If you think about it, the person who designs seats in automobiles has a difficult job as people come in so many shapes and sizes.
So the question is: What is the most uncomfortable vehicle you have ever driven? As a bonus, did you own it or did it belong to somebody else?
Having recently purged myself of a back pain inducing Ford Escape at work, in favor of an extended cab Chevrolet Silverado, this question shot through my mind. My most uncomfortable?
GM vans through the 1995 model year. Fighting a wheel well is not comfortable; thankfully, I did not own it. What about you?
2005 Toyota Corolla. What a horrible little car. Hard seats, minimal leg room, and almost zero foot room. I don’t consider a size 11 to be an extremely large shoe, but apparently Toyota disagrees.
I’ll second this. And not for some sort of “beige bashing”, I get boring vehicles have a purpose, we’ve owned plenty of boring compact and midsized sedans. I had a rental 2010 or so Corolla, it had easily the most uncomfortable seats and driving position I’ve ever had to endure, and I’ve owned and driven a lot of much older, much cheaper cars. Combined with its horrible wind noise, thrashy engine, and terrible steering and brakes, it was easily the worst car I’ve had the misfortune to pilot.
3rded-Terrible driving position.
Hmm, my ex-girlfriend had a 2001 Corolla and that fit my body perfectly. Also got great mileage on the freeway.
My most uncomfortable car was a rental 1995 Chevy Cavalier. It wasn’t so uncomfortable as the interior design and smell was nausea inducing. I think I swallowed my own vomit in that car.
You’re talking about an E110, a 98-02 Corolla, they aren’t half bad. I drove one from OK to Las Vegas and back once with no problems, and it didn’t even have cruise control.
Chris mentioned a E120, a 2003-2009, which I thought at least saw a definite drop in comfort, and interior build quality. But I think the absolute worst is the current E140, they are worlds worse than the earlier Corolla, or almost any other car currently sold in the US
That generation of Corolla (’98-’02 IIRC) had a great driving position, and are actually pretty fun to drive with a stick.
The ’03-onward Corollas have been designed with a very short driver in mind. At 6′, I find the seat cushion way too high and short, the wheel at a bus-like angle, and the pedals way too close, forcing a knees-up posture.
Still, the seat itself isn’t badly cushioned and they ride OK. Worst comfort I’ve ever experienced in a mass-market vehicle was driving a Chevy Astro. Imagine the Corolla above plus even narrower, tinier footwells, a horrible ride, nasty flat seats, and hoary engine vibes all through the cabin. Awful.
4thed – I think Toyota’s seats have the worst lumbar support of any car I have ever driven. I had a 2007 rental Corolla that luckily I was able to swap out for a Chevy Malilbu because the Toyota’s seats were so uncomfortable!
I owned a 2009 Corolla. Bought it brand new and suffered through 84K miles in it. I agree with you completely. Wretched little car. In addition to what you said, any bump in the road was torture. The struts must have cost Toyota about 50 cents. To make matters worse, 10% Ethanol fuel made the engine sound like pennies in a coffee can.
I had a rental 2009 or 2010 Corolla for about two weeks. It was heaven after the two Focuses I’d had in the weeks before. I also rented a bunch of small Toyotas in 1996 and 1997. I really didn’t care for them, but the recent one was comfortable and impressed me with its fuel economy.
I just got the 2006 Toyota Corolla and it is killing my back!!! I have to sell it asap!
Yup, had a 2007 ‘rolla as a courtesy rental car for a month in 2008. Absolutely hideous seats, and the entire car was dire – uncomfy, noisy, rattly, no footroom (and I’m only a size 8). The stupid unergonomic handbrake was simply awful to use – did the USA spec ‘rollas have that handbrake design? I hated the car so much I took it back to Hertz after three days and said I would take anything else – anything – that wasn’t a Corolla. Got a 2006 Ford Mondeo instead – boy did it have a plush ride – I forgot the awful uncomfy Corolla after driving about 500 metres!
Wow, I sure am glad I didn’t buy a Corolla a couple years ago.
I had a 1985 Corolla sedan, not the smaller sportier coupe. That sedan was the LE, had almost-Volvo-quality seats, could cruise at 80-85 mph all day and get 41 MPG doing so. (It was only supposed to get 33 MPG on the highway; I never did undersand this discrepancy.)
It was always smooth and handled well after I put Michelins on it. It was also reasonably quiet except over really rough pavement, then it could be a little “drummy” sounding.
I guess Corollas have really gone downhill since the mid-80s; just bigger and more expensive without being any better. Pity that.
Try driving a Chevette (ancient history, I know). I couldn’t shift gears without catching the brake, and I’m size 9 1/2.
My recent experience in a 2012 Corolla was awful. I was just a passenger so I can’t comment on driver ergonomics, but that car had the worst seats ever, front and back. The must have used incredibly soft foam, great for the first 5 minutes, but then nothing but aches and no support. I was only in the car for a few hours, but oh the pain. And I’m only 5’7″ and not overweight.
