Mazda 5 front seat comfort

[Stew]

I am not sure if anyone has already mentioned this, but the base front seats on the Mazda 5 actually have lumbar support and I found them very comfortable to sit in. My current ride (2009 Rabbit) does not and you notice on trips. I am darn impressed with this little car. I have a 30" inseam and noticed the drivers seat was all the way to the rear, but once I moved my feet around had no problems and think it should be good up to 33-34 inseam. I wanted to note the seat comfort for anyone shopping for a 5 and wondering about the lack of lumbar adjustment on the lower trims.

 

[johnnieboy]

My inseam is around 32.5" (@ 6'0") and I find the driver's seat travel barely tolerable. I am constantly checking to see if it will go back a bit further. I've adjusted, but just barely.

 

[dan4behr]

I keep wishing the 5 had a driver's seat tilt adjustment, or at least an extra inch of so of seat bottom length. I'm always finding that I want more support under my thighs toward my knees. It gets uncomfortable after a while....

 

[DKaz]

I'm 6'1", 210 lb with 32" inseam, I'm perfectly happy with the 5's seats. Compared to my Corolla, these seats are way more supportive.

 

[Martyd]

This is an older thread about tilt. I did a mod and am happy with the results.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...-adjustment!&p=5198736&highlight=#post5198736

 

[flcruising]

I've contemplated the tilt mod, but I find that using the pump lever to raise/lower the seat gives a bit of tilt to make it more comfortable, just can't remember which direction up or down?

 

[Stew]

I have noticed that things feel a little tighter with the clutch pedal. The previous 5 I sat in was an automatic.

 

[wmzda5]

In 07, one thing that I noticed here and in the other forums for the 5 is that most of the complaints about the interior size and the smallness of the driver space is mostly coming from the US. I figure most probably because most americans average built is bigger than most canadian. There was a poll a few years back, most 5 owners are either asian descent or below 5'11". But I still find the 5 bigger than my first mazda choice the CX7. I bumped my head 3 times during my test drive of the cx7.

 

[rkhanso]

I keep wishing the 5 had a driver's seat tilt adjustment, or at least an extra inch of so of seat bottom length. I'm always finding that I want more support under my thighs toward my knees. It gets uncomfortable after a while....

My 2006 has a tilt adjustment (sort of). There is a lever on the left side of the driver's seat that you pump up or down to raise or lower the back of the seat. It does not adjust the front of the seat, however.

This lever is separate from the lumbar adjustment and the seat-back adjustment.

 

[jimp]

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam, I have plenty of leg room but find the seat itself not all that comfy for me, especially after about an hour or so in the seat. I use a small travel pillow which helps alot. The seat in my Mz3 is much more comfy for me.

 

[Orangutan]

I'm 6'2" and I fit better in the 2012 than I did in the 2006-2010 model. I would still like another inch or two of seat travel but the seats themselves, although they lack the adjustable lumbar of the previous generation, are significantly more comfortable.

 

[twintrbo]

I'm deeply considering buying a power seat from a 2010 mazda 6 and adapting it to the 5. I found one for $150 and my wife is offering it to me as a fathers day present. I'm so tempted!!!!!!

 

[Rich A.]

I bought a new 2012 Mazda 5 in February and I think the driver's seat is wrecking my back. I already had a compressed disk issue in my back, and this car has caused an unbelievable flare-up. Before this one I owned a 2006 Mazda 5 for 7 years and the seat in the old one was far superior in ergonomics. I could drive that car all day and night without any problems... it was very comfy. The new 2012 seat is horrible in my opinion. This isn't something I noticed during the test drive, but as I spent more time in the car I can't believe how wimpy the lumbar adjustment is compared to the old one. The old one had a ratchet type adjustment that could go to extremes. The 2012 allows just a single lever flip that hardly does anything. Another issue I have is that I think the 2012 leather seat is hard. I had the cloth in the 2006 and it was way more comfortable.

I've been trying all kinds of cushions and lumbar supports, but so far haven't found anything that lets me sit in comfort for very long. I'm not sure what to do, but unless the seat "breaks in" or I find something that helps, I may have to look into customizing the seat or getting rid of the car (which I don't want to do!).

Any ideas? Does anyone else think the newer seats are terrible?

 

[Rich A.]

