OK, I've only been tooling around in My Sharona for about 500 miles or so (picked her up last Thursday), so I'm still getting used to her.

Do any of you have any difficulty getting really comfortable in the sport seats? They adjust up, down, forwards, backwards and the back tilts to any number of angles. And the lumbar support adds another dimension of choice. But - I find the seat part shorter than I'm personally used to. My previous car (Celica GTS) had similar "wrap-around" style seats, but the seat part went about 4 inches longer.

The edge of the seat is somewhat uncomfortable against my leg, making me fidget in the seat as I drive. I know, it sounds crazy. Maybe the seats are stiff because they're new. Or maybe not. I think I finally found the setting for all the adjustments that works for me. I'm NEVER moving the seat. To hell with any unlucky passenger that has to sit behind the driver!

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Otherwise, I'll just keep motoring until I work the bugger in!

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=R= #3077
My Sharona (Delivered Nov. 28/02): LY/B 2003 MCS, Stripes, Premium & Sport Packs, Aero Grill, Sunroof & Leather. Cold Pack is included in Canada, eh?

Yah. I agree the seats are kind of different from most cars I've driven. I find it weird that the back of the lower portion is the only up and down adjustment. If the front of the seat would go up and down (like in my Olds. Alero) you wouldn't feel that uncomfortable jab under the back of the knees.

Spence

I have never been very comfortable in them.

I agree that the seat part is too short, it seems to cut the thighs in the wrong place.

The worst part for me is the fact that the seat tilt moves with the height adjustment.:smile:



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Chili Red S

I would swap seats out too, but I'm a sucker for heated seats on cold Connecticut mornings, if there was a heated aftermarket option, I would be all over it...time to cruise over to Recaro and Corbeau to see what's available.

yep...the sport seats suck...poor design and a huge oversight by BMW...I'm 6'1" and the seat is way to short, especially with no slide out support like recaro's, the lumbar doesn't hit in the right spot and the tilt mechanism is a cheap plastic, mine broke and had to be replaced on both front seats..the mini service tech even agreed with me that the seats were terrible......hard to believe the 03 has the same seats....looking at replacing also, but you have to be careful not to void the safety warranty, airbag issue....

I honestly can say I have no real problem w/ the sport seats in my MCS.
I have the seat portion set to the lowest height setting and the back portion is a 90% angle to the seat bottom.
We are all built a bit differently....so maybe my frame simply works well with this seat setup.
Gotta get lucky sometimes :smile:

Peace,
D

This is wierd, I always read that it was the standard seats people had a real problem with. In fact I thought a lot of people were getting the sport as a solution to the standard seat problems.

No problem with the seats..... :smile:

I have had a similar experience with d-mini-ero. I fit the seats fine, my girlfriend fit the seats fine, my cousin and my sister on the otherhand were not able to adjust the seats to an acceptable position.

Personnally, I find the MINI sport seats to be far superior to the ones in my Jetta.

the shortness of the seats is a major PIA for me, I am 6'4" and that extra amount of support on the legs is nice to have, I have gotten somewhat accustomed to them, however I hop MINI/BMW make changes before I go back for another MCS.

I love the Sport seats. No issues for me.

Note, the seats have airbags so swapping them out for another seat may not be that straitforward. Possibly insert a resistor in the connector to keep the airbag light from blinking all the time?

Overall I really like the sport seats. I did have a hard time figuring out the best setting. It is strange that only the butt part of the seat goes up and down. I found the "bucket" was deeper in the lowest setting. Fortunately I'm not too tall, so the seat length is just fine and the seat is about mid-height.

Another problem I encountered was getting the steering wheel right. In the beginning, because I like a lower steering wheel, my hands at 9 & 3 would hit my leg during spirited turns. Now I just set it a little higher and everything is perfect.

It is too bad that all of you do not fit right in your MINI. I wish I could adjust the pedals a little bit. The dead pedal should extend out more, so I can get to the clutch quicker and the brake pedal should dip a little more or the accelerator extend out so I can brake and accelerate quicker.

Really though, it's just a matter of getting used to everything. I'm still getting used to the Reverse gear and Sixth gear. :smile:

My initial tendency was to sit 'up and on' the sport seat and even with the lumbar
adjustment it still sometimes bothered my back. Then I tried shifting my
weight more into the back of the seat......and found this this felt much better.

>>This is wierd, I always read that it was the standard seats people had a real problem with. In fact I thought a lot of people were getting the sport as a solution to the standard seat problems.


(((I have the leatherette standard seats and they are my only complaint about the car. I have gone a number of times to the dealer and I find the cloth sports seats to be by far the most comfortable for me (i'm 5'9'' and about 130). I checked some aftermarket options for different seats and decided that I didn't want to void the warrenty by getting a new seat installed.

