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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Does anyone else think the non-premium seats are more comfortable?

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      02-22-2020, 02:34 AM   #1
markt2727
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Does anyone else think the non-premium seats are more comfortable?

I've been in my 2020 330i a little over a week and am having trouble getting comfortable in the driver's seat. Today I dropped my car off for service and got another 330i loaner... same sport seats, but without the premium package so no adjustable lumbar support like my car.

I found it to be much more comfortable. Anyone else have a similar experience of finding the seats without adjustable lumbar more comfortable? Or could it just be that the loaner seats are more broken in?

Is there anything I can do to more fully deflate my lumbar support or otherwise minimize its prominence?
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      02-22-2020, 09:11 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markt2727 View Post
I've been in my 2020 330i a little over a week and am having trouble getting comfortable in the driver's seat. Today I dropped my car off for service and got another 330i loaner... same sport seats, but without the premium package so no adjustable lumbar support like my car.

I found it to be much more comfortable. Anyone else have a similar experience of finding the seats without adjustable lumbar more comfortable? Or could it just be that the loaner seats are more broken in?

Is there anything I can do to more fully deflate my lumbar support or otherwise minimize its prominence?
Not quite answering the question...but there is another thread on here that discussed how uncomfortable the G20"seating feels at first, but most (including me) have 'grown into it'. However, certainly nowhere as near comfortable as my F34.

As I understand it, and I stand to be corrected, the lumbar support 'deflates' when the ignition is switched off thus needs to be reset at next use. As a sufferer of lower back pain I use it quite often, particularly on long journeys.
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      02-22-2020, 09:25 AM   #3
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Here is the other thread....if you haven't already seen it...

https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1688865
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      02-22-2020, 11:03 AM   #4
TheRetroGuy
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I have lumbar support with sport / vernasca seats. The stitching pattern took me a day or so to get used to, but for extended drives I'm finding them very comfortable. A recent passenger joked he was going to take my seats out and put them in his car (due to comfort not styling... he didn't like contrast stitching, which I love).

One possibility -- try creating two different seat memory positions for 1 and 2 that are different enough that you can still drive safely but that your back / neck etc. can feel a noticeable difference between the two; then switch back and forth between them regularly. It's amazing what the simple effect of "change" can have. This is the same phenomenon that occurs when you've been wearing one pair of shoes all day then put on a different pair, and your feet feel "relief". Small changes in circulation have a stimulating effect.
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      02-24-2020, 04:43 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andybird View Post

As I understand it, and I stand to be corrected, the lumbar support 'deflates' when the ignition is switched off thus needs to be reset at next use. As a sufferer of lower back pain I use it quite often, particularly on long journeys.
Really? If it does never noticed it, never has done on any other car I have had. Now I will have to go out in the wind and rain to try.......
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      02-24-2020, 06:02 AM   #6
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Took me 7000 miles to get used to my sport seats in my M340I. I was used to cushy seats in my past cars. I found during several long drives that lumbar was actually causing some discomfort so I reduced it as far as it went. And it was much nicer. Hope that helps.
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      02-25-2020, 12:31 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cnichols138 View Post
Took me 7000 miles to get used to my sport seats in my M340I. I was used to cushy seats in my past cars. I found during several long drives that lumbar was actually causing some discomfort so I reduced it as far as it went. And it was much nicer. Hope that helps.
Thanks. I wish I could deflate it even more. I think even fully deflated it's still causing discomfort. I would have been better off without it altogether.
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      02-25-2020, 03:39 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markt2727 View Post
Thanks. I wish I could deflate it even more. I think even fully deflated it's still causing discomfort. I would have been better off without it altogether.
Do you feel the lower back part of the seat feels like it sticks out too much?

That’s my problem with the seat. I feel like the lower part of the back has too big of a “bump” to it and it sort of digs into my back. And it’s not the lumbar support, that is fully retracted.

I will say , after a month with the m340i I have gotten more used to the seats and it’s not as bad as at first. But still I think about it from time to time.
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      02-26-2020, 12:35 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cigaro View Post
Do you feel the lower back part of the seat feels like it sticks out too much?

That’s my problem with the seat. I feel like the lower part of the back has too big of a “bump” to it and it sort of digs into my back. And it’s not the lumbar support, that is fully retracted.

