I'm always saying, "It's hell to get old" but it's usually kind of tongue in cheek, I'm not really that old (60 is the new 30 don't you know). The little woman & I used the 99 XJR for a road trip from upstate NY to the smallest state in the union this past weekend with the idea that this would be a shake down cruise to see if the old girl (the XJR, not my wife) was ready, mechanically, for use on an upcoming southern road trip. Up until now the furthest she'd ventured from our driveway was 1.5 hours out to Buffalo or an afternoon circumnavigation of Seneca Lake with several stops for scenery & wine tasting. About 3 hours into the trip my wife and I looked at each other and she announced (as I was thinking the same thing) "we are not taking this car on our road trip!". I'm not sure if its a lack of lower back support or what but the XJR seats had both of us squirming for a comfortable position with 3 more hours to go. They don't seem to feel bad around town or on our shorter trips but this is no long distance highway cruiser (IMHO).
My question is has anyone used the VDP or regular XJ8's as well as an XJR to know whether it's worth sourcing other seats and swapping them? I'm not really concerned with lateral support in the turns even though I love to run thru fast sweepers, these aren't sports cars after all.
My next question is can the VDP or XJ8 seats be swapped for the XJR front buckets?

 

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Hmmm, the lady and I just took our 2001 VDP for its first trip out of town, a 9 hour round trip from California to places in Nevada and back, and I was so surprised at the comfort of the car for distance traveling. Neither of us are spring chickens, would even go as far as to say that 60/70 is the new 25/30, and my back has had its share of harsh treatment, including a compression fracture of T12 and injuries to L5 and the Sacrum, but neither of us suffered any discomfort during the trip, quite the opposite in fact. I did inflate the lumber support on my seat about half way home, mainly just to test its operation, and did find that it was nice to have that extra lower support, but more as a change in position than anything. Overall is was a very pleasant and comfortable trip, and I was equally pleased with the liveliness and capability of the car as we traversed the Sierra Nevadas up and down the 500ft-to-6,000ft roads. I did notice that regular mode was a little too staid for some of the longer inclines and hung on to top gear too long for me, but sport mode cured that, and still averaged 23.8mpg despite all that hill climbing.

This doesn't answer your question about seat swapping, but maybe it's a testament to the VDP seats? I know the VDP has the softer suspension, and more supple leather upholstery, maybe it has softer seating springs too, and maybe a seat contour that is designed towards comfort? I'm sure others more knowledgeable will be able to answer definitively but I have to think that the different seats across the X308 range must be easily interchangeable?



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The foam panels in the half-circular XJ8 / Daimler / VDP seats are of a slightly different shape than the square-paneled XJR seats.
I have read some stories over the years that the XJR seats are more comfortable, but I guess (and your above story is an example) that it is a personal thing.
Guess a lot depends on length, shape and weight of the person.
I myself easily do a 6 hour one way trip in my VDP without any problems, having back problems since I tried to fly from my bicycle a year ago.

Seats are basically interchangeable within the range.
However, there are different colors and panel design, differences in operation, and differences in LHD / RHD versions.
You will need to spend some time on sourcing and checking.

 

Thanks for the replies. Obviously a matter of opinion on any comfort issues but as neither my wife or I are in a position to tax the seat's support capabilities at ~ 150 lb each and no serious underlying back issues I'm guessing the XJR seats may just be geared towards firm support. The funny thing is the seats in our 540i beemer initially feel quite a bit quite a bit firmer but we haven't noticed the same issues on our long trips in that car. Too bad, the jag would have looked nice in the Woodford Reserve distillery lot on our bourbon tour...
I guess I should put a couple of VDP front buckets on my list of things to look for so the jag can go on the next trip, the motor was blast for the entire trip. and mileage was pretty respectable.

 

As I began to age out of my 01 na XJ8L, I needed to use a seat insert (BackJoyRelief -- WWW.Backjoy.com) to stay comfortable over a long drive. But we took it to Florida via Charlotte with little pain. But a year later, I needed to settle for a laminectomy, to solve the real problem. Wife weighs in about 140, me 210 and 6'2"

Then the knees quit (yes: getting old sucks), so I traded the car. Now with a new back and new knees, I upgraded to a new Continental (almost exact size as X308 -- but NEW); still, I find the BackjoyRelief useful in it too.

So, I guess new seats won't help if you have an old arthritic back. The seats in this Lincoln are no more comfortable than the Jag (the Jag seats weren't worn out). Never, ever found a BMW with comfortable seats (owned six of them); my Z4 and 323C were the absolute worst of any car I ever owned.

