Difficulty with seating position?

[carlosvjr92]

So after about 6 months of ownership I have grown to absolutely hate the seating position of this car. Feel like any seating position I find is a compromise of some sort. I’m only 5’7” and don’t have a large build so I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me. Have tried everything I can possibly think of and seems nothing really works out. I can only get comfortable if I’m far from the pedals and steering, but then the position is so unnatural that I can’t enjoy driving the car. If I sit any closer I end up with numbness or soreness in my feet and legs. When I first start driving it’s not that bad, but I’m having to adjust my seating position nearly everyday which is really frustrating.

Has anyone else had to deal with this and have any suggestions? I’ve never had such a hard time getting comfortable in a car before and I feel like I can’t even really pin point what it is about the position that bothers me.


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[Phayl]

It's awful, these seats are terrible - they sit way too high and bolstering sucks. Look pretty, that's it.

Find what works for you in terms of seating, and then adjust the steering wheel to ya.

[carlosvjr92]

It's awful, these seats are terrible - they sit way too high and bolstering sucks. Look pretty, that's it.

Find what works for you in terms of seating, and then adjust the steering wheel to ya.

Problem is I can’t seem to find anything that works they’re really terrible seats. The carbon fiber bucket seats in the GT3 are even more comfortable than this.


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[PowerStroke]

always felt these seats were very comfortable. never had an issue with them. almost 60k miles on mine.

[o1turbo30v]

Let me try to help since i had similar issues with the Focus RS i had briefly. If you are getting soreness in your feet/legs its because you have the bottom portion of the seat raked to far up on the pedal side. What i would suggest you trying is make the bottom of the seat as parallel to the floor as possible, sit in the seat, adjust the distance to the steering wheel by using a combination of the telescoping steering wheel and seat track, then using the adjuster to elevate the front of the seat (pedal side) until it just barely touches the bottom of your legs. Hope that helps.

The seats arent terrible just takes some effort to dial in.

[carlosvjr92]

always felt these seats were very comfortable. never had an issue with them. almost 60k miles on mine.

Seems to be hit or miss. Some people love them


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[carlosvjr92]

Let me try to help since i had similar issues with the Focus RS i had briefly. If you are getting soreness in your feet/legs its because you have the bottom portion of the seat raked to far up on the pedal side. What i would suggest you trying is make the bottom of the seat as parallel to the floor as possible, sit in the seat, adjust the distance to the steering wheel by using a combination of the telescoping steering wheel and seat track, then using the adjuster to elevate the front of the seat (pedal side) until it just barely touches the bottom of your legs. Hope that helps.

The seats arent terrible just takes some effort to dial in.

Really appreciate the help! I’ll try that out


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[xiaphin]

Had a hard time getting my seat right as well. My back started bothering me a week after ownership. For me the seat doesn't go low enough and when the steering wheel is extended out and down where I like it, the top part of the gauge cluster is blocked. Learned to live with it because its a comfortable driving position.

[crhartzler]

I just found the sweet spot about a week ago, and agree wholeheartedly with o1Turbo. Set the seat perfectly flat, which for me, is about four pumps up from lowest. The seat back is then basically 90 degrees when straight up - adjust it to 91 or 92 or whatever for the most comfortable head rest position. With those two settings locked in, the lumbar support finally starts to hold my lower back, rather than pressure it. I don't even want to touch the pitch or thigh support, it's so comfy and supportive now. Sucks that it took me that long, but no more fatigue and the ride itself is more comfortable.

[carlosvjr92]

I just found the sweet spot about a week ago, and agree wholeheartedly with o1Turbo. Set the seat perfectly flat, which for me, is about four pumps up from lowest. The seat back is then basically 90 degrees when straight up - adjust it to 91 or 92 or whatever for the most comfortable head rest position. With those two settings locked in, the lumbar support finally starts to hold my lower back, rather than pressure it. I don't even want to touch the pitch or thigh support, it's so comfy and supportive now. Sucks that it took me that long, but no more fatigue and the ride itself is more comfortable.

Tried this this morning and it is working well for me so far


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[carlosvjr92]

Had a hard time getting my seat right as well. My back started bothering me a week after ownership. For me the seat doesn't go low enough and when the steering wheel is extended out and down where I like it, the top part of the gauge cluster is blocked. Learned to live with it because its a comfortable driving position.