I am planning to order an 03 with the sports seat, if I can't get my seat to be a little more comfortable by Jan or Feb. I wish mini had been a little more helpful; although I doesn't seem there are many options. They can't switch out seats. I am going to see if the technician can do anything to soften the seat, like stretch the springs slightly, or reseat the cushion, or even whether a sports cushion can be put in, instead of the one thats in my car now. One thing that has helped, it there was a thread on seats several months ago, with a description of the 'BMW way' to adjust the seats. I have used this many times to find a basic setting to then tweak.

Maybe we should mail this thread to MINI. I think they have made an outstanding car, with really little attention to the seats. The lumbar placement, and the extremely uncomfortable contours of the standard seat, as well as the short bottom cushion and the lack of adjustment for the front part of the seat-- all are beneath BMW standards in my opinion. It seems reasonable for MINI to come out with a fix for the seats. For example, manufacturing a more comfortable upper and lower seat cushion that could be installed, an additional bracket and adjustment for the front part of the seat cushion. I would be willing to add these at my own expense-- I think MINI should take better care of us-- OR be willing to have all upper management and R & D spend a month in a standard MINI seat!!!
Steve

When I first got my MC (with sports seats) I found them uncomfortable - I much preferred the non-buckets of the MC I test drove.
But over a month or so, I found a good position for the seats and now I am fine with them.

drstevenj ... have you seen this UK web site
Leather Seating
They seem to offer product that might convert your seats to the sports shape; the cost is nearly $2000 but might be better than a new car!

>>When I first got my MC (with sports seats) I found them uncomfortable - I much preferred the non-buckets of the MC I test drove.
>>But over a month or so, I found a good position for the seats and now I am fine with them.
>>
>>drstevenj ... have you seen this UK web site
>>Leather Seating
>>They seem to offer product that might convert your seats to the sports shape; the cost is nearly $2000 but might be better than a new car!
>>
>>

Thanks!! I have heard of these, but never been to the website. I had thought that 2000$ is alot to spend for something I haven't actually sat in and felt-- I could end up spending this, and finding their seat uncomfortable. Maybe they have someone in the Ohio area who has purchased the seat, or some way I could try it out. I'll consider it, but figure if need be, I can sell my mini for 1500-3000 less than I paid for it and get a car with a seat I know is more comfortable. I'll ask the dealer about whether they know of anyone who has purchased from this company, and whether the dealer could do the installation.
Appreciate the info!

I have found the lowest postion (height wise) most comfortable.

I find this to be the most common recommendation when looking for the perfect seat height.

The reason is clear: As you move the seat up in height you are pushed forward toward the steering wheel due too the repositioning of the "butt" cushion. Therefore, the lower seat position is the one that cradles you the best and doesn't promote loss of circulation in thighs because your sitting low (less pressure).

The problem is for someone who likes to sit a little higher. I am 6'0", 180 lbs. and the lowest setting is not aceptable. When they say a MINI can fit a 6'8" person they are not lying (i.e. lowest seat positon).

If the adjustments were all individual of each other I think it would be workable

I drove a BMW 330i with sports seats recently. What a HUGE difference!



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Chili Red S

I drove a BMW 330i with sports seats recently. What a HUGE difference!

yep....thats the loaner car I was given when my mini has been in the shop numerous times and after sitting in those seats I'm so spoiled, it's hard to go back to the mini seats....had an 83 320 almost 20 years ago that also had recaros, with the slide out thigh supports...just tremendous seats...I still for the life of me can't figure out why BMW paid so little attention to the seat designs, couldn't have been that a big a cost savings...if you think the 330 seats are nice, sit in the new Z driver seat, totally different design than the passenger seat, with extra support for the right leg...just amazingly good design...

I find the seats totally supportive, but then again I think for people like me ( I am only 5'6) they work out better. Its true you need to play with then a bit until you find the perfect setting, but you will find it. And comparing the seats in the Mini to the 330 is dumb, those seats are twice the money, of course they are more comfortable!!

im 6'2 and the sport seats are comfortable as heck .. go figure :smile:

And comparing the seats in the Mini to the 330 is dumb, those seats are twice the money, of course they are more comfortable!!

twice the money on the OEM market buying in quantities of 200K seats....twice the money would probably be no more than a couple hundred dollars or less per car ...now that is dumb, laugh!

No complaints from me. The lumbar (non-adjustable) takes some getting used to, but I think it actually improves my driving posture; my Jeep Commanche bench seat always made me slouch.

And I actually like that the seats are shorter. On long trips, I have more room to "put my feet up" with the cruize control on.

I found the sweet seat spot the first day. Between the seat height and steeringwheel angel, I can actually see the entire tach face, something that alot of people complained about... but I'm rambling now.

I like a lot of lumbar support and love the sport seats. For me they are far more comofortable than my BMW's seats. I haven't found a comfortable spot for my left arm though, so I end up with both hands on the steering wheel more often than usual. Maybe that's a good thing in the long run.

10 and 2. The way to drive....

I think the sport seats are great......no complaints from my end. They make other car seats seem very uncomfortable to me. Then again, for the people that think they are too short, I am way smaller than 6'1" so that could be why I haven't had any problems.

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