Normally I ride in my pre-2000s water-cooled VWs and, although they may have their shortcomings, seat comfort is not one of them, front or back, at least for an average sized person like me. I can (and have) driven one of those cars for 20 hours straight without so much as a twinge of pain.
Yup! 2005 Corolla S is so bad there should be a class action suit against Toyota for putting such horrendous seats in that car. i think about what folks like us have gone through in medical cost, plus having to take a loss when getting something else. And let’s not forget the almighty PAIN & SUFFERING!
I love my ’05 corolla then again I am a 5’4 man with a shoe size of 8 1/2. I do have 3 kids though and they seem to be comfortable in the back
This may be a counterintuitive answer, but a borrowed ’85 Olds Delta 88. Took it on a road trip and my lower back and butt were sore the whole time. Was so glad to get out of that car.
If bench seat GMs of that era didn’t suit you, they really didn’t suit you. One of them caused my mother months of back pain after a three hour trip. She was in her early 40s and has never been heavy, so it wasn’t a case of her having poor health prior to sitting in the Buick.
1981 Ford Fiesta, a fun little car that just didn’t work with my 6’4″ frame and size 12 feet. After 100 miles, I was mighty glad to get out of it.
The most uncomfortable, coincidently, would be in a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado Z71. The seat back had no contour at all to it. Given my abnormally sharp shoulder blades, steering was quite uncomfortable.
On the other hand, the most comfortable seat I’ve driven in probably has to be in my very own 2010 Acura TSX. The heavy side bolstering is ideal to coddle my 5’7, 116lb. frame in sharp turns. I like its softness compared to no less supportive BMW seats.
I should add that the most comfortable automobile seat I’ve ever sat in was in the 2013 Volvo XC90. It was at an auto show, so I didn’t actually drive in it.
I’m surprised more Volvo’s don’t sell solely for how amazing their seats are. My V70R has what I thought were the most comfortable front seats ever made until I drove a new XC70. This is counting all sorts of Mercedes, BMWs, Cadillacs and Lincolns. Volvo has seat comfort down to a science.
Too bad Volvo doesn’t have the science of engine building in its bag. A coworker’s leased Volvo ate a crank at less than 20K, and continued to cough up expensive parts thereafter. She is a lawyer and doesn’t mince words. She referred to this vehicle as “a piece of shit”. Not exactly technical, but apt.
While parts are certainly pricey, they’re no more expensive than any other European car. And aside from the anecdotal evidence of your friend, I’ve never read of any recent Volvo engines that have any chronic, fatal problems. Ford even used some of their engines in their own cars under their stewardship.
I have to disagree with that. I was keen to buy a Volvo V50 wagon, until I drove one. The front seats had non-adjustable headrests fixed at a very forward angle. With my head on the headrest, my back straight and my butt in place, there was at least four inches of air behind my upper back.But no one can sit like that long, and when I sat normally, the headrest pressed my head forward by several inches. I could barely get the car around the block and back fast enough. I’m finding the same problem with most new cars I sit in, but this was the worst by far. I suppose those headrests give a better results in the rear-impact crash tests, but they made me feel like in was in a crash already.
I had the same headrest experience in a Ford Flex I test drove a few years ago. It forced my head forward far too aggressively.
The S40 and V50 missed out on Volvo’s generally excellent seats. They got hard, narrow perches; the rest of the range had road thrones.
That surprises me about the V50 seats, as I’ve had an ’06 since 2007 and have found the seats as comfy as my ’99 S70 and ’91 940SE. I’ve driven it from Rock Island to Chicago and was comfortable the whole way. It does have cloth seats, not leather, so maybe that makes a difference? The headrests don’t bother me either. I am 5′ 10″ and about 160 lb. for what it is worth.
LTD- my 63 year old mother bought her S60 solely because of the seats (following an S70, also for the seats). Not a great car by many measures, but damn if it isn’t comfortable. Can’t say I blame her, although I pushed for several other choices.
But the front seats on the Z71 are marvelous. Especially if you opt for the leather ones.
The one I drove was sadly equipped with cloth bench seats like this:
My mom’s 03 Sunfire. The seat had no support, and the sunroof realy cut down on the head room.
The Sunfire is the absolute WORST.
Where to start: 1954 International Farmall H. After a day in the saddle, even as a kid, I felt it.
My Ford F100: it’s so noisy, there’s no way I’d consider driving it any long distance. But I used to, before I got tinitus. Maybe from driving it?
My ’63 Beetle had negative lumbar support, so I found some ’66 seats and it made a world of difference.
Some of the old dump trucks I drove ages ago were real beasts.
This could get long…
Same problem Paul the Austin truck I drove that had a grader engine inserted may not have had seats it didnt feel like it had and my 39 Morris 8 wasnt much chop either of the more modern era a Nissan Tiida was appalling to drive for 2 hours resulting in lower back pain and a mid 00s Corolla no better just when it looked like the Japanese had finally made some decent cars in the 90s they take the seating back a step for the new century my 71 Corona was horrible on a long trip are they doing retro seats too?
