Not near the top. Problem is mid spine on a 5'7" person.

 

I wasn't bothered by the seams but during test drives my wife and I both immediately remarked that the standard seats were much more comfortable. The performance seats are hard and seemed destined to result in numb *** cheeks. I found the sport seats fairly cushy - better than the standard leather seats that are in my XF.

Love the look and color options of the performance seats...but don't think I can do it if I wind up going with the V6S. Already asked the dealer if I could "downgrade" the seats in a custom built R and he said no dice.

Anyone else have reservations about the performance seats and find that they softened up quite a bit?

 

I recently returned from a cross country drive in my R. I HAD to be sure I took the wallet out of my back pocket, and I usually felt the need to stretch my legs every three hours or so. But, by that time it was time to start looking for a gas station anyway.

 

I also found the standard seats far more comfortable, and I'm still very happy with them 15 months later. They are among the best seats I've had in any car, and still provide plenty of support when cornering.

I agree the performance seats are hotter looking, but sometimes beauty is only skin deep.

 

Different strokes for different folks (doubt I've ever used that expression before) but I have the performance seats on my 2015 V6S and not only love the way they look but find them extremely supportive yet quite comfortable. Firm (as in supportive) but comfortable. Your opinion(s) may vary.

 

No problems with the Performance seats, but I went with suedecloth. Did not even place a cheek into them before ordering, so I'm glad they're good for me. The passenger seat has only been used once, but my mother declared it to be "really comfortable." She's probably 5'2". I'm 6'.

As for driving with my wallet (or anything) in my back pocket? Never. Not in decades.


EDIT: To answer the question better, not only do I have no problems with the Performance seats, I find them to be the most supportive of any car I've ever owned. My C30 has very comfortable seats, but without enough lateral support for the cornering forces it can muster.

 

If anyone has a camel colored standard seat for the passenger side they want to part with, let me know. (I know, fat chance).

 

I think the suede does make a difference in comfort, which I also have on the std seats. I've had leather only in cars for many years, but the suede has been a pleasant surprise in terms of comfort.

I'm sure I could have made the performance seats work for me--not saying they are uncomfortable, and they do look better aesthetically, but I spent a lot of time comparing the two. If you haven't done that, it's hard to have a basis for judgement.

I was deciding between two cars at purchase time. One had performance seats, and the other had std. seats. When I look at purchasing a car, I spend a lot of time analyzing seat comfort and fit because that is very important to me, and I spent a lot of time comparing the two choices in the F-Type. The standards came out on top for me.

Of course, different body types can also have a lot to do with one's choice, and I picked the most comfortable seat for me without regard to which one looked cooler.

 

Did you go with the full leather or the ones with suede facings? I've only sat in the suede-faced variety. Not sure if the full leather would change the feel. I do wonder if the suede facings would bother me by collecting lint.


edit: n/m you answered just before i asked

 

We were posting at the same time. I have suede. They are very easy to take care of and still look new after 15 months. Lint is no problem. They vacuum clean, and any dirt comes off with a little Resolve upholstery cleaner with no trace.

 

I have performance and had not sat in them before buying. Liked the look and the available color, brogue. They are a little hard to get out of once I set them up. The basic seat I tried was easier.

 

My experience is that a "soft" seat might feel more comfortable when you enter the seat, but is less comfortable over long journeys.


The perfomance seats in the F-type are (for me) surprisingly comfortable over long Journeys, even though they might seems a bit firm and very supportive when you enter them.


My longest trip so far was a 11 hours trip with only short stops for refueling when neccessary. No pain or problems what so ever.


I rented a new Chevrolet Tahoe on our Holiday this summer in Florida, and the seats were very nice and soft when I entered. But after less than an hour of driving I started to feel pain in my ties, bottom and lower back, and needed a rest.


So I firm seats are not neccesserely a bad thing for long time comfort - but more the other way arround.


At least that is what my body tells me

 

The standard seats are firm as well, certainly not soft by any means, and I'd bet the cushion material is the same. Exterior covering also has something to do with it. I think suede feels softer and breathes better than leather, but the shape also has something to do with it.

And, of course, there's the vertical seam issue, which bothered me and is absent on the std seats.

 

Everything is relative.


I rented a Cadillac DTS some years ago, and those seats were really soft - and they were the worst seats I have ever experienced for any trips that lasted longer than 20 minutes....


But they still felt rather "nice" when you sat down in them. The "nice" feeling did not last for long though....

 

........and still trying to find a comfortable spot for the lumber setting. It seems to always be poking my lumbar rather than just supporting it.

Desert Hiker

 

True, but the DTS was for an entirely different demographic (senior citizens and limo drivers), and the only thing softer than the seats were the springs and shocks. I've also done a 1000 mile trip, without fatigue, and the only reason I stop is when the fuel gauge tells me to, about the same time my bladder does (about 4 hour segments).

I am not attacking the performance seats, and to repeat, I didn't say the performance seats were uncomfortable. I could have made them work. I just fit better and was more comfortable in the std. seats. I still think they are in the top 3 of all seats I've become very familiar with in about 50 vehicles now. I also think most people are seduced by the look of the performance seats which unquestionably look better.

 

That's the silly seam poking you. I may get that panel replaced.

 

I have never tried the std. seats, and they might be as good or better comfort wise than the performance seats. My comments were more directed to some comments about the performance seats being to firm - which I don't agree with. That is however just my personal opinion, and I am sure that can be rather individual.

The best seats that I previous have experienced was in my ex. Touareg (with optional comfort seats), my ex. Audi TTS and my brother in laws Volvo S60. But I think the performance seats in the F-type is even better - both comfort wise and (more obvious) support wise.

 

Reservations, yes. They were in fact a deal-breaker. Uncomfortable, not primarily due to the seam, but rather their strangely excessive firmness. Supportive is good, hardness is not. They are the major reason why a didn't get an R. Too bad all those delicious color options aren't available with the sport (standard) seats. The camel w/extended leather option would have been beautiful in my IRR V6S. With sport seats, just 2 options: cirrus and "jet" (black). The cirrus that I got isn't bad at all.

 

Same here, have had lower back issues with the performance seats. Have the lumbar support completely deflated as any inflation would increase lower back curvature and make it even more uncomfortable. Other seat adjustments have improved it somewhat but I still find the lower back support too firm. I do have a bad back.

No issue with the seam in the middle.

They do look good though!