TheITGuy

Thank you everyone for your replies. An interesting point that the standard seats lack side bolstering, so may not suit a slim frame! I'll need to see if I can arrange some extended test drives. Have a great weekend everyone Glen

That's useful to know, thank you. My next step is to visit a dealership that has an SEL or L&K and have a sit!

That's one of the reasons why I'm going for a DSG gearbox this time round - with only 2 pedals to fit into the footwell, I can't see any reason for the accelerator pedal being offset to the right. Thanks for your input DB72....

Hello DB72 When you say "Seats felt wide and very slightly offset" do you mean the seat is offset in relation to the steering wheel or the pedals? One of the issues with the A5 with a manual gearbox is the pedals are offset to the right, so the right foot is naturally in line with the brake pedal and the left has to be kept to the right to operate the accelerator. Glen

Hi everyone Elsewhere on Briskoda I posted that I'm finding the seats in my Audi A4 quite uncomfortable and am currently adjusting the (manual) seat in various ways to see if I can improve matters. Assuming I can't, I have the green light from my better half to replace the car with something more comfortable. One of the cars on my list of possible replacements is a Superb SEL or L&K with an automatic gearbox, and leather seats with electric adjustment. I will obviously do some test drives but it would be really useful to get your opinions as to seat comfort. A short test drive of a second hand car at a dealer is unlikely to prove how comfortable the seat will be on long journeys. I'm 5' 6" tall with a reasonably slim frame and wonder how Superb drivers with a similar stature find these types of seats? Thanks! Glen

And I thank you for those thoughts Skomaz The seat has been lowered a fair bit already to try to ensure I'm not bowing my head. I won't be driving the car much over the next few days, but at the weekend I will ask my wife to take another photo with me in the driver's seat and compare with the original one. I'm hoping a few day's rest from driving the car will settle down the various aches and pains so my next reasonably long drive in it will be a good test on whether there has been any improvement.

So I tried the new seating position today with a 100 mile round trip, with a break of about 5 hours between. By the time I arrived home, the very top of my right shoulder and neck was very painful and the right side of my hip was quite tender. The actual driving position didn't feel too weird, even though the seat was much more upright and the seat base more inclined than usual. I won't be needing to drive the car much over the next few days as I'm mostly in the office or driving a rented van, so I'll see if some of the aches and pains settle down before my next long trip! Although replacing the seat is an option, if some of the issue is being caused by the hugely offset pedals, it may not make much difference. Ho hum....

Hi Skomaz In the photo I took the seat was already at its highest position, but as you can see, I'm looking down slightly to see through the windscreen. I have since lowered the seat slightly to try and keep my neck level, I've got a 50 mile drive tomorrow morning, so that will be a good test of the new driving position. Glen

Wow, thank you all for your replies. I downloaded a guide from Physiomed and sat in the car earlier and worked through the various adjustments. I identified the following challenges: I'm a short a*** - I'm 5 feet 6 inches tall so need the seat quite near to the pedals for my legs to reach. I also wanted to raise the manual seat higher that it would go The seat base can be inclined and previously I had wound it down until it was flat. The Physiomed guide advises against inclining the front of the seat, if anything it is preferable to decline it, which is not possible with my seat. I did realise however, that with the seat base flat I my upper legs were not in fact making contact with the seat base at its front edge and that may be the cause of the under leg pain. I have inclined the front of the seat base so that my upper legs are better supported Offset pedals. Being a manual gearbox and with the transmission tunnel being more intrusive into the right footwell then the left, one's right foot is in line with the clutch, not the accelerator. Not much I can do about this one.... I did move the steering wheel nearer, raise the seat back to be less inclined and lowered the seat belt mounting. Here's the result so far: Looking at this photo, I feel the seat does actually need to lower slightly as my head is declined to see through the windscreen - ideally it needs to be level. Generally I can suffer from lower back issues (hence the original concern that the seat had no lumbar support) but was not expecting aches and pains in the upper back, never mind the buttock! Thanks for all your input. Glen

So 2 years on and my findings? Not great..... The first hour's drive in the car the day it was delivered gave me aching upper back muscles. I then spent a long time adjusting the seat position to mitigate this, with only partial success. Like most drivers, the past 12 months has seen a dramatic reduction in mileage. In the past 2 -3 weeks, normal business trips have resumed, with the result that I'm currently suffering a painful right buttock, pain in the tendons that are on the underside of the right upper leg, a painful neck and aching upper back muscles again. I'll have a look at the seating position tomorrow and make some adjustments.... Glen

Also, check the door latches (the metal loops that the door latches onto). On my previous MKII Superbs both had metallic clonking noises easily solved by wrapping a strip of electrical tape around them. I don't have a MKIII Superb, so please accept my apologies if the design of your door latch is different 🙂