If we are counting tractors then our old IH 706 was the worst I can think of. At the end of the day your left knee would just be screaming from working the clutch. and the spring suspension in the seat that was supposed to cushion the ride would set up this swaying motion the practically made you sea-sick.
Buick Lucerne (cloth seat anyway). Completely awful design and materials, disappointing.
Bicycle.
Oh, +1. No lumbar support at all. Great headroom, though.
Such a shame I outgrew my Schwinn StingRay: I so loved that bike: its Banana seat was actually quite comfy…
The 10-speed that replaced it had a hard plastic kidney shaped cheek-splitter cushioned by a paper thin layer of foam and vinyl. Awful.
My roommate’s 62 Chevy Bel Air. No support in the seat (either the bottom or the back), low seat, high steering wheel, a miserable place to spend time.
Mother’s 06 Buick LaCrosse – the seat is not so bad, but the car somehow just didn’t fit me, even though I’m a slightly wider version of the guy in the middle of your chart.
I loved my 66 Fury III, but on a long trip, the seat lacked back support and made for a real backache.
Finally, my 07 Honda Fit. I once took a trip that involved about 4 hours in the car each way, all in one day. The car is short on legroom but worse, the normally comfy seats turned to stone about 5 hours into the day and the last two hours were sheer misery. Great for shorter runs, never taking an all-day trip in it again.
I second that; although my Fit was a scream to blast around town, it was really uncomfortable on the highway.
63 EH Holden the seat curves towards the doors offering no support at all and is murder if you suffer from sciatica, My chiroprator at the time drove a 64 Impala he told me where my back complaints were emanating from as his car also 30+ years old at the time and from GM was identical and terribly uncomfortable.
I cured my cars problem and a lot of pain by installing Commodore bucket seats.
So a classic I rebuilt and drove for 8 years was probably the least comfortable car I ever owned great car though must tell ta’ll about it one fine day.
Had to be my brother’s 1979 Camaro. Low, slippery, zero support, limited adjustability, vinyl seat. Nothing else stands out in my mind like that one.
Imagine driving one without a console. Lots of 60’s & early 70’s cars were bucket seat column-shift equipped. There was absolutely nowhere to rest your right arm.
I always found the 2nd-gen F-body cars very comfortable to drive. The ergonomics were about perfect: my first car, a ’78 Firebird Esprit was very comfy. The nice wide doorsill was just right for my left arm to rest on while my hand rested on the LH mirror.
Sometimes I’d drive with my left arm & rest my right on the console with my hand resting on the shifter because everything lined up so perfectly. I spent hours in that car repeatedly and a 10 hour drive from Indiana to Alabama in it didn’t bother me a bit.
Your results obviously varied.
The worst driving “experience” for me was sadly a ’73 Q-code 4-speed Mustang Sportsroof. It was a low-option car with no console. It looked mean and was mean to this driver. I’m 5’11” and felt like a dwarf driving it. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable…but overall it was the most difficult-to-drive car due to the lack of visibility. Such a shame because I’ve always thought the ’71 – ’73 Mustangs were tough-looking machines.
1977 Lotus Esprit.
Wanted to love it, totally hated it.
GM during the ’70s and ’80s indeed seemed to have a knack for crap seats, but my personal worst was a well-used ’81 Dodge Omni that I had for a couple years. Wasn’t the seats so much as the buzzing from the engine. Any drive more than a few minutes’ duration had you getting out of the car feeling like you were still vibrating. This sensation would last for a half-hour or more.
My sister’s ex-husband had an early-model Ford Explorer that hobbyhorsed so bad over every road imperfection that there should have been a Dramamine dispenser attached to the dashboard. Man, I hated riding in that thing.
Most uncomfortable? A 2007 Renault Megane Sport with the optional ridiculously large wheels and matching ridiculously low profile tyres. Cramped and numbing on any sort of long trip. Most comfortable? My much-missed 2006 Chrysler 300 CRD saloon. I used to do eight hour non-stop trips across France in this and feel no pain!
Oddly enough my vote goes to a 2007 Chevrolet Impala 2LT. The car overall was a good cruiser and I would have kept it forever if: 1) The leather seats weren’t so damn hard. 2) The steering wheel wasn’t so big, it was like driving a school bus.
Otherwise the thing was quiet, powerful and got good mileage. Obviously I could have bought a trim level that had cloth seats, but man that steering wheel…
Most comfortable I can remember- 88 Toyota 2wd pickup with bench seat and 91 Sonoma 2wd with bucket seats. 08 Odyssey was pretty good too. I drove it 24 hours once with only stops for food and gas and don’t remember hating it.
I had a 2012 Impala with cloth buckets for a rental. I had the opposite problem. They had no support and I sunk into them. I tried the passenger seat and had the same problem.
Any 90’s Chevrolet with cloth seats,they felt so cheap and hard.The worst being a ’96 Camaro with no back or bottom support whatsoever. I felt the metal parts press directly against my back and butt.
