Last year when we were test driving 4x4s as a replacement for a Freelander we had a long drive in an Octavia 4x4 2.0 TDi. The main thing which stopped us from getting one were the seats, they were just too hard. We got a CR-V instead and they are really comfortable.

As we are thinking of changing my wife's car I wondered if the other Octys had better seats. Don't want leather though.

IMHO the Octavia seats are pretty good overall as car seats go, but I wouldn't describe them as hard; merely firm and supportive. The CRv's must feel like a comfy armchair by comparison.

They are though, all essentially the same except for differences in quality/fabric for the covering and the vRS has 'sport' seats with more prominent side bolsters.

My best suggestion would be to get yourself to a dealer and try them out again; a 'facelift' model of the Octavia II has just been released and the seats on this may be subtly different.

Thanks for the reply.

I thought that may be the case. Yes the CR-V seats are fantastic, even a friend of mine who has a BMW said how comfortable the seats were.

I may pop along to the dealers and have another look to see if they are any better. I know some people prefer a more supportive seat but we both felt after half an hour test driving that we found them uncomfortable. We quite often have to do a 7 hour drive and both the CR-V and the Freelander before that were great.

Are the VW and Seat seats just as hard, sorry supportive.

I have to agree that the Mk II Octavia seats are certainly more uncomfortable than say the Mk I seats with a very inadequate lumbar support which is prone to collapsing as can be reviewed in other topics .

I really prefer firm seats , but there is a big difference between firm and supportive . They simply do not support in the right places . Changing my car for another Octavia at the end of the year will almost certainly depend upon one single factor - an improved seat .

I have never sat in a vRS , so I cannot comment on that particular model .

Whilst I found the Octy2 vRS seats very supportive and comfy initially, after 2hrs I had to get out for a walk around.

I could do 6hr+ journeys in my old Passat and feel completely refreshed...

I drove my octy2 (standard elegance seats) for 2 days solid, doing more than 1100 miles in each direction from the UK to spain and back, neither of the 2 passengers had a problem either. After each days driving (8hrs+ behind the wheel each day) I was fine and able to sit back and relax in the hotel bar. I certainly didnt have any back back pain, In 4 days driving I did more than 2200 miles.

Just goes to show - seats are such a personal thing, it really does pay dividends to have an extended test drive when looking to buy a car!

I'd second getting an extended test drive when choosing a car. I had an Astra SXI which on a quick run were fine, however it turned out to have the worst seats for me. Causing crippling pain in my right leg with the complete lack of support. Was stuck with it for nearly two years til I had the cash to change it. Lesson learnt the hard way...

The fabric seats in my previous Octy 2 elegance were downright uncomfortable initially although after becoming used to them all I needed was a stretch after about every 2 hours to relieve the aches!!

The seats in my new L&K (I know that you wrote not leather) are far superior in my opinion and on our last European jaunt the fuel tank emptying and the call of nature were the only reasons to have to stop.

I had a vectra hire car while my Octavia was being built and while the seats felt pretty comfortable initially I found the seating position in that particular car casued me extreme pain in my right hip and down my leg, always occurred after about 2 hours in the drivers seat. Never happened in any other car.

The Octavias with electric seats have an additional adjustment of the seat base angle which I find makes a huge difference to the seating comfort, I find the manual seating position means the front of the seat base isn't supportive enough, the extra electric adjustment solves this problem.

If you want uncomfy, try a mk3 mondeo. Totally unsupportive and actually curve your shoulders.

The Mk2 Octavia is much better than the mk1 IMO. I always had a numb bum after more than 2hrs in the mk1, but have spent a few days driving the mk2 and had no such issues. Found the lumbar supportive in the right spots too. My osteopath even said VAG have the best support compared to similarly priced marques.

i regularily drive 700 mile journeys between uk home and work in germany in vrs seats and i cant say i have ever felt uncomfy. and i imagine the vrs seats are a little firmer than the other models. the seats just need initial setting up to get the lumbar support right and you driving position right and they are fine

thats my opinion anyway

i regularily drive 700 mile journeys between uk home and work in germany in vrs seats and i cant say i have ever felt uncomfy. and i imagine the vrs seats are a little firmer than the other models. the seats just need initial setting up to get the lumbar support right and you driving position right and they are fine

thats my opinion anyway

I have to agree.

On many an occasion drivers will complain about poor seats; when in fact what is poor is their perception of a properly set up driving position, mostly far too reclined!

and whats good for one person isnt for another. there is a seat cover thing you can put in which gives your back the right support etc and will make the journey seem better its the first one on this page and recommended by my chiropractor Display Products

If you want uncomfy, try a mk3 mondeo. Totally unsupportive and actually curve your shoulders.

The Mk2 Octavia is much better than the mk1 IMO. I always had a numb bum after more than 2hrs in the mk1, but have spent a few days driving the mk2 and had no such issues. Found the lumbar supportive in the right spots too. My osteopath even said VAG have the best support compared to similarly priced marques.

YEH ....I'll second that - actually considered getting one of these as they are silly money a year or two old & good motors generally ....but... driving one for two hours Kills my back. The lumbar seems to have a bump in the middle of my back and the top curves your neck towards the dash - Bloody agony for me after about 1 hr! (but strangely OK for the first 1/2 hr or so.) How Fords get away with these I don't know - must be just me & a few others:(

YEH ....I'll second that - actually considered getting one of these as they are silly money a year or two old & good motors generally ....but... driving one for two hours Kills my back. The lumbar seems to have a bump in the middle of my back and the top curves your neck towards the dash - Bloody agony for me after about 1 hr! (but strangely OK for the first 1/2 hr or so.) How Fords get away with these I don't know - must be just me & a few others:(

Now have a mk4 mondy, and it's some much like the Octy. Better ride, steering, and importantly seats.

Only real quibble is the high clutch and very quiet indicator click.

Found my MK1 seats very uncomfortable after hours of driving and like Gadgetman says i too ended up with a numb bum.

The Mk2 seats i find are very very comfortable even after hours of driving.