Drivers Seat - Comfort

Archie H

Archie H

Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Posts
88
Likes collected
63
Location
Claypole, Near Newark
Funster No
21,664
MH
WildAx Elara
Exp
2011
I'm a short arse at 5'8" and found the drivers seat positioning on our Eurostyle read Trend to be really uncomfortable on a longish run. Just returned from an 1100 mile trip to Scotland and my middle back was aching badly after 4 hour sessions! Anyone else experience this?
Also find the leg room under the dash very limiting if wanting to stretch left leg. I don't sit right up against the steering wheel and do know a little about seat positioning having worked in automotive seat manufacturing for 8 years.

Has anyone considered aftermarket Seats aka Recaro, Aguti etc? Interested to hear your views.
 
We found our seats lacked head support (Ducato base Bessacarr) and gave us bad lower neck/upper back/shoulders.

We have now added cushioned head/neck supports and find it much better.
 
We have Aguti seats and all the adjustments available seem to give us a good ride, coupled with sheep skin base seat covers helps even more..??
 
Interesting , as we are contemplating buying a Dethleff as complete newbies, and are concerned that the Transit cab is not brilliant for tall drivers. My partner is 6 ft 2 in with a long back- in your opinion, would he have a problem?
 
I found driving a Fiat based coachbuilt very uncomfortable owing to being tall and a low windscreen so driving in a semi crouched position. I now have a Mercedes based A class and no problems.
Seats can be changed.

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My wife and I both think 5’8” is tall and have had no problems with driving position in Fiat, Mercedes and Renault based motorhomes. I do adjust my seat position occasionally when driving longer distances, just to vary my back angle a bit. I suspect a lot depends on the seats the converter has chosen.
 
Reallyretired said:
I found driving a Fiat based coachbuilt very uncomfortable owing to being tall and a low windscreen so driving in a semi crouched position. I now have a Mercedes based A class and no problems.
Seats can be changed.
Click to expand...
As you say,seats can be changed.

So can the height of the normal seat. I’m tall and found that the normal Ducato seat was too high,making me peer out from below the top of the screen. Got a new,lower,box for it from Marcle Leisure. Still able to twizzle the seat round when parked up,although it does catch on the base of the bench seat behind the drivers seat. Plan to cure that by cutting a lump off it.
 
Reallyretired said:
I found driving a Fiat based coachbuilt very uncomfortable owing to being tall and a low windscreen so driving in a semi crouched position. I now have a Mercedes based A class and no problems.
Seats can be changed.
Click to expand...
I am only 5' 8" and I found the seat in my previous Fiat based C class Adria was too high and I had to bend down to see the road in the distance even though it had Aguti seats that were otherwise comfortable. I think it is the same with all C class motorhomes with swivel front seats because the seats have to be higher to accommodate the swivel mechanism and your eye level is then close to or above the top of the van based windscreen.

However I have now got a Fiat based A class Hymer, again with Aguti seats, and the problem has gone away. In fact one of the reasons I will always stick with A class motorhomes is the better panoramic view they give at the front. That would be the same whether it was Mercedes of Fiat based.
 
I have had various issues with seats but eventually found a comfortable position on all. While not suggesting electric seats, it would be good if there was some kind of system for quickly setting the seat back to the driving position if it is changed.

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Molly A said:
Interesting , as we are contemplating buying a Dethleff as complete newbies, and are concerned that the Transit cab is not brilliant for tall drivers. My partner is 6 ft 2 in with a long back- in your opinion, would he have a problem?
Click to expand...

I’m 6’ 3” and have had no trouble with our seats in 11 years ownership of our 2006 Dethleffs. It’s a Fiat based A Class so not sure if it’s comparable.

Ian
 
My concern was not about the seat height more about the lumbar support and poor left leg/foot positioning. The lumbar support is too low for most people and similarly the upper thoracic positional support is poor. Admitted not everyone is 5'7"/5'8" and I do drive with an extended arm position so sit further back than most my height might expect, therefore the seat back (squab) is more reclined for me and this is where the problem lies. Of course a 5 minute sit in a showroom vehicle does not highlight these issues and it's only when you have driven for extended periods you start to notice them and they become annoying.