F-body’s are pretty terrible, the seating position is like a grown up soap box derby car, the passenger seat is even worse, with the big hump for the cat or whatever. Have you ever set in the back seat of a first generation Lumina sedan? It was the most bizarre combination of support-less pillow cushion, and seemed to be directly on the floor. Felt like your knees set above your head.
On the F Body, the steering column was not lined up with the driver; it was several centimetres to the left. Weird feeling. And yes, the seats, and the entire interior, was crap.
The W-Bodys in general were pretty atrocious, I think the first Regal Sedan was only passable one in the original batch, and that’s because it was overstuffed per Buick tradition. Don’t know if It stayed that way for each redesign, but the last W-Body Impala feels cramped and uncomfortable for such a relatively big car.
I think GM did it on all of them to make actual Leg and Hip room competitive, because they weren’t as space efficient as they could have been, so the small, misshapen or flat cushions gave competitive room.
My 80s GM B/C body cars also had the steering wheel tilting slightly to the left. It was most noticeable in my ’84 Olds 98, and was really irritating.
I’ve owned a 1984 Ninety-Eight for eight years now, and I’ve never noticed that. I sure hope I forget about it before the next time I drive it so that it doesn’t drive me crazy. Or maybe my car just doesn’t have that problem.
The steering column on my ’78 Ford Fiesta came out of the firewall at an angle (towards the door). The angle was enough that the steering wheel was made at an angle. The rim was in a different plane than the hub. It all looked normal until you turned the wheel and opposite sides would get closer or farther from you. It wasn’t severe, just a little weird.
I’ll have to think a second on the most uncomfortable I’ve driven, but the most uncomfortable I’ve ridden in is a no-contest. I was stuck in the back seat of a 1993 BMW 3 series coupe in the UK, behind the driver. The hard backed driver seat banged on my knees, and there was less leg room than in the average coffee mug. Miserable, miserable. Ultimate driving machine? Maybe. Ultimate passenger car? Absolutely not.
This reminds me of being squeezed into the back of a third-generation Toyota Supra in college. Aside from having no legroom, the shape of the hatchback backlight put the edge glass right above my head (and I’m not all that tall), which felt claustrophobic and meant that any sharp bump threatened to conk my skull on the rim of the backlight.
Surprisingly, I had almost as miserable a time in the back seat of someone’s rented current-generation Camry. In that case, the root of the problem was the odd loop-shaped door armrest, which was shaped in such a way that I either had to scrunch sideways with my elbow in your lap or slide my arm through the armrest, which was confining and forced me to crank my back slightly toward the door. The only potential solution I could see would have been to get a hacksaw and saw the armrest off, which I assume the rental car agency wouldn’t have appreciated. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long ride or I might have asked to ride in the trunk instead.
Our/my 1996 Ford Ranger XLT. The driver’s seat was sort of butt-sprung, and after 20 minutes, it was like sitting in a hole, and my back couldn’t take it anymore – hence my old 2004 Impala – what a nice difference! I only weigh 185 and I’m 5′ 10″…
Next, our 2007 Mazda MX5. Not only did my left knee take a real beating getting in and out of the thing in a tight space, my back, due to no lumbar support was bothering me, too. We bought one of those pool noodles and cut off a 10″ length of it and it worked perfectly as a lumbar support. One more thing about the MX5 – in warm/hot weather, you had to use the A/C even with the top down, as there was no airflow around you legs and feet, that made for a VERY uncomfortable ride. A cool car, but too many negatives. It was a Sport model – should have bought either a Touring or Grand Touring model and maybe we’d still have it.
Fortunately, we haven’t had that issue since last July – it’s across the street in a neighbor’s garage! He still seems to be enjoying it, but he’s younger, too…
Whenever we see each other in our cars, we both smile – he in his zippy little 2007 MX5 and me in my nice, big, comfy 2012 Impala!
I’ll second a Ford Ranger. We had a 2002 Ranger at the office and I hated driving the thing. I swear a midget designed it. The headroom was completely lacking. My head was constantly brushing the ceiling, and I could look out over the rearview mirror. The legroom sucked as well. Now, I’m not all that tall (6’0″), but I am long waisted. Ford and Toyota usually get the most complaints for discomfort from me due to their low roofs.
The side-facing rear jumper seats in the Ford Ranger… now those are uncomfortable!
This is a hard one, so I will describe the two worst:
1977 Chevette. The seats on the Chevette were actually convex. You sat on a hill and there were no side bolsters. Just staying in the seat meant bracing yourself on the steering wheel. Speaking of which, said wheel was angled off to the left and wasn’t on the centreline, like subsequent fine GM products. The ride was hash, the motor thrashy and legroom non-existent. Horrible car.
1985 Toyota 4X4 long box. This was my gf’s truck. Good points were reliability, reasonable fuel economy, hauling ability and billy-goat off road capabilities.. Bad: the worst seat in history. A thin bench that was right on the floor. I could feel the springs in my back and butt. When added to the buckboard ride, anything over an hour was torture.
Driving a Chevette is certainly strange: it’s not the worst I’ve ever driven (I actually still own an ’85) but the angled steering column is quite strange. One does not need to be behind the wheel to notice it either. I’d be curious to know why it was designed that way.
