. For example, leather is typically stiffer initially. I generally prefer cloth seats, but I have had many comfortable leather seats as well.

Consumer reports tested the Touring version, with "comfortable, supportive seats are covered with soft leatherette and suede" and "soft cushions, supple leatherette, and grippy suede, the CX-5's front seats are comfortable". These are certainly not the seats I have; I don't know what year it was but it appears to be several years ago.

Car and Driver did a long-term test with a 2019 Signature version with the Nappa leather and said "comfortable leather seats". Nappa is typically softer, although I don't know if that would make much difference or if there have been other changes since. I would think a long-term test would show any weaknesses; it did show that the leather wasn't holding up too well. Maybe they stiffened the foam since to help with that?

But from prior responses it seems that build is also a big factor. But my wife has a completely different build than I do and finds them even more uncomfortable. We don't know what the builds were of the people testing them.

At any rate, the main issue is with the firmness, and I admit that as the years go on I am preferring softer seats. Gone are the days when I would go camping with just a 1/2" closed cell foam pad.

On a more objective scale, the seat bottoms are narrower than the seats in my other cars by 1-2 inches. I also had it looked at by someone with over 40 years experience with automotive seats, and he said they were the hardest bolsters he had ever seen. That is still anecdotal, but I think it carries some weight.

Anyway, I am curious to try some other Mazda models, as well as older CX-5s and the new 2022.

 

[hemismith]

On the subject of lumbar adjustment, in every car I can remember including this one, and in my power recliner in front of the TV set, the bump-out is too high on my back for my comfort, above the lumbar region in fact. Consequently, I've never had a car or chair where I would use it.

I have also found the default lumbar positions to usually be higher than I prefer, although from a medical perspective apparently it's supposed to be higher than I prefer. But I much prefer cars with 4-way adjustable lumber.

 

[181962]

A totally overblown account that however way you sugarcoat it does argue in favour that they are comfortable. It doesn’t matter which reports you quote to justify your opinion, Mazda have changed them because they themselves accept they needed improvement. This is important for somebody buying one, not somebody who’s got one and finds it acceptable.

I agree. That runs counter to the anecdotal complaints herein and in other threads.

The 2020 six-way power faux leather/suede seats are quite comfortable for me. I can't speak to the manual cloth or 8-way power leather seats. It stands to reason the different seats need to be evaluated separately whereas some posters in this and other threads on the matter don't state their trim and sometimes not even the model year.

For those who have cited year and trim, has anybody bothered to differentiate which of the three seat types generate the most complaints if a handful of anecdotal complaints is to carry any weight, a dubious proposition? Keep in mind that Mazda sold 361,000 CX-5's worldwide in 2020 alone. Further, among the seat types, did Mazda make any mid-gen modifications? Do they have more than one supplier where variations may occur? Dunno. Mazda does. Does anybody else?

The following specs compare 2016 Gen 1 to 2021 Gen 2. I can't speak for any mid-gen adjustments that might have been made. 2021 decreased shoulder room by 0.4", increased headroom by 0.6", increased rear leg room by 0.3" while leaving front legroom unchanged, and reconfigured the console/arm rest. The Gen 2 console is noticeably wider, with the cup holders left to right rather than front to back while the overall width of the vehicle was increased only 0.1".

I have little doubt the seats were incrementally reconfigured in Gen 2 to account for all these incremental changes. Were they redesigned to maximize comfort for more body types? If anything, it is more likely that with less shoulder room and the wider console the Gen 2 seats are incrementally narrower. Somebody who owns both can get out their tape measure. Be sure to cite which type of seats they are.

 

[181962]

I have also found the default lumbar positions to usually be higher than I prefer, although from a medical perspective apparently it's supposed to be higher than I prefer. But I much prefer cars with 4-way adjustable lumber.

One size can't fit all. Where a lumber bump out hits the back on 4'10" person versus a 6'5" is different. I assume anybody over 6'5" would go for a larger vehicle , and shorter yet if people regularly sit behind them. At 6' 1", if I had teenage-sized or larger individuals sitting behind me I would not have bought this vehicle.

 

[hemismith]

The 2020 six-way power faux leather/suede seats are quite comfortable for me. I can't speak to the manual cloth or 8-way power leather seats. It stands to reason the different seats need to be evaluated separately whereas some posters in this and other threads on the matter don't state their trim and sometimes not even the model year.