Leg & foot positioning is another matter. I have shorty legs and find the resting foot position for the left foot very restrictive. Therefore for anyone 6' and over I can only imagine this will also become very uncomfortable for them added to this the hot air vent under the dash is restricted by the foot rest which blocks off the airflow and your foot becomes cold. There are other threads on this elsewhere in the forum so I won't elaborate further.

A point of note: The seats in the majority of these vehicles are unchanged from factory build spec of the base vehicle other than they a recovered with more appealing colour schemes to meet the vehicle interiors design concept. To change these would affect the vehicle conformity compliance and homologation requirements effectively they are the standard van seats.

There are solutions to these challenges however, it should not be down to the vehicle end users/customers to put these issues right based on the intended (known) use of the base vehicle. FIAT/Dethleffs know this and this is where cost cutting comes into effect.

Not sure if these answers or points will assist anyone buying but at least you will be more aware of what to expect!
 
Our first Hymer had ISRI seats and the last 2 Aguti seats. The ISRI are fairly good but the Aguti better, it doesn't matter what I drive I always get a bit uncomfortable & a numb bum but the Aguti give me the most comfortable drive. I'm 5'10" no problem with the left foot but my van is LHD.
You don't say if your Trend is a Low Profile or A Class, if an A Class the Aguti would be the best option, if a Low Profile you might want to consider the ISRI as they have a thinner base so help to avoid having to stoop because the top of the screen is in your line of vision.
 
Molly A said:
Interesting , as we are contemplating buying a Dethleff as complete newbies, and are concerned that the Transit cab is not brilliant for tall drivers. My partner is 6 ft 2 in with a long back- in your opinion, would he have a problem?
Click to expand...
I'm 5'10" we hired a Tranny based Hymer some years ago. The ford seats with swivels were far too high I got crippling neck ache driving it and your eye line was looking directly at the bar for the Remis blinds.
Sat in a later model with ISRI seats that was much better as the seat bases are thinner so you were sitting one or two inches lower.
If you can live with it some people remove the swivel and this drops the seat a couple of inches.

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Archie Adv said:
My concern was not about the seat height more about the lumbar support and poor left leg/foot positioning. The lumbar support is too low for most people and similarly the upper thoracic positional support is poor.
Click to expand...
Have you considered fitting an air adjustable lumber support into the seat?
 
Archie Adv said:
BTW A Class is a different vehicle type.
Click to expand...

So are you referring to a PVC (panel van conversion)? If so most C class and A class motorhomes are based upon exactly the same Fiat Ducato van you have, it just depends how much of the body and chassis is taken away. The seating position (as opposed to the height) is in the same place when compared with the front wheels, pedals, steering wheel, dashboard and footwell.

But it is no good blaming Fiat for the converters choice of seats. The standard Ducato is a commercial van designed for short/medium trips, mainly by couriers, (think Amazon/DPD/Yodel etc), not 4 hour driving stints. Most motorhome converters buy the Ducato without seats and fit more comfortable ones.
 
Hi Lenny, thanks for the input. Our last MH was Hymer on the Ford Tranny chassis and I found the same as you did with the seat height although, I could live with it as it had more leg room.

I have a small lumber cushion awaiting a more real life test but as we have been grounded I'm still waiting for the opportunity to see how it fairs. I still have contacts in the industry and may get them to modify the seat back foams and covers to provide my ideal. Although I like your thinking on the lumber airbag. That would still require some foam mods to position it more effectively.

BTW it's a Coachbuild low profile and I find the Fiat cockpit very poor design overall. Instrument binnacle is a joke as it is much too small for anyone to read and the backlighting is an orange/red on black with small digitisation but thats another matter.
 
peterc10 said:
So are you referring to a PVC (panel van conversion)? If so most C class and A class motorhomes are based upon exactly the same Fiat Ducato van you have, it just depends how much of the body and chassis is taken away. The seating position (as opposed to the height) is in the same place when compared with the front wheels, pedals, steering wheel, dashboard and footwell.