I can’t believe it took this long for someone to nominate the very awful Chevette. No one who ever bought one must have sat in one let alone driven it before they bought it. I had to drive a friend’s once in the 1980’s and it made my tired Fiat Brava feel like an S-Class Mercedes.
The most uncomfortable car that I’ve been in was a late 80s Subaru wagon that an ex-boss had for a loaner while his Mercedes needed work. It felt very cheap, hard & flimsy to be in.
Worst overall was probably my ’85 Astro Starcrap, er, Starcraft conversion van…which automatically means crappy seats. Shame ‘cuz it ran like a scared rabbit with that 4.3. The ’94 that replaced it was the long wheelbase model with factory seats…far better.
Currently I own a 1990 Chevy G-20 Van, another Starcraft conversion van with crappy seats. It exists for those trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot which come rather often as I finish my house…(yes all the rear seats have been taken out of it, and why did I get a conversion van in the first place? That’s a story unto itself, involving my sons, their hardcore metal band and a tour they undertook with no money and the trans went south and they needed dad and mom to bail them out…get the picture?) Having driven other full-size Chevy vans in the past, I know a set of decent seats would make a huge difference. I could even stand the wheelwell.
2004 Cadaver, er, Cavalier…penalty box if there ever was one.
Wife’s friends had an early model Escort…Painful to ride in the back of that.
My parents’ ’69 Buick Special (back in 1973-74) was an invitation to back pain if you drove it over a couple hours at a stretch…even when I was 16.
Comfortable cars I’ve known, loved and driven…
-’68 Chrysler convertible. First car I could drive 500 miles with no back pain.
-’57 Chevy…until I swapped out the bench seat for a set of Toyota buckets.
-’06 Cadillac STS4 – 200 miles at between 80-120 MPH…no back pain.
-’91 Caprice…more comfortable than the leather ’89 I had…dunno why it was the same car underneath.
2004 or ’05 rental Impala. Had it for one weekend and still remember how uncomfortable it was.
I had a ’72 Pinto coupe in college. The front seats were OK, but one weekend four of us drove from Boston to Montreal and back, about five hours each way. After the return trip the two in the Pinto’s back seat were barely speaking to me, it was so bad.
My first car, a 1975 Datsun B-210 hatchback. It had terrible headroom. I had to recline the seat in order to keep from hitting my head on the ceiling, and I am not unusually tall– a bit over 5′ 10″. I never could find a comfortable seating position in that car. Also, any time I’m a front seat passenger in a car equipped with a bench seat, and driven by a short person. This doesn’t happen too often nowadays, but I’ll never forget going for a ride with a friend who was maybe 5’3″ at the most, who wanted to show off her bench-seat-equippped ’73 Dart. I was sitting there with both hands on the dashboard… Not exactly comfortable. Happily, it was a short demonstration ride that made me appreciate the B-210 a bit more.
For some reason, the base level seats in the 2000 – 2006 Taurus do not get along with my lower back and hips. Mushy, unsupportive, and a strange bar in the seatback frame that hit me in the wrong place.
I was glad when Ford came out with the Five Hundred, and later, the 2008 Taurus. My guess is that the seats in the later generations benefitted from some Volvo DNA.
The Chevy Cruze I rented last June for a road trip was particularly claustrophobic for me. Which is more a symptom of modern cars just being rather crowded around you.
1984 Oldsmobile Delta Eighty Eight without Power Seats: High Dashboard, relatively low, unsupportive, too reclined bench seat and my short legs means I had to hold onto the steering wheel to drive “upright” as I prefer. My upper back got really sore. At least the broughamy ones more often came with Power Seats that I could fidget into a comfortable driving position. But then you have to suffer with those super non-supportive pillow top seats.
Volvo, hands down wins seats and driving positions for me (even over Mercedes Benz). If my mechanic didn’t scare me away from them I would have a 960 Wagon right now.
If you’re worried about the straight six in the 960, an earlier 740 or 940 would do the job, and with less worries. I had my ’91 940 for seven years. It did have issues with the turbo (had to replace it at about 80K–the car was eleven years old at that time), but I imagine a normally aspirated one would be stone reliable.
No clear loser for me, but a few annoying things stand-out in a few vehicles I have driven:
1978 Olds Delta 88: Like Jim Grey above, I found that those bench seats make one’s lower back hurt on long trips. My Grandad always kept some wedge pillows in the car for lumbar support.
1984 GMC fullsize van: As noted, the footwell is too small, and would cause my right leg to cramp. When the cruise control in the van broke, it got fixed! My van had factory “captain’s chairs” in front though, which were fairly comfortable.
1984 VW Rabbit 4-door: My first car was a Rabbit 2-door, which I loved. My second was a 4-door, which I hated. It had bigger problems, but one of my pet peeves was that the B-pillar was in the way, preventing me from hanging my arm out the window.
