Anyone else struggle with sline seats?

[scotaudiavantman]

hi again,

Struggling to get comfortable in my sline seats on a.4dt avant.

Tried a lot of positions and watched a few videos. I am 6 foot, 1inch and have long legs, slight belly.

I find it needs to be quite upright with my head virtually touching the head rest all the time. I thought that head rests were mainly for crashes and not literally head resting.

This combined my my struggles with the hard suspension is making me wonder why this car is viewed as a comfort option in the class. I find it's character far more sporty that comfort.

 

[cuke2u]

I am 5' 8" and I always set my seat base up as high as it can go, no issues with the head rest at all. I wouldn't say that the seats are as good as the ones were in my Mondeo or Focus but I have just about now got a comfortable position.
However your last line is always been the case and true to Audi's philosophies as far as I understand it...

 

[maui]

I struggled for about 2-3 months before my back finally got used to the seat! Never had any problem in other cars I've owned, and my previous was a Golf GT with 'sport seats'. Persevere and hopefully you'll get comfortable with time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wideboybloke]

It took me a while to find a comfortable position. I came from an A3 in which I had a very comfortable set-up. I was reminded of this when I was given an A3 loaner a few months ago and just sitting in it for the first time suddenly brought back the comfort of my own A3.

I can't explain why I can't get such a good position in the A4. The steering wheel feels a bit high (adjusted to where it suits me) whereas I like to feel it's nice and low down, but low down just doesn't feel right in this car. On the other hand, I do appreciate the lumbar support; sometimes a little tweak of that can make all the difference. I am 5'10", white caucasian, Cof E and I voted Brexit (in case any of that is relevant).

 

[cuke2u]

My A3 also took ages to get the correct seating position. However, perhaps because of my experiences with the A3, I got just about the right comfort in the A4 very quickly...

 

[Pork]

Agree with the point about steering wheel being high - if I adjust mine to where it's comfortable I can't see the top of the instruments.

 

[kree-sholva]

OP. I has the exact same problem with my s line. Over time the back pain comes and goes. I found lowering the steering wheel and closer to my body helps so I'm not stretchimg my.arms too much. This is the first car in my life i found a struggle.to fully get comfortable in!

 

[scotaudiavantman]

I have long legs so can't really bring it too close. Between this and the hard suspension, I kinda regret my purchase to be honest.

An a4 allroad, an xf or an e class would have suited me better. Ah well, just 3 more years to go .....

 

[Berrrtie]

I've been struggling too.. I feel like i'm constantly adjusting my seat.
For me, my back is ok.. but I've been getting aching knees and ankles.

Hopefully i'll eventually find the sweetspot

 

[SPEEDBIRD3000]

Compared to my A6 Sline with 20inch star alloys..that was a very harsh ride but my A4 B9 Sline with 19inch rims is a dream ride. The seats I haven't had any issues with so far in terms of comfort. Hope you get a good compromise and fit.

 

[firebits]

hi again,

Struggling to get comfortable in my sline seats on a.4dt avant.

Tried a lot of positions and watched a few videos. I am 6 foot, 1inch and have long legs, slight belly.

I find it needs to be quite upright with my head virtually touching the head rest all the time. I thought that head rests were mainly for crashes and not literally head resting.

This combined my my struggles with the hard suspension is making me wonder why this car is viewed as a comfort option in the class. I find it's character far more sporty that comfort.

Did you get anywhere with this? I am of a similar build to yourself and I have always struggled to get comfortable, sometimes this hurts my back. I have tried two different lumbar supports now and these help the back but are still really uncomfortable. I have a little A1 courtesy car just now, cloth seats, and it is so much more supportive and comfortable than the A4 and I have more headroom!

 

[scotaudiavantman]

I adjusted the seat to nearly straight plus plenty of thigh support plus very particular distance back. When I sit up very straight and have settings just right I find it ok now. Still much prefer the normal trim seats but maybe I’m just getting to that age.