I will say , after a month with the m340i I have gotten more used to the seats and it’s not as bad as at first. But still I think about it from time to time.
Even with the lumbar fully retracted, I think just having that air bladder in the seat creates a bump of sorts. The loaner I'm driving has no adjustable lumbar and my lower back is fully flush against the seat. Feels much better. I may get a sheepskin insert or something.
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      02-26-2020, 01:52 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markt2727 View Post
Even with the lumbar fully retracted, I think just having that air bladder in the seat creates a bump of sorts. The loaner I'm driving has no adjustable lumbar and my lower back is fully flush against the seat. Feels much better. I may get a sheepskin insert or something.
I’ve been wondering if there was something I could put on the seat to alleviate that sensation ... what does a sheepskin inset do? Not familiar.
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      02-26-2020, 07:39 AM   #11
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I have always been a fan of added lumbar support...in previous cars, adjustable office chairs, or any other context...until this car. The lumbar support in my 330i is utter garbage. At all height/depth positions, it's simply painful. I don't see how this could possibly have been tested by actual human beings with normal human spines who thought "yeah this feels nice!" Fortunately when it's fully retracted it doesn't bother me as it does others. But the seat certainly isn't as comfortable for my back as it could be with actual functioning lumbar support.
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      02-26-2020, 09:21 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2020g20 View Post
I have always been a fan of added lumbar support...in previous cars, adjustable office chairs, or any other context...until this car. The lumbar support in my 330i is utter garbage. At all height/depth positions, it's simply painful. I don't see how this could possibly have been tested by actual human beings with normal human spines who thought "yeah this feels nice!" Fortunately when it's fully retracted it doesn't bother me as it does others. But the seat certainly isn't as comfortable for my back as it could be with actual functioning lumbar support.
My old f80 competition had lumbar delete and it was more comfy than m340 with lumbar!
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      02-27-2020, 01:00 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cigaro View Post
I’ve been wondering if there was something I could put on the seat to alleviate that sensation ... what does a sheepskin inset do? Not familiar.
It's basically just a seat cover, but doesn't cover the whole seat so as not to interfere with airbags, etc. Just goes down the middle of the seat back. Not sure whether it will work, but I may give it a try. There's a company I found online that customizes them for different vehicles. I'll report back if I get it and it makes a difference.
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      02-27-2020, 02:40 AM   #14
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So interesting, I felt right at home as soon as I sat in. Did some minor adjustments and I was golden.
Hopefully you can get it sorted OP.
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      02-27-2020, 12:57 PM   #15
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BMW makes lots of different seats and this forum is filled with members complaining about one or the other and praising one or the other. There is a seat for every butt but it isn't necessarily the same seat.

On my 5 series I have the luxury seating package with the multi-contour seats and at least for me, they are terrific. But I don't see them listed on the configurator for a 3 series.

Your body style and size may control comfort on different seats.
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      02-27-2020, 02:16 PM   #16
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The US model seems to have seat differences only pertaining to materials: leather or vinyl. Is the lumbar support an option?
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      02-28-2020, 07:57 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinArizona View Post
BMW makes lots of different seats and this forum is filled with members complaining about one or the other and praising one or the other. There is a seat for every butt but it isn't necessarily the same seat.

On my 5 series I have the luxury seating package with the multi-contour seats and at least for me, they are terrific. But I don't see them listed on the configurator for a 3 series.

Your body style and size may control comfort on different seats.
Can't argue with that, lots of different shapes and sizes of drivers out there. That said, until now I've never experienced a lumbar support mechanism that felt like I was getting poked in the back with a broom handle. It's the type of concentrated pressure point you'd normally see on a massage chair, rather than a broader/flatter mechanism that subtly changes the curvature of a wider area of the seat back that is typical for lumbar support. Fortunately the seat works great for me otherwise.
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      02-28-2020, 07:50 PM   #18
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Lumbar support has always been more about simply changing the contact points of the seat over long drives for me. By that, I mean no matter how comfortable my seat position may be, after a couple of hours my back longs for minor seat adjustments -- it doesn't matter what those adjustments are as long as its a change. Being able to move the lumbar support to mix things up helps with soreness on extended drives, so being able to move it up and down as well as in and out in the G20 is a welcome option. So far, I'm not feeling the annoyance others are here with the lumbar support.

My default driving position for daily work commute, as with most cars, is lumbar support off, and same with my G20. Probably more important to my back comfort is the driving mode. If I drove in sport mode all the time, my discs would take a beating I'm sure. Thus my preference for Adaptive mode.
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      02-28-2020, 08:10 PM   #19
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These seats, especially the lumbar, have been better by far than my B9 Audi S4 and S5. They rival my prior IS350 seats comfort wise (any previous 3IS owner will know that's high praise)!
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      02-28-2020, 08:50 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
These seats, especially the lumbar, have been better by far than my B9 Audi S4 and S5. They rival my prior IS350 seats comfort wise (any previous 3IS owner will know that's high praise)!
Previous 3IS owner (F-sport seats) here and I agree. Actually so far these are easier on my back.
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      02-28-2020, 09:27 PM   #21
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Previous 3IS owner (F-sport seats) here and I agree. Actually so far these are easier on my back.
I had the F Sport seats as well...so so good!
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