2001 Honda Civic: The seats had side-bolsters that were firm and protruded out quite a bit, and they were designed for someone not nearly as broad-shouldered as myself. Not too uncomfortable when driving, but when I was in the passenger seat on a long trip and I reclined the seatback to try to have a nap, ugh! This was my wife’s car, so I was the passenger instead of the driver fairly often.
1975 Malaguti (moped): There are some body parts where one should never get the “pins and needles” feeling. There’s something about the seat on that moped….
1984 GMC fullsize van: I had a similar problem riding in a coworkers enormous-on-the-outside Ford Excursion. Because of the shape of the transmission tunnel, there was no foot room in the front passenger seat either. It wasn’t my favorite carpool option.
Fiat X 19,not designed for a 6’1″ Amazon!
Opposite side of the coin:
I have been looking for an opportunity to post this. A friend was looking at a 2103 Altima and went to look too. The seats were wonderful. Turned out Nissan has something called Zero Gravity seats. I am not just pumping Nissan. These seats were incredibly comfortable.
Her is an article from the Society of Automotive Engineers: http://www.sae.org/mags/sve/11073/
And here are the leads to a couple of technical papers on reducing fatigue:
http://papers.sae.org/2006-01-1302/
http://papers.sae.org/2007-01-0348/
Maybe someone will do a CC on the most comfortable car, etc.
Well what do you expect in a 2103 car! :>)
That ‘s a freudian slip if there ever was one.
I fail to see why I would want seats designed for ZERO GRAVITY when I’m always at or near Earth gravity. I’ll take my overstuffed bench seat over some ridiculous sales gimmick any day.
The one that sticks out in my mind is the ’97 Breeze that my mom and I drove from SC to NY as a rental. My lower back was killing me the entire way. Granted I have lower back problems, but it’s generally MOVING that hurts, not sitting. Never had such problems before or since. It was also the base 4 cyl and it really struggled in the mountains of the Carolinas and Virginias.
My current ’95 Impreza is pretty damn uncomfortable too. Flat seat, totally shot after 240k, harsh ride, terrible window seals and wind noise. But hey, it gets me there and back!
The most uncomfortable vehicle I’ve ever driven was a U.S. Army 3/4 ton truck. In the 1970’s, I was in the Reserves. Every year for our annual 2 week summer camp, we’d convoy from Pittsburgh, PA to Camp A. P. Hill near Port Royal, VA. I believe it was 1976, when another guy and I were assigned the 3/4 ton. I’m 6’3″, and the legroom was awful, and no support on the seats. I drove my share of the way with a loose leaf binder under my right thigh to give my leg some support. A horrible, uncomfortable journey.
Back then, the vehicles were all WW2 and Korean era vintage. Jeeps were almost fun to drive, and deuces were slow, but much more comfortable than the 3/4 tons. One deuce had an automatic transmission, but was very, very slow.
A quick story. My last year (1977), a buddy and I were driving a deuce with a trailer on the PA Turnpike. We got separated from the convoy, and a station wagon passed us up, and someone threw a paper cup out the window. A few seconds later a state patrolman pulled us over. I was driving, when the officer stated that he saw us littering. I told the officer that we had our garbage in a half filled plastic bag, and I told him the cup came from a station wagon that had passed us. He then asked my buddy if he threw the cup out. He replied the same. He checked my driver’s licenses, military and civilian, before telling me I could go.
We must have driven another 30 miles or so, before meeting up with the convoy at a rest stop.
You’re close- how about riding on the wooden troop seats that fold down from the side racks in the back. 3/4 ton didn’t bounce as much or as high as 2 1/2 ton. It’s pretty brutal, bounce up & the seat also bounces up; land on the seat & then the seat bottoms out on the bed. I wanted to forget this.
I’ll give the M35A and variants my vote. The volunteer fire department I was on (around 2006 or so) had one in regular service. Apparently the designers never thought a 6′-2″ driver was actually going to use it. Not a lot of legroom, especially for a relatively large truck. I also found the exhaust noise to be fun if someone else drove it (and I was standing by the side of the road), but if you drove it over 50 mph and had the right window open, you were going to regret it. The stickers said use ear protectors. We never had any…
Most of the time, we would do runs of 3 to 15 miles (one way–we had a lot or rural calls), but I had to take the beast into a larger town once to get a new tire. That 80 mile round trip was painful.
Never had to figure out the cabin heater–not sure if it had one. We had a 1965 IHC-powered structure engine (mid-engined, 5 speed, very balky linkage) that had the heating capacity of a 65 Beetle. Both of those beasts were let go a few years later. The 6 x 6 wasn’t easy to work on without the right facilities, though it was fairly simple. The structure engine was a nightmare. Might have worked well with a full-time mechanic and a city road shop. Didn’t have either.
I forgot how noisy those trucks were, also. Driver or passenger, you had to shout at each other to carry on a conversation. I remember popping Excedrins every time I drove an Army truck.
One year, I was driving the First Sergeant in a jeep. On the way back, the sergeant was riding (he was drunk and asleep) and I fell asleep at the wheel. I can still recall falling asleep, and telling myself I was about to be killed. I woke to find myself halfway on the berm and got back into the lane.
