My guess is that it actually varies depending upon what you happen to be wearing - which in turn depends upon the weather...

Yes, if I'm wearing a thick coat I often have to adjust the seat slightly!

not quite what I meant - I think I meant that on differnt days I find different angles and stuff more or less comfortable, not necesarily that I have to adjust the seat because of what I'm wearing!!

I thin it was some obtuse comment about human foibles and idiosyncracies, which was clearly lost on you all! Must remember to be a little more direct in future

A few local taxi drivers have found the seats far too long on the A5 Octavia's and gone for a new A4 which was still available until December last year. Wonder what they'll do now. One in particular just couldn't accept it.

Personally I find the seats on the Scout to be quite wonderful - extremely comfortable and very supportive. Probably the best seats on any car I've ever had, and quite a few of those have had Recaro seats which would normally qualify as one of the best seats out there.

not quite what I meant - I think I meant that on differnt days I find different angles and stuff more or less comfortable, not necesarily that I have to adjust the seat because of what I'm wearing!!

I thin it was some obtuse comment about human foibles and idiosyncracies, which was clearly lost on you all! Must remember to be a little more direct in future

Sorry - obviously a bot too obtuse for those of us who can be a bit slow on the uptake...

For the money I was very impressed with everything except one thing - the seats. I found that they were far longer than almost any car I have driven and the front edge seems to rise up a bit. As a result the edge of the seat (squab) rubbed against the back of my knee when I depressed the clutch.y

I had this annoyance when I first got the vRS. I'm not quite sure how but either through adjustment of the seat or just time it doesn't bother me at all now.

If you really like the car is it worth considering an after market drivers seat? I know someone on the forum has a Recaro they move from car to car.

I'm 5' 3" and my Octavia vRS seats are the most comfortable I've ever had. I could sleep in them. Playing with the setting is the answer, usually over a fairly long trip.

I have a Scout with Alcantara & leather and recently had to drive back alone from the Alps - some 12 hours driving time with three very short breaks.

I can genuinely say that my back, backside and brain were still in really good shape when I got home ! Better than most of the Audis and Mercs I've owned in the past.

I'm going to resurrect this old thread so no smart comments please.

Went on a detour to Progress Skoda in Letchworth on friday and drove an Octavia Scout, an ideal car for me. However no matter how I tried on the hour long test drive I could not get a comfy driving position, found the clutch and its footrest awkward to use and that damned center storage thing got in the way of the gear stick and handbrake.

Maybe I was having an off day and have booked a test drive in a Scout elsewhere for another go before I rule out this car. I was disappointed in my findings.

The opposite of this was last week I drove a Volvo V50 diesel with a hope I didn't like it so I could rule it out. This was one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven and some pretty good deals with the scrappage scheme too as my old octavia qualifies for this. Perhaps running costs will be a lot higher than the Octavia.

The search goes on...

Any advice?

Must say that David Scott at Progress Skoda has been excellent in communication and dealing with me on the sales side. Lloyd Volvo in Carlisle again an excellent experience. Treated well, given the keys to a V50 and told we had up to 300 miles to play with it. Good coffee too.

Parks Volvo Ayr; so far I have booked a drive for V50 on Saturday over the phone I was less than impressed in the way my call was handled by a chap called Gordon. It was one of those calls that should be recorded for training purposes as an example of how NOT to do it. You would have thought they were selling potatoes not volvos.

Edited 8 June, 200917 yr by loskie
more info

Do you mind me asking me how tall you are? I am 6"5ft and the Octavia is really good - took awhile get just right and seats about 70% of firmness. I found the V50 just as comfy as Skoda, the total award for comfit must go to the Saab 9-5 but just don't try and drive it, keep on driveway!

The floating dash of the V50 has given lots of trouble in the past for Volvo - kept going wrong from what I've read.

James.

Cheers James

6 ft 1" and 16 stone. I felt that the top of the seat back was pushing my shoulders/upper back forward.

Drove Dad's 57 plate Elegance last week and for the first time since driving it had a wee bit of back pain.

As far as I am concerned the centre armrests/cubby holes are a hindrance in most cars.

Thing is if you are spending £14000 or so and driving 20000miles plus you need to be comfy

Have you you looked at the Golf MK6 just out of interest? I know costs more and not a Scout etc but from what i've seen has better seats. A lot of VAG cars now (up mk6 Golf) are not really built if you have a large bum (not saying you do or anything). My sister who's a bit on large side did not like my skoda one bit.

