So I have a 2023 LHD Superb Combi Sportline with sport seats with extendable seat cushions. The seats are generally ok during shorter trips, but after 1.5 - 2 hours of driving my left hip and sometimes buttock are slowly going numb and sore.

 

I feel that this happens due to combination of two factors: 

* The side bolsters of seat cushions are too narrow, tall and hard;
* The foot rest pad is kinda narrow and sits on the very left of the foot well, while the seat itself stands very close to the central tunnel.

As a result, my left leg is turned slightly to the left while resting on the foot pad, and the left side bolster pushes rather aggresively into the left hip. The foam of the cushion itself is kinda soft, so I probably sit deeper into the seat, which can exaggerate the problem.

 

Unfortunately, it was not obvious at all in the showroom and during the test drive and only becomes pronounced during longer drives, which is basically what I need the car for most. I am around 185 cm tall and around 90 kilos - so yeah, my frame is on a wider side, but is still nothing special.

I doubt that it has something to with me choosing an incorrect seating position as I never experienced anything like this in my previous car, where I did several 1500 km non-stop trips without any significant discomfort. I have also tried different seat settings in the Superb, which made no difference.

 

My initial hope was that I simply need to 'run in' the seat, but it still feels the same 6 months and 14k km later.

Have you experienced anything similar with your car? Did it simply get better over time, or have you found a solution?

My understanding is that the Sportline seat is the same as the seat in Octavia MK3 vRS, so an experience with these can also be relevant.

 

On a side note, I feel that the seating position in general is subpar in this car:

* While the side bolsters of the cushion are too narrow and aggressive, the side support of the back of the seat is inadequate. I also see no point in making the base of the seat this narrow and positioning it this close to the side tunnel while there is plenty of free space between the seats and the doors. It looks like seat mounts and bases were taken from Octavia and left completely unchanged due to cost-cutting;
* I would prefer to sit lower than the lowest available position of the seat;
* Adjustment range of the steering column is insufficient, making me either sit somewhat closer to the pedals or keep the back of the seat more vertical than I would prefer.

To be honest I have the same in my SEL, in my old Passat and a6 I could easily drive 4 hours.

 

 

19k km.
A dealer proved completely useless on this matter, claiming that nothing is wrong with a seat and that they can't do any adjustments on the seat for me.

An authorized service station was more friendly and at least referenced me to an independent seat/upholstery specialist. The latter did some adjustments to the seat:

• The metal bar supporting the plastic part with seat control buttons has been bent outside a bit. They also did not screw it back to the seat base for better flexibility;
• They removed thin reinforcement metal bars from inside the foam of the bolsters, making them softer and more flexible;
• They have trimmed some foam of the bolsters, making the seat wider.

It did bring some improvement, but in general things remain the same: my left hip and left buttock still go sore after sitting there for a while. The difference is that now it happens after 2-3 hours of driving instead of 1 hour, but it's still not good enough. It feels as if the lowest part of the left bolster and the leftmost part of the cushion are significantly harder that the rest of the seat and do not correctly distribute the weight of the body part in direct contact. My right leg is perfectly comfortable at the same time. 

I thought at this point that maybe the seat itself, be it the base, the foam or the upholstery, is defective. But I lost warranty for it at the moment when the seat specialist performed the adjustments. At the same time, he did not notice anything out of order. And a passenger has commented recently that she feels a similar sensation with her right leg. The chances that both seats could be defective seem rather low.

In addition, I still don't quite like the seating position as well. The lowest position of the seat is not low enough, the steering wheel is too far away even when fully extended, the foot rest pad has a weird angle making it uncomfortable to place the foot there for a long time.

Therefore it's probably a severe case of incompatibility between the seat and my body, and a trade-in for a CPO G21 or G31 is imminent. 

That's a shame, because in all other aspects the Superb is an excellent car for its price. But comfortable seating is arguably the most important aspect of a car, and I don't think I can live with it in the long run. 

Edited 15 September, 20241 yr by wod_van2z

I feel your pain. In the past, there have been many posts/complaints about the very uncomfortable seats in the Superb and there seems to be no solution. I've been trying to find aftermarket front seats to replace the standard seats, but with no luck at all. I'm surprised Skoda haven't picked up on this problem as, as you say, the Superb is a fine car in every other respect, but it is badly let down by the painful seats.

13 minutes ago, Elwood38 said:

I'm surprised Skoda haven't picked up on this problem as, as you say, the Superb is a fine car in every other respect, but it is badly let down by the painful seats.

That’s very true. 
Some redditors are of the opinion that it’s a deliberate decision made to highlight Skoda’s lower place in VAG brand portfolio. Not sure if it’s true or not, but if it is, it’s a very poor marketing choice in my opinion: after this bitter experience, I will be very cautious towards any VAG product in general. 
Still, it’s more likely a case of my wide bum vs sportline seats: I sat in a new Octavia and a new Superb with the most basic manual several weeks ago, both seemed sufficiently comfortable in showroom conditions. 

31 minutes ago, Elwood38 said:

I've been trying to find aftermarket front seats to replace the standard seats, but with no luck at all

Speaking of aftermarket seats: I’ve just remembered that an acquaintance of mine, a rather slender fellow on the shorter side (around 170 cm), has upgraded the seats to Recaro Sportster CS in his 2 series and was very happy with the outcome. His main objective was to get more grip and support for track sessions, but he also mentioned that these were brilliantly comfortable for daily use too. 
It definitely was costly, though. And you will lose electric adjustments and side airbag (an airbag error will have to somehow be suppressed). Not sure about seat heating: some aftermarket models offer it. 

My man, I feel your pain - but no in the Superb 😜

I am around your weight and size, with long legs. Is not always easy to fit in many cars.

The problem you describe is typical in between 'normal' and 'sport' seats for most manufacturers, especially ze Germans.

I have driven extensively in my previous cars (Audi A6s), both in the 'normal' seat and the 'sportline' Recaro seats (yes, they still were Recaro's!).

The bolsting and support of the sport seat is much better for track/spirited driving, but not much more than that .... and after a while it really becomes numbing.

So probably there is not really a problem with the car in itself, it is just you that is not compatible with its seating position, thing that, unfortunately, comes to light after a longer drive.

When came time to choose the Superb, I did not even looked at the Sportline, also because of the seats.

Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a plethora of "sport editions" from most manufacturers, with a proliferation of s-lines, r-lines, sport-lines, black-lines, and who knows what else, puttting in second aspect the real comfort and instead putting oversize rims, harder suspensions, bolstered seats, questionable trim (black plastic and fake carbon galore!) .... to each its own, but this alienates a part of the market imo.

Edited 16 September, 20241 yr by leolito
added detail