My Guardian Angel was with me that day.
I’ll second the Chevette. A friend and I took his from Norfolk, Virginia to Copper Harbor, Michigan (at the top of the UP) straight through. Thd most uncomfortable 24 hours I ever spent. Then we got on the ferry to Isle Royale National Park, 5 hours across Lake Superior. Big enough waves that the screws of the 50-foot boat were getting out of the water. (the captain comforted us that since the Lake is 900 feet deep, we were never more than a quarter mile from land. Thanks a lot.) Fortunately the rest of trip was better (except for the sleazy hotel on the Ohio Turnpike on the way home..)
My 1976 Courier was a close second, though.
For me, there are 2 that really stand out. First was my father’s ’97 Lumina. Whenever I drove that car, I would get such intense back pain it was not even funny…especially considering back then I was in my early 20s. The passenger seat was no better. My father leased that car new (it’s the only vehicle he has ever leased, and he’s had lots of vehicles in his life). The Lumina was such a poor quality piece of crap that when the lease came up on that car, my father couldn’t get it back to the dealer fast enough to turn it in.
The other (very uncomfortable) car that I’ve ever driven was an ’07 Pontiac G5…it was a rental that the insurance company paid for while my ’02 Alero was in the shop after it got vandalized (there was no way that a G5 was the equivalent of an Alero…it was an inferior car in every way). The seats really weren’t bad in it…it was just the headroom sucked so bad that it literally pushed my head down at an angle towards the dashboard…and I’m only 5 foot 8…not very tall by any standard.
Drove my son’s Kia Soul for an hour, learned to hate the driver’s seat. About two inches of foam and turned up at the sides to gouge my hips. Nasty piece of work.
I have to agree on the G-vans. I have an ’81 Shorty with 305, A/C, 3-on-the-tree, manual steering, manual brakes (manual EVERYTHING). I replaced the low-back bouquet of foam & metal springs with some swanky swivel captain chairs out of a post ’82 model conversion van figuring that would take care of the seating issues.
Nope! See, up until 1982, the G-vans had the old-school steering column with dash-mounted ignition switch and floor-mounted dimmer. In ’83 GM finally fitted the more modern columns with wiper, dimmer, and ignition switches. These columns were angled more toward the driver and exited the dash quite a bit lower also. Instrument panels will not interchange between the two styles and the 3-speed shifter migrated to the floor with this ’83 MY update.
So I’ve got these extremely fluffy seats but my arms are just about horizontal as I attempt to steer my darn van around now. Parking is a real experience with no windows, power steering/brakes, automatic transmission, etc. On the plus side I have plenty of headroom!
My uncle had a college roommate who was a car dealer (or his dad was). He traded cars every 3 months or so.
A 1973 Toyota Celica GT. I was 8 years old and riding in the back seat on his drive to show us the car. I didn’t think I was going to live through the 15 minute ride.
Later he bought a SWB 1985 Chevy Silverado and we took a 6 hour trip. Worst back pain of my life. Just terribly uncomfortable.
Best – 2000 Cadillac Escalade. Like riding around on your sofa. Long trips were magnificent in this beast.
Ergonomics are very subjective because human beings come in so many different sizes, weights, and other factors. Normally we (industrial designers) attempt to accommodate 95th percentile males to 5th percentile females in our designs. Sometimes this is possible, other times not. It’s all about compromise (as is any design).
Some vehicles fit us just right, others are torture chambers. The car that struck me as a perfect marriage was my father’s 1971 Opel 1900. I fit this thing! And it had a fat steering wheel. I loved it. The worst-a 1980 24′ International COE with no seat belts that I had to drive over the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. Scary.
From a short experience: a 1970s Alfa Romeo GTV which I drove for a weekend. Classic Italian short legs + long arms driving position – I loved it otherwise, but just could not get comfortable.
From a longer experience: a 1988 Austin Mini which I owned for several years. Not that you’d expect it to be comfortable… but it lived down to its reputation.
1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS with cloth buckets and center console. My first long trip to Georgia with this car found me in misery. The seats were hard and there was little support for my lower back which ached after a couple hours of driving.
Additionally, the cloth material wrinkled and took on an appearance in which the driver’s seat looked worn after just a few months. I am particularly easy with my cars and take great pains to protect the interior but this car just wasn’t having it.
This is the simplest question I have ever been asked.
Worst: My wife’s Miata with top up.
Second worse: My wife’s Miata with top down.
Third: My company’s 1957 Brockway.
This is a tough one because I haven’t DRIVEN all that many cars and make a point to stay away from uncomfortable cars.
Honorable mention goes to my sister’s (formerly grandfather’s) Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. It’s a fine car and actually pretty comfortable, but my father always compares it to my Ninety-Eight and his Grand Marquis and nothing could be further from the truth. It sits impossibly low to the ground, making entry and exit awkward, and due to the lack of a power seat the seating position is far too high and forward-leaning. Plus, the seat won’t go back far enough and I’m not even tall.
