I will have to sell the CX-9...

[musicola]

I also find the seats a bit uncomfortable (the leather seats - don't know what the cloth ones are like). I am 6", 190 lbs. with long legs. <-- no you can't have a pic, but thanks for asking ;-)

I think seat comfort is a very individual thing that is hard to generalize. I find the driver seat a bit less comfortable than my wife's previous Dodge minivan when driving on long trips (driving about 2 hours on each "shift") but a bit more comfortable than the Dodge on the passenger side. I definitely find them less comfortable than the seats in my car (CTS-V), where I can drive 4-5 hours before getting sore.

 

[Dalton]

That's a great point, that also seems counterintuitive to me. Upshift should be "up" and down shift should be "down."

I also don't like that it's very easy to shift the tranny into manual mode when you grab the stick. Often I will steady myself with the stick as I'm turning which casues the tranny to switch to manual mode.

Those are the sweetest features of them all.
Let me explain

when you accelerate - hard (burnout)
the inertia will keep you clued to your seat -
its hard to upshift against inertia.
Same goes for the downshifting - you usually downshift under the braking
and shifting forward will not fight the inertia.

About the last - when i reach for the stick in car with autobox. (drive)
I'm shurely going to shift - the easier it is, to go to manual mode, the better.
Otherwise why touch the stick at all - only twice from P-> D and back
If you want to "steady" yourself, grab the wheel

 

[CX-7owner]

I also find the seats a bit uncomfortable (the leather seats - don't know what the cloth ones are like). I am 6", 190 lbs. with long legs. <-- no you can't have a pic, but thanks for asking ;-)

I think seat comfort is a very individual thing that is hard to generalize. I find the driver seat a bit less comfortable than my wife's previous Dodge minivan when driving on long trips (driving about 2 hours on each "shift") but a bit more comfortable than the Dodge on the passenger side. I definitely find them less comfortable than the seats in my car (CTS-V), where I can drive 4-5 hours before getting sore.

Maybe some of you that were/are having problems should try the cloth? Because the cloth has a very different firmness to them than the leather. Some people have noted that the leather was too hard and that the cloth was just right.

 

[Brian MP5T]

This is not a joke. I did not notice the problem until after I had driven it for about 2 hours. Of course by then it was too late. I am going to try having some extra padding put in the seat before I try to sell it. The upolstery guy said he could fix the problem, but would have to change the way the seat bottom is made and make a new cover. In order for the seats to match, I will have to have all of them replaced.

You will likely loose more than $2000 in Depreciation and Fees, Look into the upper levels of Sparco and Recaro. They make seats in several sizes.. Leather, color matched.

 

[sranger]

Here is the deal on my seat troubles.

The foam that the upholstery shop added made the seat bottom too hard so I removed most of it. The main problem I am having is directly related to the rolled edge seam that runs down the middle of the side bolsters in the seat bottom. I slipped a strip of poster board in between my hip and the seat on a drive to work. You could see the impression of the seam in the poster board (it is that hard!). This confirmed why it was making my hips and the back of my legs so sore.

Last weekend, I decided to take the seat bottom completely apart to see if I could do anything to help the situation. Due to some wiring, I was not able to completely remove it. However, I was able to pull the cover off both sides of the seat bottom. You could easily see the impression of the seam in the foam in the side bolsters of the seat. It is obviously putting a lot of pressure on the foam when I sit in the seat. I decided to cut a groove in the foam with a razor knife so that the seam would be directly over the groove when I put the cover back on. I cut a groove about wide and about deep. This allows the seam to presses into the groove and not put so much pressure on my hip and legs. My car has heated seats, but fortunately for me, the heating element does not extend on to the side bolsters so cutting the groove did not affect the seat heating elements.

So far this modification seems to have worked well. I drove the vehicle for about 6hr last Thursday and the seam did not bother me much. There was one place in the seat that still bothered me a little and I removed the cover on that side and made the groove a little wider yesterday. It was more comfortable after I put it back together. I think this modification is going to completely solve my problem.