 

The first time I test drove an x308 XJR (a 98 MY) I was really unimpressed with the seats, they felt rock solid and poorly shaped. For whatever reason on my XJR (a 99) they are softer and very comfortable once the position is dialed. I haven't had a chance to do an extended (multiple hours) long drive on them yet, but on short to mid length drives (up to an hour) they were a huge improvement over my old car. Haven't had any back pain unless I had already been stressing my back working under the car, biking, doing heavy lifting, etc. However, I am on the younger end of x308 owners... I've tried out a few VDP seats at the junkyard and on one Super V8 at a used car place, and don't remember being too impressed, they just felt really convex and awkward, but I didn't get much chance to play around with positioning or to actually drive in them. It may be personal preference there. The most comfortable seat I've ever tried was the most base level power seats on the x350 XJ8, those blew me away on comfort and fit. x350 XJR seats felt similar to the older ones in that they're a bit on the too firm side. It's a shame those don't bolt in to the x308.

ericjansen said it right where all the x308 seats basically all interchange (within the NAS market models), they all bolt up the same way, I think color matching will be the trickiest part. Not sure but I think all the seat controller modules interchange too.

 

Can't explain -- have always found my Jaguar seats to be very comfortable ... Can't say I have ever had or heard any complaints. Bought my 1995 X300VDP new and two X308's 98VDP and 02 R new as well .. so ....I have some seat time. The car is a bit more form fitting vs those of the BMW/MB's of the same period. My second R is a low mile example ..... the early R's did not ride as well IMO .. that's why I bought the VDP.. The later shocks did make a difference

 

I took my 2003 VDP on a road trip this past June. Drove from Nebraska to Pennsylvania and found it very comfortable and I am 63 and disabled. ( L1 to L5 has bulging disc and arthritis and knees have arthritis. Old Military injuries) and I even napped in the car when I hit Ohio

 

Definitely one of those things where certain people are just more suited. I don't know why, and can't explain it. I've driven countless miles, and have done 24 hour stints straight, with only stops for gas and drive-thrus before, and been fine. However, I've had other people ride with me that say after two hours, they're getting stiff.

My biggest complaint is the handbrake handle in my thigh. I like a relatively low sitting position on everyday driving, and it's tolerable for that but on anything longer, it really starts to ache having it pressed into my leg. I can raise the front of the seat up to make them more "level" with each other. but then that means raising the whole seat up, or being in a more reclined position which then means my neck angle is compromised and makes my neck sore. To be fair, it happens in any car I drive - neck pain after x number of hours. That's on me more for posture, than the vehicles.

But I haven't yet found a reason why some find the seats more comfortable than others, my guess is it's just the overall nature and design of the seat bolsters, just seems to fit different bodies differently.

 

..........especially when cruise control is on, I ease my right leg back, and right there is the handbrake handle in the perfect place to stick into my thigh.



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I've just seen this post, I find it quite surprising people have comfort issues with the sports seats. I've actually got a damaged back and purposely hunted for a car with sports seats as I find them better for me. I've driven 500 miles in a day in this car and arrived feeling better than when I left. The seat heaters improve things further for me if I'm having a bad back day. Furthermore my girlfriend has never complained about the Jaguar seats, but found Volvo, Saab, Audi, Mercedes and Ford seats to be uncomfortable for her.

 

An update on this one, as I yesterday drove some 800 km.
The first 400km in a 1999 x308 Daimler, return in a 1999 x308 XJR.

For me (53 yrs, 1.80m, 85kg), the x308 Daimler seats are the most comfortable on the long run.
Although the XJR seats feel great the first time you drop in, their bottom cushion seems thinner or harder, and that gets back to you after 200km.
The XJR seats were also the seats which I adjusted the most to find optimum comfort, but it never felt 100% right.

That said, to me they are still great seats, they look fantastic, and I should be totally fine with them.
It is just that the Daimler / VDP seats feel more comfortable on the long run for sure.

Finally, I have no idea how you guys can complain about the hand brake.
I have tried every body position "to hit" it, but my leg is never even close to it.
I really wonder how it can be such disturbance ....

 

Yer gotta practice Eric!


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Me too, I've been driving X308's for ten years now and not once have I been bothered by the position of the handbrake. But that being said someone of a larger frame than myself may find it a different matter.

 

Certainly, seat comfort is a highly personal and subjective thing. Too bad you can't exchange car seats like mattresses. The absolute best seats I've ever owned were in a 1985 Toyota Supra, highly adjustable in almost every way. It has a multi-chamber air bladder for lumbar support. It uses something like a sphygmomanometer bulb that you pump up and then three buttons that release air from each chamber to adjust not only the amount of lumbar support but the shape of the curve. If lumbar support is your only complaint, there are single-chambered air bladders available in the aftermarket for around $50 that you could have an upholstery shop install in probably most any car seat. I don't see why it couldn't work in the X308 seats. Do a google search for "lumbar air bladder" and some options should come up. There is 3-chambered one from Corbeau, but it didn't look like you could adjust each separately. Summit Racing even sells one with an electric air pump.