Found a good position this morning but have the same problems I think a part of the problem is that having decent visibility requires an odd seating position that feels unnatural. Guess we’ll just have to live without being able to see the turn signal indicators, much better than having discomfort though.


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[crhartzler]

Note, four pumps from lowest is not "flat" visually, which I recently discovered this morning. It just feels "more flat" with my bodily proportions. A tech recently adjusted it, so I happened to fine tune it...

[Acerxz]

My lower back hurts if I drive for more than an hour.

[carlosvjr92]

Note, four pumps from lowest is not "flat" visually, which I recently discovered this morning. It just feels "more flat" with my bodily proportions. A tech recently adjusted it, so I happened to fine tune it...

Yea Im finding it a lot more comfortable all the way to the bottom or 2 or 3 pumps. Having the seat back more upright than what feels normal is working pretty well so far. It feels odd, but supports my back a lot better

[carlosvjr92]

My lower back hurts if I drive for more than an hour.

After trying out some of the suggestions here I am feeling a lot better while driving. You might wanna try putting the seat back more upright. I'm finding its supporting my lower and upper back a lot better. When more reclined I'm noticing that my upper back doesn't get supported so well (even without lumbar support extended) so what's happening is the bottom of the seat is kind of oddly pushing against me and I think that may be one of the causes of my discomfort

[Rod Paine]

Is there a difference between the the 2018 RS 3 seats being discussed here and 2019 RS 3 seats in my late 2019 build RS 3?
The only thing I've found is that they are not as comforable and form fitting as our 2015 Golf R seats which have a very different fit. And I've 'played' with the RS 3's seat position and adjustments, but still can't match the comfort of the Golf R seats. I am 6-1 and 180 lbs, which several other 2019 RS 3 owners have said I am border-line too tall. True?

[carlosvjr92]

Is there a difference between the the 2018 RS 3 seats being discussed here and 2019 RS 3 seats in my late 2019 build RS 3?
The only thing I've found is that they are not as comforable and form fitting as our 2015 Golf R seats which have a very different fit. And I've 'played' with the RS 3's seat position and adjustments, but still can't match the comfort of the Golf R seats. I am 6-1 and 180 lbs, which several other 2019 RS 3 owners have said I am border-line too tall. True?

I think the problem with being taller is the seats sit really high and there’s something odd about the distance of the steering and pedals almost like the pedals are too far forward (or steering too far).

I found a more comfortable position finally but I’m 5’7 and probably 160 lbs.

I’ve never driven a golf r, but have sat in one at a dealership and it was way more comfortable and natural feeling. Wish we could have seats like that in the RS3 especially considering we’re paying a premium for the RS3 over a golf r.


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[Rod Paine]

I think the problem with being taller is the seats sit really high and there’s something odd about the distance of the steering and pedals almost like the pedals are too far forward (or steering too far).

I found a more comfortable position finally but I’m 5’7 and probably 160 lbs.

I’ve never driven a golf r, but have sat in one at a dealership and it was way more comfortable and natural feeling. Wish we could have seats like that in the RS3 especially considering we’re paying a premium for the RS3 over a golf r.


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Good input thank you! We have a long relationship with our VW dealer since Golf 4 days and have been thinking about having Golf R front seats installed in our 2019 RS 3. Very expensive of course but would certainly be a worthwhile improvement in our RS 3 seating comfort. I'll keep this possibile fix project posted here, as we look into it further.

[RS3TP]

Excellent advice. I figured the same as you suggested after at least 6 or so months of ownership ...

[Zeruel]

Is there a difference between the the 2018 RS 3 seats being discussed here and 2019 RS 3 seats in my late 2019 build RS 3?
The only thing I've found is that they are not as comforable and form fitting as our 2015 Golf R seats which have a very different fit. And I've 'played' with the RS 3's seat position and adjustments, but still can't match the comfort of the Golf R seats. I am 6-1 and 180 lbs, which several other 2019 RS 3 owners have said I am border-line too tall. True?