For those who have cited year and trim, has anybody bothered to differentiate which of the three seat types generate the most complaints if a handful of anecdotal complaints is to carry any weight, a dubious proposition? Keep in mind that Mazda sold 361,000 CX-5's worldwide in 2020 alone. Further, among the seat types, did Mazda make any mid-gen modifications? Do they have more than one supplier where variations may occur? Dunno. Mazda does. Does anybody else?

The following specs compare 2016 Gen 1 to 2021 Gen 2. I can't speak for any mid-gen adjustments that might have been made. 2021 decreased shoulder room by 0.4", increased headroom by 0.6", increased rear leg room by 0.3" while leaving front legroom unchanged, and reconfigured the console/arm rest. The Gen 2 console is noticeably wider, with the cup holders left to right rather than front to back while the overall width of the vehicle was increased only 0.1".

I have little doubt the seats were incrementally reconfigured in Gen 2 to account for all these incremental changes. Were they redesigned to maximize comfort for more body types? If anything, it is more likely that with less shoulder room and the wider console the Gen 2 seats are incrementally narrower. Somebody who owns both can get out their tape measure. Be sure to cite which type of seats they are.

Sounds like you have the seats the Consumer Reports tested. And it sounds like the gen 2 seats may well be a little narrower. At any rate it does sound like there could be more subtle differences than we are aware of, and complaints could be related to only a small subset of seats.

 

[181962]

Sounds like you have the seats the Consumer Reports tested. And it sounds like the gen 2 seats may well be a little narrower. At any rate it does sound like there could be more subtle differences than we are aware of, and complaints could be related to only a small subset of seats.

For 2020, Consumer reports "gravitated" toward the Touring with Preferred package but they evidently also tested an upper trim, observing that the 19" wheels offered a somewhat harsher ride.

That said, their specific seat comments were for the 6-way power faux leather/suede, evidently the basis of their 4 out of 5 rating as follows:

"With soft cushions, supple leatherette, and grippy suede, the CX-5's front seats are comfortable and have an upscale presence. The seats are roomy with just enough lateral support to hold you in place. The driver’s seat on our Touring model has six-way power adjustability, but no lumbar or front cushion tilt adjustment. Instead, the two-way lumbar is manual. (You need to step up to the Grand Touring for power lumbar.) The front of the seat can't be adjusted independent of height to alter thigh support. Some testers felt the seat support waned on longer journeys."

The operative term is "some". How many would "some" be out of 350,000+ annual sales, or at least the portion of which with these particular seats? A hundred or so complaints in a forum doesn't move the needle. And addressing those complaints would surely draw some complaints from silent others who liked them they way they were. One size cannot fit all.

By the way, if the seats and bolsters are found to be too firm it should be noted that's a characteristic of sportier vehicles, particularly the bolsters minimizing sliding in the seat when you rip a turn. The faux suede may also help with that.

By the way, I looked at CR's recommended vehicles in this class and they all have 4 out of 5 ratings for seats. There are inherent limitations in compact vehicles in particular and would guess 5 out of 5 across the vehicle universe is quite uncommon. Somebody's gonna complain about something.

As an aside, some have complained about the seats being slow to heat. The faux suede portions of my seats heat up quite fast, the faux leather not so much, but it works for me. Is this an issue specific to the leather seats? Dunno.

I've pontificated excessively on this matter only because the seats were one of two critical factors along with the auto climate control in choosing the trim I chose. Preferred package? Meh. Not a money issue--stuff I wouldn't use or care about that is just more stuff that can break. Turbo and 19" wheels? No thanks for me. This vehicle speeds up the entrance ramp just fine.

 

[181962]

By the way, don't forget about the telescoping and tilting steering wheel. Personally, I find the most comfortable position with the seat more back and low with the wheel telescoped out and tilted down to see the gauges. That reduces pressure on my thigh which for me makes for a somewhat longer drive before my gamey back starts numbing my right foot. You gotta play around with this stuff.

 

[AVC]

For reference , our Honda Pilot seat cushion dimensions are within 0.25" in width and length of the CX-5. The Pilot seats have a MUCH less pronounced and more pliable cushion bolsters, which I believe is the primary source of complaint on the CX-5, as it hits some American butts and thighs--mine included @ 6' and 195lb-- in uncomfortable ways. I simply lowered the front of the seat cushion a bit to relieve 80% of the thigh annoyance. I've not found the cushion bottom too firm for 2+ hour trips. How they feel after 8 to 10 hrs of driving, I can't say.