The Chevrolet Astro is one of the worst cars in the world, and it is terribly uncomfortable thanks to the intrusive wheel well and king-of-the-road driving position, but at least the seats have a slight amount of padding and with enough adjusting it is possible to get the power driver’s seat into a somewhat tolerable position.
But the worst is a tie between my father’s 2002 Volvo S60 and a high school friend’s 2004 Volkswagen Passat. Both had rock-hard seats, nonexistent suspensions, and very uncomfortable seating positions. Luckily I only had to drive the Passat once around the parking lot, and the most I ever did with the S60 was back it out of the driveway so that I could get to my Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight.
By the way, the picture at the top of the post reminds me of my automotive philosophy, spoken by Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show: “You know the problem with bucket seats? Everyone’s got a different sized bucket!”
The worst seats I remember: my ’88 Suzuki SJ-413 (Samurai). I owned that car for 5 years, and I still don’t understand how I travelled thousands of km in it! Yes, I was young and flexible, but I was definitively not considered by the japs in their design. And I don’t think I’m that tall (1,85m=6’1″)! No legroom, hard seats and worst suspension, but just perfect for some of our roads here in Chile…
The best seating position (but not really good seats): ’88 VW Transporter. I could seat there for days, nonstop.
The best seats: Citroën. All of them. Especially combined with hydropneumatic suspension!
Worst one I owned was my ’00 Contour, not good for a 6’2″ male, and the little flipper armrest was positioned perfectly for the passenger to use, but I kept hitting my elbow on it.
Worst I’ve ridden in, was a stock restored 1931 Ford Model A. but I can make allowances for it. I think mostly due to its choppy ride and summer warmth rushing through the windshield made me very sleepy.
Worst I’ve driven, its a toss up between a 1971 Chevelle convertible with overstuffed front seats or mom’s ’92 LeSabre Custom – that car was torture for me for long trips with the overly soft accelerator spring, and no lumbar support. Dad’s 07 GMC Canyon isn’t very far behind.
Love love the front seats in my Explorer, can do 8-900 miles in the saddle in a day and not be bothered. my ’77 Chevelle is average. the 1986 Pontiac 6000 I had had good seats, but no headroom, and I had a bit of a time seeing out of it.
Overall Worst: Chevy Astro van. No room for feet. Worst seats: Dodge Shadow rear seat.
I second the Astro. Only vehicle I’ve driven that made me consider cutting my left leg off.
For worst seats I’ll nominate the 1981 Impala front bench, but the nomination goes for 1991. By that point the foam had completely collapsed, and you’d basically be sitting on cloth, foam lumps, and the floor.
I loved my 2006 Civic EX 4-dr. but hated that my knee constantly hit the emergency brake handle. I am only 5’11 but apparently Honda had that handle in the absolute worst place for me. I’m a Honda lover, but I hated driving that Civic for that one annoying reason.
Regular cab pre-’98 Rangers, especially with manual transmissions. Drove a couple of those, a ’92 belonging to my brother and a ’93 parts chaser we had at a Ford dealer I worked at at the the time. I’m 6’3″ with a 36″ inseam and 10 1/2 sized feet, so… Those f***ing trucks didn’t have enough leg room for Tattoo from “Fantasy Island”…
Early 90s Ford Tempo rental cars had a metal bar in the seat back that gave me instant backache. Fortunately I could usually get a Ford Probe for the same rate which didn’t hurt my back and drove better. Our 93 Ford Ranger was a little short on legroom but at least the seat was comfortable.
I rented a ’92 Topaz and the thing tried to crush me like a trash compactor. The power seat controls were just under my right knee, and every time I accelerated, the seat would start moving forward, which made it harder to get my leg off the joystick. It was like something out of a horror movie; I’d be surprised if no one was killed by that design.
A well worn N-body Pontiac Grand Am. The seatbacks were so reclined it did not provide any support whatsoever. Yes, I’ve tried to raise it, couldn’t (didn’t have the ‘notch’ above the semi-reclined state). Plus the askew steering wheel, and the feeling that the car’s about to fall apart at any moment, makes it the worst car I’ve ever driven. It was a loaner from my dealer while my 90 Maxima was serviced. But thankfully it was very cheap, like $7.50 or something.
I found the seats in a 2005 Focus and a 2006 DTS that I rented very uncomfortable, causing my back and legs to ache. Oddly I rented a 2012 Corolla last October which I found very comfortable. I drove it from Daytona Beach, FL to Delray Beach, FL and back and was very comfortable.
1994 Ford Escort LX Hatchback. My wife’s former car. Everything was wrong. Thin, flat ,hard seats. Bottom cushion too long. No lumbar support, combined with upper seat backs that forced my shoulder blades forward resulting in a hunchback posture. Seat was too low, pedals too high, steering wheel too high (and too close). A torture chamber on wheels. Too bad, because it was a really good car.
At the same time, I had my 1990 A2 Jetta. It was as if I was personally measured for that interior. Too bad, because it was such a piece of crap.
Ford Econoline. Period. Whether in the driver’s seat, front or rear passenger. Bone jarring and really should be equipped with barf bags.