It is a shame that Mazda did not take my complaint seriously. This groove could be made into the mold used to form the seat cushion. It does not alter the appearance of the seat in anyway. A smaller person would never notice that the groove was there and a larger person, like me, would certainly find it to be more comfortable. However, they will not even let me speak to anyone at Mazda that might find the information useful.

I was going to take some pictures when I took the seat apart this weekend, but I dropped my camera on the garage floor and several internal parts are now external... (

 

[DeadGeneration]

interesting thread

 

[AreYouWithMe]

Sorry so many of you are having problems. I have had my CX-9 Touring for about a week and a half and really like it. Some of the things people dislike and things I like, i.e. the center console.

As far as seating, it comes down to your personal preference. Sorry it doesn't suit you. The seat was one of the things I really like (I'm 5'8 ish 220#)

I had a bad saleswoman too but she was their "internet" person. All I needed her for was pricing and to sign papers. We was pretty much useless for the demo and answering questions. The car sold itself.

I realize the CX-9 is not for everyone. But it sure is for me.

 

[jaydrouin]

I do not care wether or not you believe me. I know that it is very uncomfortable to me! That is all I can base my opinion on. I honestly find it hard to believe that other people my size would find this seat comfortable on a long trip. I am begining to wonder if somthing is simply made wrong in my seat.

I asked my dealer to take a look and see if somthing it actually wrong with the way the seat is constructed and they refused to do so. I called the local Mazda Rep and he also refused to even take a look.

Until I find some solution to or reason for the problem, I stand my my Warning to anyone who is larger than average. If all seats are made the way Mine is, I know that other people my size will find it uncomfortable...

if you are the only one who has a complaint maybe it is you/ body type longer legs /torso? No one seat will fit eveyone! Mazda is great but you can't manufacture anything that works for everyone...By the way there is money available to you at the time of purchase for anyone under 4'10" or over 6'3" for modification of seats as well as handicapped and "plus sizes" you should have done more reaserch!! Or if you were not as pleasant to the dealership personal (which is more likely than not) It is not their responsibility to go the extra mile for you/ Did you pinch one too many pennies?

 

[clarko]

Glad to see you finally found a cheaper solution(thought)

Now enjoy your CX9 for what it is(drive)

 

[P5w3kids]

Now that seats have airbags in them, it's not so simple to swap in a different pair.

 

[Mazda3]

sranger hasn't been here in over 7 months, you guys are beating a dead horse.

 

[Foolish]

you guys are beating a dead horse.

Well, how else are they going to make comfortable seats out of it?

 

[clarko]

sranger hasn't been here in over 7 months, you guys are beating a dead horse.

(deadhorse

 

[knowaczark]

Has anyone notice an uncomfortable passenger seat?

I am over 6', +220# and my wife is about 5'4" and ???#'s. We both have noticed and commented that no matter where we adjust the seat it feels like we are going so slide off the front. It is uncomfortable and my wife has resorted to riding in the 2nd row on long trips.

I am inclined to unbolt the front mounts and slide in a few spacers to lift the front. Not sure if it possible and am waiting for warmer weather to investigate.

Anyone else notice this? Maybe mine has a defective passenger seat or pooly mounted seat.

Otherwise I love my 'zoom, zoom'!!!!

 

[Aron in Toronto]

You can adjust the seat bottom to be lower in the back and not so "tilted" forward.

And to comment on the OP's issue I too at 6'0" & 200lb, find the seats to be a bit narrow and the bolsters seem to hold me in a strange position. I've had the same issue with the past two BMWs I've owned, only they were even more heavily bolstered and I had to use an added center cushion to solve the problem. I guess I have a wide a##.

That said the seats in the CX9 are comfortable for me on long trips, even better than the Volvo seats that they replaced. I do find that there is not quite enough vertical adjustment available and wish that I could lower the seat more.

I did try driving a Mazda5 and found the seats to be comically small.