It doesn’t look very comfortable to me. But maybe something about the way it is made, and its contact points on your back does help.
I find the seats to be uncomfortable in most customer’s vehicles that I road test.
The remedy is to retract the lumbar support adjustment and raise the back recliner about 25 degrees so my shoulders rest against the seat back. I don’t understand how anyone can be comfortable with so much pressure on the lower back, perhaps my back is not curved like others.
Does adding a lumbar cushion reduce pressure on the lower back? These cushions are discouraged by the vehicle manufacture, they interfere with seatbelt and airbag operation.
If equipped, usually not on base trim levels.
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I couldn’t retract the lumbar support if the vehicle was not equipped with one. The point is that people seem to use these adjustments because they have them, not to improve comfort. Retracting the lumbar support also adds 2" to 3" of leg room, my hips are farther back in the seat.
The HR-V doesn’t have a lumbar adjustment, so the OP has added a lumbar cushion to add pressure on the lower back.
The 2023 HRV has what honda calls Body Stabilizing Seats,
Body Stabilizing Seats Add Comfort and Support
All-new Body Stabilizing Seats firmly hold the body, reducing fatigue and enhancing comfort on long drives. This new front seat design uses multiple internal structures to provide improved support across the entire body, enhancing comfort on long drives. This includes a resin mat that supports the area from the pelvis to the lumbar spine for a more stable and solid seating feel.
An inner frame on the seat bottom stabilizes the hips to reduce movement and posture changes during the various G forces the user may experience while driving. The curve of the seat bottom also leaves no gap between the seat and thighs to mitigate sliding forward, while coupling with the internal structure to reduce forward and lateral pelvic tilt that can lead to fatigue and discomfort on long drives. The seat also centers the upper body over the pelvis, helping to stabilize the upper arms and the eyesight of the driver, making it easier to drive.
The most comfortable vehicle seats I ever had were in the 1995 Dodge Caravan. I owned two of them, hands down the best car seats I have ever sat on! I also found the seats in the early 90’s Spirit/Acclaim and Sundance/Shadow to be very comfortable. Currently, my daily driver is a 2002 Daewoo Lanos, which was made and sold as a cheap economy car, but the seats are extremely comfortable. The driver’s seat actually has three knobs, one being for lumbar support, which is rare in such a low-cost car.
I think today’s car seats are so hard and uncomfortable because they contain air bags and weight sensors, whereas the seats in older cars contained nothing but padding–and plenty of it. Older cars usually offered only basic adjustments on the seats, but the seats were always soft and comfortable.
Heh, heh, I guess it was around 1971 I was home on leave. Visited a high school buddy, he and another guy were building a 55 Belair, installed back to back lounge seats from a boat in it!
Geez… sounds great. Wish I could order a pair for my 2016 HRV but I guess that’s just not possible!
Thanks!
Suzanne
Interesting… never thought about the air bags but makes sense!
Thanks!
Suzanne
No, unfortunately my car does not have that.
Thanks!
Suzanne
Thanks!
Suzanne
Another reason for hard seats seems to be the addition of ventilation.
We all have our favorite seat positions. I raise my seat to the maximum height then tilt it backwards. I have to move it forward a bit because this moves my feet away from the pedals. I do this to extend my arms and find the seating comfortable for my back and bottom too.
So I drove my HRV again today with the lumbar pillow support that I have had for the past 3 days with no improvement, in fact the more I drive the worse I feel. My lower back and sciatica are so painful! My toes on my other foot are tingling. I just can’t believe this! Just bought the vehicle 2 weeks ago.
I finally broke down and told my husband who was soooo supportive! We decided today for me to trade in the vehicle. I found a Subaru Forrester 2016 and a 2017 Subaru Impreza AWD on line at 2 local dealers. I think it is worth trying if you found the Subaru seats comfortable?
Thanks!
Suzanne
That does not mean that you will find the seats acceptable . If nothing else just see if the seller will let you take a long test drive or at least set in the vehicle long enough to see if they will work.
Edit ; What you do is your choice but anything you do now is going to cost you money . I think getting the 2017 Civic back is your best move for now. You know that it works . As for the snow there is only a little more that an inch ground clearance so that really is not going to make much difference .
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Seat comfort is such an individual thing that nobody else’s opinions on seat comfort of a particular make and model can be assumed to be valid for you. You need to take an extended (more than 30 minutes, hopefully close to an hour) test drive in order to judge whether the seats in any car are appropriate for your body.
Right, that makes sense. I will definitely do that. I also emailed the dealership to ask if I could possibly try the Subaru overnight.
Thanks so much!
Suzanne
Will do,
Thanks so much!
Suzanne
As odd as it may seem, the most comfortable seats I ever sat in was the driver’s seat for a Dodge Charger SRT-8 the dealership let me sit in it but not drive it due to it being a high ticket item and unless I was a serious buyer I wouldn’t be able to test it out.
The seat was more of a racing bucket type seat but was wide enough for my larger frame, as opposed to the smaller seats you find in Japanese vehicles.
Our 2010 Volvo has what I call leather Recaro power seats and they are really nice for all day trips.