6-1 being too tall sounds a bit silly to me. I'm 6-8,5 (205 cm) and I sit very well in the front of my 2018 RS3 (with sport seats, not super sport).
I guess being this tall means I don't have that high demands for a perfect sitting position in Any car.
I just have the seat all the way down/back, and the steering wheel all the way towards me/ up. When I look out on the driver side, I look through the passenger window.😁

[carlosvjr92]

So after spending some time driving around after finding a comfortable position I am now back at square one. After spending over 15-30 mins driving I am uncomfortable yet again. Starting to reach a point that I’m fairly certain the only resolution to this problem is selling the car and replacing it with something more comfortable.


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[Acerxz]

What about getting a different seat?

[carlosvjr92]

What about getting a different seat?

Really prefer not to spend that amount of money unnecessarily. I think If I were to spend that much just to be more comfortable I’d prefer to upgrade to a 911 that I will be more comfortable in right off the bat


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[bucolic]

Really prefer not to spend that amount of money unnecessarily. I think If I were to spend that much just to be more comfortable I’d prefer to upgrade to a 911 that I will be more comfortable in right off the bat


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I'd think you'd be spending much more in the end to sell your RS3 & get into a 911...?

But heck yeah, 911s are awesome! I'd love a 991.2 C4S as a Turbo "lite" some day...

[BzzzBom]

The RS3 has the most comfortable seats I’ve ever sat in and I’ve been driving for almost 50 years. Also, I have a bad back. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones or maybe the seats are made for tall, skinny old fucks like me.🤔

[carlosvjr92]

I'd think you'd be spending much more in the end to sell your RS3 & get into a 911...?

But heck yeah, 911s are awesome! I'd love a 991.2 C4S as a Turbo "lite" some day...

My eventual plan is to have a weekend car and a daily so I’d just use the 911 for a year or two as a daily. So once you factor in that I plan to eventually have a fun weekend car anyways I think spending probably close to $5k-7.5k to fix this just doesn’t seem worth it especially because I feel like there’s still some risk of still not being comfortable after spending that much.

Yeah a C4S would make a great sub to the turbo! And added bonus of being able to do a fair amount of mods to potentially hit turbo power levels.


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[carlosvjr92]

The RS3 has the most comfortable seats I’ve ever sat in and I’ve been driving for almost 50 years. Also, I have a bad back. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones or maybe the seats are made for tall, skinny old fucks like me.

Interesting. I’m comfortable in almost every car including cars with fixed bucket seats with huge holsters. The RS3 is the only car I’ve been this uncomfortable in.


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[Flying Pig]

My ‘19 RS3 is my daily daily driver. I’ve had the car about seven months, and find the seating quite comfortable. I’m about 5’-8”, and thin. And 60+, with a bad back. I have the driver’s seat as high as it will go, and have the seat back almost vertical. I like to have the steering wheel low and sufficiently far forward to permit arms-out driving. Longest drive in the RS3 has been about four hours, and I felt fine afterwards. The manual seat adjustment seems seems pretty cheap for a vehicle in this price range, but I have no complaints about seating comfort. It does take quite a lot of pumping to raise the seat to its upper limit!

[carlosvjr92]

My ‘19 RS3 is my daily daily driver. I’ve had the car about seven months, and find the seating quite comfortable. I’m about 5’-8”, and thin. And 60+, with a bad back. I have the driver’s seat as high as it will go, and have the seat back almost vertical. I like to have the steering wheel low and sufficiently far forward to permit arms-out driving. Longest drive in the RS3 has been about four hours, and I felt fine afterwards. The manual seat adjustment seems seems pretty cheap for a vehicle in this price range, but I have no complaints about seating comfort. It does take quite a lot of pumping to raise the seat to its upper limit!

So this actually seems to have helped me. Found that if I set the seat height first (rather than doing distance from the pedals first) and adjusting everything else around that I'm way more comfortable. It's not perfect, but that will be a downfall of any manual seat unfortunately. I'm finding that the ideal spot for the distance from pedals is between two of the notches on the rails...but for now this seems to have solved my problem a lot and car feels way better to drive. Before I was sitting on the floor and having to compensate for it by being closer to the pedals or using the front height adjustment to compensate.

[reactiondc2]

I too find the seats uncomfortable. Im a big guy with a long torso and the seat sits too high. I have to lean over to the right slightly so my head isn't pressed against the roof and after awhile my neck gets sore. Audi really could have done better with the seats.

[carlosvjr92]

I too find the seats uncomfortable. Im a big guy with a long torso and the seat sits too high. I have to lean over to the right slightly so my head isn't pressed against the roof and after awhile my neck gets sore. Audi really could have done better with the seats.