This whole car is just too hard for my tastes. Seating and suspension. I did 2 test drives but neither was extended or my home turf. Won’t make same mistake again!

 

[gone]

Does the seat have the extending part at the front of the base? I find that using that helps a lot as it supports the length of my leg and takes pressure off my lower back.
Overall though, the position is poor as to have the steering in the correct position means that quite a lot of the instrument binnacle is obscured for me.
The seat comfort is typically Teutonic, quite hard, i don't like long runs as they can be tiresome but I'm not doing much mileage these days, set the seats up for a blast over the moors though and they come into there own, holding me rock steady, which at nearly 17 stone takes some doing.

what wheels and tyres have you got? maybe dropping a size will even out the bumps, I'm currently on 18" winters and the ride is way better at town speeds.

 

[firebits]

I have the Sport Spec so Normal suspension, 17" Wheels and healthy side walls on the tyres. Ride is actually just a little soft but the seat is annoying me, I would change the seats in a heart beat. I think it is the sitting position that is mostly the issue, I should be more upright but then my head is very aware of the roof at the drivers door. My partners Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo, with sports seats too, is far more comfortable.

 

[Paul Golding]

Interesting thread. I've found in both the current and previous car, that setting the seat height to it's lowest, backrest leaning back (not so much that I sleep whilst driving), seat distance to where it's comfortable works nicely, combined with setting the steering wheel low enough to not obscure the dials. Most importantly, the steering wheel distance as close to me as possible........contrary to my younger days when I thought it was cool to drive with my arms stretching forward to hold the wheel.

After a bit of a tweak with the lumbar control, I'd have to say I'm more than happy with the ride and comfort of the seats.

 

[malph]

I have back problems and I tend to follow a set routine for getting the seat position right. Loads of sites on ‘tinternet, and they all say pretty much the same method......seems to work for me. Couple of links to the many available...

http://hitchinosteopathy.co.uk/news/set-up-your-car-seat-correctly/

http://www.physiomed.co.uk/uploads/guide/file/21/Physiomed_Sitting_Guide_-_Driving_Digital.pdf

They all advise that the seat back should be more upright than most people are used to, but it certainly makes a difference. I specced 19” wheels purely for aesthetic reasons, so added adjustable suspension and I find the ride really comfy in the comfort setting. In all, my B9 SLine is one of the most comfortable and refined cars I’ve owned.....and ‘er indoors agrees, so all good.

 

[cuke2u]

They all advise that the seat back should be more upright than most people are used to, but it certainly makes a difference.

Good advice, I found this out completely by accident in the summer when moving the contents of a house in the car...

 

[SRB93]

I'm having issues with the super sport seats in my S5... Just can't get that sweet spot! Something that's also funny... I keep getting a dead left foot (Small toe mostly) Not use to not using my left foot all of the time. Still twitches a little when coming to a stop or setting off.

 

[scotaudiavantman]

I have 18 wheels but still ver hard. Don’t get me wrong the suspension is good considering how little travel there is to work with. Problem is on Ayshire roads the undulations and pot holes are too much for any car this low.

The seat is not too bad now but I much prefer cars I have test driven since including jaguar, Mercedes and the 5 series. Valvo have amazing seats on their new range.

 

[A4 Annoying]

I love my A4 and haven’t had any issues with the seat postion. After delivery I pretty much rolled it back slightly and was good to go.

I realise this doesn’t help much but just wanted to put an alternative viewpoint on here.

 

[Candell]

The harsh ride was the reason I opted against the S Line, I never found it comfortable despite any amount of tweaking. The offset peddles don't help either, although it's not as noticeable with an auto.

 

[Syed Shah]

literally experienced how uncomfortable they can be on my journey to heathrow earlier.. my lower back was not at all at ease!

 

[cuke2u]

I have driven non stop for over 7 hours and the only discomfort I had was in my legs...