But it is no good blaming Fiat for the converters choice of seats. The standard Ducato is a commercial van designed for short/medium trips, mainly by couriers, (think Amazon/DPD/Yodel etc), not 4 hour driving stints. Most motorhome converters buy the Ducato without seats and fit more comfortable ones.
Click to expand...


I have a 2011 Peugeot Boxer, the seats have fore & aft, recline, lumbar and squab front & rear height adjustments

I regularly drive for 4 or more hours non stop - longest was 565 miles and I would have driven further but needed fuel

I wonder whether the issue is to do with the seats being swivels and that is adding extra height? If so, then removal of the swivel or cutting & re-welding the seat base may be an option
 
Archie Adv said:
Fiat cockpit very poor design overall. Instrument binnacle is a joke as it is much too small for anyone to read and the backlighting is an orange/red on black with small digitisation but thats another matter.
Click to expand...
Yep the early X250 dash was much better clearer instruments and decent size text on the display. They have now crammed a lot more info in the same area. Although I can drive without glasses I can't read any of the display text.
 
Lenny HB said:
Yep the early X250 dash was much better clearer instruments and decent size text on the display. They have now crammed a lot more info in the same area. Although I can drive without glasses I can't read any of the display text.
Click to expand...

Yes, the current dash is awful; at 6’ 3” I cant even see the dials (hidden by the ‘canopy’) never mind read them!

Ian
 
I must say that I am 5' 8" and I would never have even thought of describing myself as a short arse! I accept I, and those of similar height, could never be described as tall, but the average height for men in the UK is 5' 9" so 5' 8" is only just a little below average.

To address the question, I am forever changing my seat position on my Fiat Ducato/Swift Bolero. It is difficult to get perfection, but, on the other hand, I have never suffered with any back issues or other major problems.
 
Wow! Thanks for all your input! So what I'm taking from this is that both Fiat ( both old and new version cabs) and Ford are pretty poor.How about the Mercedes, is that the same, or are we going to have to look for an A class? At the moment our lives are consumed with trying to find the best van for our purpose.We have a boat in Greece and the van will primarily be to have some fun on the way and thus avoiding the issues of flying right now. Hence the interest in having a van with a garage for transporting boat bits. It will also be used by my son and his young family out of season so we need 4 belts and at least 3 berths. Any views, or would it be best to start a new thread elsewhere?
 
I find my Fiat based motorhome no less comfortable than the previous Mercedes one.

ps if 5’8” is short arse I must be a Gnome and we can’t be having any heightism🙂.
 
Molly A said:
Wow! Thanks for all your input! So what I'm taking from this is that both Fiat ( both old and new version cabs) and Ford are pretty poor.How about the Mercedes, is that the same, or are we going to have to look for an A class? At the moment our lives are consumed with trying to find the best van for our purpose.We have a boat in Greece and the van will primarily be to have some fun on the way and thus avoiding the issues of flying right now. Hence the interest in having a van with a garage for transporting boat bits. It will also be used by my son and his young family out of season so we need 4 belts and at least 3 berths. Any views, or would it be best to start a new thread elsewhere?
Click to expand...
No, that is not the case. We are mainly here talking about seat position and comfort. The comfort of the seats will mainly depend upon what seat the converter fits into the motorhome you are interested in. For example Hymer fits (or at least used to fit) Aguti Ergoflex seats in all of their A class motorhomes regardless of whether they are on the Fiat or Mercedes chassis. They are comfortable seats.

But seat comfort and position is only one part of the decision you will need to make as to what motorhome to buy. That is because choosing a motorhome is all about compromises, at least until Dr Who releases the blueprints for the Tardis. The most important considerations for most people will be layout and payload. Layout is obvious, but payload is often forgotten. For example if you want a decent amount of storage you will need to think about payload and maximum weight. If your Son passed his test after 1996 he will probably only be able to drive motorhomes up to 3500kg, which will limit your choice unless he gets training and passes a C1 test.

I suggest you should start another thread about this setting out what all of your requirements are and whether or not the potential drivers have got C1 licences.

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