Well, I'm glad I posted about my issue because it got me thinking about what else I could try. I took a look at the seat, unzipped the leather cover, and found the wimpy lumbar adjustment right there. As a quick experiment I taped a couple of foam pieces I had together and stuffed them behind the plastic lumbar support. It's a really tight squeeze, but it makes a big difference in the comfort. The seat actually has an ergonomic feel to it now. I'll give this a try and see how it works out. This may not be a magic bullet, but it's a LOT better than it was.

BTW, does anyone know what that yellow hose is all about? It feels like it has a cable inside of it. Maybe an air bag or seat belt sensor?

 

[JMJinNC]

I'm 6' 2", with a 35" inseam. I have a 2012 Mazda 5 Sport with 6-speed, so no lumbar adjustment.

Seating comfort is decent, but I've not had a really long drive in the car yet. When I took the test drives, it was one thing I paid attention to - could I adjust them enough to be comfortable, and would it accommodate my wife as well (her car, really), who is 5' 2". With the seat bottom adjusted down & back a bit, and the addition of a memory foam lumbar pillow, I think I could do a fairly long drive in ours.

FWIW - my other car is a 2002 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon, with extremely supportive and adjustable seats (like 8 hour drive comfortable).

JMJ

 

[steadypimpin]

Well, I'm glad I posted about my issue because it got me thinking about what else I could try. I took a look at the seat, unzipped the leather cover, and found the wimpy lumbar adjustment right there. As a quick experiment I taped a couple of foam pieces I had together and stuffed them behind the plastic lumbar support. It's a really tight squeeze, but it makes a big difference in the comfort. The seat actually has an ergonomic feel to it now. I'll give this a try and see how it works out. This may not be a magic bullet, but it's a LOT better than it was.

BTW, does anyone know what that yellow hose is all about? It feels like it has a cable inside of it. Maybe an air bag or seat belt sensor?

View attachment 202447

Don't ever mess with those yellow covered wires. They are for airbags.

 

[Rich A.]

I'm about to give up on this car if I can't find a solution. It looks like the seats from the Mazda 3 are a different design and I want to know if I can replace my driver's seat with one from a 3 (2012 FWIW). I think the leather seats in my 2012 5 are hard and have terrible ergonomics. It seems to me like they were designed for obese people and I'm relatively skinny. They are nothing like the seats in the 2006 5 that I replaced with the 2012. I could drive that car for 10-12 hours no problem. If I had known how bad this was going to be I never would have bought another. Unfortunately no amount of test driving revealed that the seat would be a problem. It took weeks of slowly pounding my back to show up. The 2006 seat had a "mattress" type construction which was sort of springy. The 2012 is nothing but some crappy blown hard foam under leather.

I'm seriously thinking of selling the car unless I can find a solution.

 

[Secondtyme]

Try to find some seats for an 06 on E-bay from a seller who posts good photos (like LKQ, they usually do good pics) Now compare the bases to the bases on your 2012. I would bet good money that the seats from the earlier car will bolt into your new one. You can also look into swapping in seats from a Speed3, the Car&Driver folks did that and it seemed to work.

 

[BunnyS4nd0]

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam, I have plenty of leg room but find the seat itself not all that comfy for me, especially after about an hour or so in the seat. I use a small travel pillow which helps alot. The seat in my Mz3 is much more comfy for me.

Can you describe the pillow and how you use it...I'm 6'2" with a 34" inseam and I can only go a little while before the hip discomfort starts...I moved all the levers into various positions and cannot find the right spot...ahh if it would only move back 2 more inches...

 

[Rich A.]

I hate to say it, but after fighting with this seat issue since February I have been defeated. I tried everything from sitting on a 2" thick foam cushion to inserting lumbar padding into the seat back and other ridiculous combinations of cushions and back rests. I even bought an expensive Sacro-Ease seat. No matter what I try, I can't get comfortable and end up trying something else and have finally raised the white flag. After owning a 2006 Mazda 5 for six years (my most favorite car ever), and then this 2012 model for nine months (my most hated car ever), it's on the way out. I came to an agreed deal for another car (2011 Ford Escape) and am trading the Mazda 5. I tried, I really tried, but IMHO Mazda screwed up badly with these crap seats and has lost a loyal customer and fan. It was a real love-hate relationship with this car, but at this point it's good riddance, I'm moving on.

That's my sob story and I'm sticking to it