 

[Candell]

I have managed 5.5 hours in one go down to Cornwall with no problem in the Sport. The quiet cabin also removes that ringing in my ears I normally get after a long motorway journey. Don't feel anywhere near as fatigued in the A4 as I have in previous cars.

Leather seats have never been comfortable for me, it took a few years to realise that I was getting quite bad back pains simply due to my previous car (Honda). I changed cars (and back to cloth seats) and the pain went after a few weeks. only problem is cloth seats and dog hair don't get on well together.

 

[Fridarey]

I'm finding the s-line seats pretty comfy. I know there's a bit of a lottery here depending on seats and your own body size/shape, but for once it's gone in my favour.

I've done 7k miles since I picked the car up on 23rd October and they've felt better than my last few cars. I need to mess around a bit more to get the wheel exactly right, that's all. I'm down to Somerset in 4 weeks and Hampshire in May (from Aberdeenshire), and quite looking forward to stress-free journeys.

 

[cuke2u]

I have driven non stop for over 7 hours and the only discomfort I had was in my legs...

Mind you the traffic assist does really help with reducing fatigue...

 

[NeilHD]

I had issues getting comfortable when I first got mine. Had a bad back for a while which I think was caused by it.

Eventually, after much messing around, I've realised that having the seat fairly high, the base flat, the extender, er, extended, the seat back almost vertical and the steering wheel much closer to me (I don't think I've ever adjusted a wheel forward before) that it's now extremely comfortable.

 

[Syed Shah]

I've got 500 miles of road today to figure out how these seats will suit me best.. fair to say as much as it's fine on local, more than 20 miles had me feeling very old indeed...

 

[Fozzie1960]

A piece of advice given to me by an instructor when I did my IAM training a few years back was to adjust your seat by placing your wrists on the steering at ten to two. Adjust the seat forward and aft until your arms are slightly bent at the elbow. Set the height by placing a clenched fist on top of your head, adjust the seat until fist touches the roof lining. As for the lumbar support, that really is personal preference. I realise this may not work for everyone, but I'm 5'11' and it works for me.

 

[Paul Golding]

I might have to try this. At 5'11" too, I find I always want the seat as low as it'll go, then adjust the rake to what I'm comfortable with, then the distance from the pedals and finally move the steering wheel out so that I'm not stretching to reach it. Personally, I find that having the wheel pulled out (a lot) is the trick for me. It's just occurred to me that I haven't touched the tilt angle of the seat base......I've not even found if you can in the B9, but I'm sure in the B7 I could and invariably adjusted it so the tilt down at the back was minimal.

Having decided mine's comfortable, I'm going to mess it all up now

 

[Happy Grumpz]

It's just occurred to me that I haven't touched the tilt angle of the seat base......I've not even found if you can in the B9

Small lever on the front of the seat

 

[GavinE]

6ft 3", suffer same problem. I find I end up sitting much closer, more upright and higher than I would in any other car I've had.

 

[firebits]

This is the problem, sitting upright and in a correct position for your back means no head room for those over 6’. Lower, more comfortable position means back pain. My car did not come with a lumbar support, but I’ve since fitted one (well, I’m on my 3rd.) which helps but still struggling to get comfortable.

 

[Phil Norton]

My car did not come with a lumbar support, but I’ve since fitted one (well, I’m on my 3rd.) which helps but still struggling to get comfortable.

Out of interest, how did you retrofit this? I picked up a second hand A4 (not SLine, just Sport trim) and the lever for adjusting the seat angle is busted, and is booked in with Audi in a few weeks to get it sorted. So, for now, the seat is a wee bit wobble, and can't be adjusted, and I'm not entirely comfortable when I drive (which is bizarre, as this has to be the smoothest car I've ever been in, never mind driven).

So I'm not sure if it's the wobbly seat cushion (you can actually feel it move when you go over speed bumps), or the lack of lumbar that's making me feel uncomfortable...