Agree completely. Even when I find an ideal position I still have some discomfort. Important to note I am pretty average height and size. They don't even come close to the seats I had in my B8.5 S4 in terms of comfort and ability to hold you in place.

[yukoncornelius]

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one....


Hate to be so negative with this post, but who designed the seating position in the rs3 and why is it so bad? I'm an average / slim sized guy at 5'9 165 and I just can't get real comfortable in the car.... to the point where it rrrreally sours the experience sometimes.

With the seat all the way on the floor, my head is 1/2 - 1 inch from the roof. Because of that, i feel visibility also gets compromised by the rear view mirror blocking a good bit of visibility to the right. I've had ALOT of different cars and I've never been this uncomfortable. Its not just the seat giving poor support, its how the seat positions you in relation to everything.

Not sure there is any solution; just a major negative since owning the car for a couple months now. Even compared to another audi, my girlfriends s5 seats are infinitely superior.

[brobst]

I did forward backward first. Then back angle from the wheel rotator. Next seat tilt using the side crank level and then seat pan tilt. After riding in my tiguan a few days I realize it feels like you lay back in the rs3 vs seating upward. Kinda reminds me or those arcade driving games.

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[yukoncornelius]

I did forward backward first. Then back angle from the wheel rotator. Next seat tilt using the side crank level and then seat pan tilt. After riding in my tiguan a few days I realize it feels like you lay back in the rs3 vs seating upward. Kinda reminds me or those arcade driving games.

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I literally watched a youtube video of how to properly adjust a seat (lol)... I think what you described is the proper order of adjustments. That said, I just can't get comfortable in the RS3. With your back fully supported against a seat-back, when you extend your arm, your wrist is supposed to hit the top of the steering wheel comfortably, without lifting your back and shoulders away from the seat back. This gives proper structure and reduces muscle strain.

For me to do this in the rs3, I have to keep the seat back pretty vertical. On the otherhand, If I recline the seat back and have more of a bucket seat, my neck strains forward because my arms are fully extended to reach the 10 and 2 grips on the steering wheel. Or, if my arms arent extneded, it means I'm sitting so close to the pedals that my knees are really uncomfortably bent.

[brobst]

Yea I get you. I drive more 4oclock and 8oclock now in the rs3. More comfortable

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[pulpoinspace]

I'm 6'1" and with my seat all the way to the floor I've still got about an inch of headroom even with the moonroof cover closed. Are you sure your seat is going all the way down? Maybe the mechanism is busted or something? that or you have a very long torso.

[brobst]

Im 6ft and my hair hits the roof when all the way down so I believe it.

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[carlosvjr92]

It is a big down side to the car. I've found you either have a uncomfortable sporty driving position or a comfortable non-sporty position.

I have found that having the seat height all the way down with the front seat "rake" higher than I would normally set it to while being closer to the pedals has been more comfortable. This allows you to recline a bit more and have a relaxed position while still being able to operate pedals and turn wheel fine.

I am about 5'8" so not too far off from you. Best thing to do is adjust forward/backward first and once you feel like you can operate the pedals well then adjust the front rake so that it barely touches your legs. From there find your preferred recline and steering wheel positions.

I do think the seat is the weakest point of this car for me. Its definitely possible to find a comfortable seating position, BUT it takes a lot of work for some reason. Every other car I've ever driven I sat down, adjusted the seat, and was good to go. So its frustrating but definitely possible. I am still thinking of eventually swapping out the seat to something else as I am planning on having the car long term. Don't track the car, but guess it would be cool to save some weight and have something different than OEM lol.

[Rod Paine]

I am the same height (6'-1") and 178 lbs with my seat a few 'clicks up' with no issues at all, other than having to be careful getting into the car, as not much leg room for us long leg guys. But once seated I can make 100 mile fast country back road runs quite comfortably. Now at nearly 24k miles total to date.

[pulpoinspace]

I'm sure you've tried raising the seat and reclining it, and vice verse? Maybe doing more wheel adjustments than seat adjustments? Maybe you could even do a pedal adjustment?

In addition to all of us being different heights we all have different Ape Indices which are extremely relevant here too.

I've never thought about it but engineering these seats to be comfortable for everyone could be a daunting task.