I found the my Skoda to be one of best cars I've owned, try move wheel then seat down, back rest up. And this is the big thing the lumber support is way too hard to the max or not enough if soft. I found put at hard, then turn about 1.5 turn down to soft and it's all perfect.

James.

As above, sounds like the arm rest was fully forward. Simply slide it back.

Is it the jumbo box in the Scout?! ...if so, the lid slides forwards & backwards - by the sounds of it you had it slid all the way forward - it's a PITA forward when in stop/start/handbrake/gear change traffic - on a steady cruise, 3 clicks up & slid all the way forward, it's a God send!

+1.

jumbo box config needs to be varied between motorway & suburbs.

Don't forget, seat goes up & down, steering adjustments (U/D & F/R?), head rest pivots F/R & U/D.

My main issue is the seat squab is a fraction long but I can live with that.

I can see why others have spent some time finding a comfy position

I'm 6'3" and 20 stone and have ended up much nearer the steering wheel in a sportier position and with the wheel at its full extension. To start with the armrest (even in it's fully back position) did get in the way of handbrake usage, but it's really just getting used to a smaller cabin from the Superb I came from before.

Perseverance is the key, the superb was much easier to get comfy, and had bigger and wider seats.

Ive not seen a scout up close, but if the scout has the same seating as the standard octys, wouldnt it be worth trying to sit in a couple of the other models to see if there are any differences in comfort for you?

Can you spec electrically adjusted seats in the Scout?

You get an extra adjustment where the seat squab front can motor up and down thus changing the overall angle of the squab, its the same kind of adjustment as the seat back angle but in a horizontal fashion. The side bolsters though initially uncomfortable do run in over a short period of time.

I am 6'3" and I can get comfortable in my L&K but only due to the extra squab adjustment. My old Elegance with manual adjustmenr was never *quite* comfortable for me.

Took my dads 57 plate Elegance for a couple of hours in the week and had an hour and a half unaccompanied test drive in a Scout yesterday at Ingrams in Ayr(thanks Stuart). Really liked the car but still struggle for comfort. It's a really big decision to spend 14 to 15k on a car unsure of whether you'll get used to it or not. Made my choice even harder. Thinking more of V50 now.

Must say a big thanks to Stuart **** at Ingram Ayr. Just gave us the keys and sent us out for as long as we wanted. No pressure. The only way for a test drive is an unaccompanied one if you know the area.

The damned sensor has deleted MR!****'s!name

It still won't let me put in his name. Stuart's surname is the shortened version of Richard

think like a personal plate

try d1ck

think like a personal plate

try d1ck

no thanks I don't think I'll like it.

I've got a Scout and although it has taken a long time to get it comfortable, I think I have finally got it sorted. I only really suffer on long journeys now, but I think its caused by the foot rest by the accelerator being too high, so when you are on cruise control my foot sits too far back giving me lower back pain. If I wear flatter shoes (not that I usually wear heels, but you get what I mean ) then its much better.

I did also notice the problem with my shoulders being pushed out and not having the lower back support, but found that having the seat in its highest position and adjusting the steering wheel down and out makes it much better.

Believe me, once you get the seat right it just finishes off what is a stonkingly good car. We haven't had a Skoda before, but the Scout is just perfect and handles superbly. Since replacing one of our Ford's with this Skoda, I'm now keen to replace the other Ford with one of the other Octavia models (seems pointless having two Scout's in the family, as tempting as that sounds!).

Rich.

Well, it's a long time since February, but this might be of help to someone. I have exactly the same with my 08 Octy estate, and did with the 54 hatch, and the 06 Superb, and the 53 Superb.

My partner has the same problem with the Octy seats, whereas her Jazz seat bases are "perfect".. I'm 5'7" and she's 5'4". (on the other hand the Jazz' backrests use a ratchet and are crap)

I bought two garden chair pads from Ikea for £3 each and they fill in the dip in the seat base and level it with the front edge - just cut the elasticated straps off the back corners and they are an exact fit. You can also move them about to get the best position. As a bonus, they are an exact match for the light blue seat material of the seats. I recall Ikea also sell grey and charcoal, so you ought to be able to find a match for pretty much any upholstery.

Double bonus, use them on your patio chairs at the weekends

hi,

Sorry to bring this thread back but the OPer might like to look at this site and get the pdf's

Driving Ergonomics

James

I ended up selling my Octy and buying an Accord, mainly because I couldn't get comfortable in the seats. I'd have a really bad back if I spent more than an hour in the car. (The fact the clutch was on it's way out for a second time had a little to do with it as well....)