 

[firebits]

The kit I got works like this one (but unfortunately I cannot find a link to the kit I purchased). I got a local garage to fit. I’ve since found that I can get rid of the sitting with a rubber ball at my back effect by wrapping the bladder in a cloth, it’s now quite comfortable.

http://www.motormods.co.uk/lumbar_support_cars.html

 

[SMI77]

I'm having issues with the super sport seats in my S5... Just can't get that sweet spot! Something that's also funny... I keep getting a dead left foot (Small toe mostly) Not use to not using my left foot all of the time. Still twitches a little when coming to a stop or setting off.

...its not really that funny. In our former daily, a '08 Subie manual, after a long drive, I would get tingling in a left toe. When we drove the S4 demonstrator, it had the sports seats. Yuk!! Ordered the S4 with standard seats. Beside being miles more comfortable, especially >500mile trips, and for this old body including long legs, it is supportive where I need it. It has a manual thigh (under the hammies) support extension. Voila! No problem with the legs/feet. I am no doctor, but I do believe what the medics do say - the pain is usually caused at somewhere else in the body. The S4 seat also has unbelievable adjustment for my 5' 11" frame. I sit really low (and yes, with the steering wheel set I also can't see the indicator lights on the dash, but I live with that) and have the butt/knee/pedal angle so that there is no pressure on the nerves in the legs.

 

[Gingertom]

I came out of a Volvo s60 which had a comfy leather armchair compared with my S Line. So initially my thoughts on the s line was great car, 'orrible seat. But I worked out that by raising the seat, lowering the steering wheel, seat tilted back slightly with leg support extended and finally back support upright it's actually become a pretty comfortable ride now. I've never though the ride particularly firm although my comfort adaptive suspension setting has something to do with that?

 

[tickedon]

I came out of a Volvo s60 which had a comfy leather armchair compared with my S Line. So initially my thoughts on the s line was great car, 'orrible seat. But I worked out that by raising the seat, lowering the steering wheel, seat tilted back slightly with leg support extended and finally back support upright it's actually become a pretty comfortable ride now. I've never though the ride particularly firm although my comfort adaptive suspension setting has something to do with that?

I also swapped from an S60 last year and assumed I’d never find a similarly comfortable position. I had a 400 mile drive to get home after picking up the car, various tweaks along the way and the seats were perfect by the time I got home. I regularly do 4-5 hour drives and find it just as comfortable as the Volvo.

Extending the leg support is definitely one of the best things to do though.

 

[FrancescoLondon]

Hello Guys,
2 months ago I collected my new Q3 S Line with sport leather seats and I was happy ... until after just few days I started suffering with my back.
I actually cannot find a comfortable position as I need to adjust all the time!
Not sure but I think that audi sport seats are really bad designed as I feel I don't have support on my bumps at all!

Between the base of the seat and the back support there is an empty space where I feel I am falling into all the time and this causes my lumbar muscle to contract involuntary causing the pain!

I have sat and driven other friend's cars with sport seats (and non sport seat) and I was feeling I had found the pleasure of driving again but not with my new Q3.
I tried everything ... cushions, back support, cushions with coccyx relief etc..... but nothing!

I am 6 foot tall and I am really unsatisfied, frustrated that I cannot enjoy 1 single drive! I thought that buying audi I would never have any problem(or few) but instead I've got the worst one ... the one that makes you feel bad every time I drive the car.

I think I have made a mistake in choosing the sport seats ... not even sure it's about the sport seat itself as I was used with sporty cars with sport seats and never had problems so didn't consider it as potential issue ... I think it is about a bad design of audi sport seats!

I'd really need someone to help me and advice how did you resolve and find a comfy position being 6 foot (184cm) tall

Thank you in advance!

 

[Scuba Blue]

Agree with the point about steering wheel being high - if I adjust mine to where it's comfortable I can't see the top of the instruments.

If I put it as low as I would like, my left knee hits the Cruise Control stalk.