 

[cz5gt]

spot on mate. Thats exactly what lots of people feel but cannot explain.

 

[MyFirstMazda]

In the hopes of better illustrating the issue, I made some edits to a 2021 CX-5 seat picture to highlight the parts of the seat that people may find uncomfortable. I'm hoping that this helps provide some clarity to existing owners (seeing that other owners are experiencing issues in the same areas) and potential buyers (getting an idea of what to expect before actually being able to test drive the car, especially with limited availability in the current climate).

This picture is of a 2021 CX-5 interior (apparently the 2022 gets redesigned seats). If you are/were having comfort issues with your seats, quote this image and state which areas are most uncomfortable to you. Some extra info that might be helpful is listing your build/weight, but only if you are comfortable doing so.

In the off chance that Mazda sees this, they will at least have some easy-to-interpret data from actual owners (past and present) that they might be able to utilize and consider in future models.

View attachment 306322

A: Headrests
B: Upper back: Middle
C: Shoulder bolsters
D: Side bolsters
E: Lumbar area
F: Armrest
G: Seat bottom bolsters
H: Seat bottom
I: Thigh support
J: Length of seat bottom (lack of thigh support)
K: Center console

It appears that the majority of people who have issues are dealing with discomfort in areas G and/or H.

*sorry for the low quality edit, Photoshop is bugging out for me at the moment so I had to use Paint to make the edits

G. The seat bottom bolsters started out very stiff. But I found a seating position that is comfortable enough. It wonder if the 2022 seats would be backwards compatible for older CX-5s and people could buy the redesigned seats and swap them out.

 

[cz5gt]

from what it looks - yes. Not sure if the price would be worth it though.
there is a report on the other forums that the 2022 seats are exactly the same dimensions just they are about 20% less stiff.
Seeing the 2022 interior honestly I dont expect much difference but we'll see in the next few months when people start buying the 2022

 

[hemismith]

By the way, if the seats and bolsters are found to be too firm it should be noted that's a characteristic of sportier vehicles, particularly the bolsters minimizing sliding in the seat when you rip a turn. The faux suede may also help with that.

I understand that. I have had 2 Porsches, one of which I raced, as well as sport models of Audi and BMW with sport seats, as well as a couple other sporty cars. All of them had much better support than the Mazda but were also much more comfortable. The Mazda might have more support if I could fit between the bolsters, or the suede seats; the leather is pretty slick. But it's not a sports car so I don't expect much, and it definitely has more support than our Honda minivans.

 

[hemismith]

By the way, don't forget about the telescoping and tilting steering wheel. Personally, I find the most comfortable position with the seat more back and low with the wheel telescoped out and tilted down to see the gauges. That reduces pressure on my thigh which for me makes for a somewhat longer drive before my gamey back starts numbing my right foot. You gotta play around with this stuff.

That is my driving position as well.

The Pilot seats have a MUCH less pronounced and more pliable cushion bolsters, which I believe is the primary source of complaint on the CX-5, as it hits some American butts and thighs--mine included @ 6' and 195lb-- in uncomfortable ways. I simply lowered the front of the seat cushion a bit to relieve 80% of the thigh annoyance. I've not found the cushion bottom too firm for 2+ hour trips. How they feel after 8 to 10 hrs of driving, I can't say.

Only rarely are my thighs resting on the seat in any car, I think only in my trucks and vans. But that results in my butt hurting pretty quickly in this car.

Others have found more comfort after following Mazda's specific guidance on adjusting the seats. I'll have to play with them more.

 

[cz5gt]

after many months experimenting this is the seat frame position that works best for me. minimal discomfort over 2-3hrs drives.
mostly the butt but its better than the thigh and bolster pain before. notice the seat pad is angled and the rear rest is inclined as well. if the seat pad is not angled but flat horizontal then the pain starts.
the whole seat is lifted up too - 2-3 clicks from the floor not to the highest lift up but enough.

 

[bariszop]

there is a common problem on the Gen2 that a lot of a people find. Seats are too firm. More specifically the bottom side bolsters on the seat are too hard and the seating is on the small and narrow side. techzpod.com mobdro apk

 

[GFrosty]

... Mazda really needs to address this and soon.

Would love it if Mazda offered a decent bracket and option for the Recaro fully-adjustable seats (ie, the ErgoMed). Assumes it all fits, of course. That'd solve the problem right quick, all for the cost of design and building of a quality bracket, since Recaro's already got the seat solution.