Volvo Seats Rule.

[Art]

Best for backs

Brian McIlwraith, an osteopath specialising in car ergonomics, has devised tests to determine which cars are least likely to put strain on the human body. He takes into account the position of the steering wheel and pedals, adjustments on the seat, headroom and height — low cars put more stress on the back when getting in and out. His top five:

1 Volvo V70 Good seat and all controls in the right place
2 Mercedes S-class Plenty of adjustments, suited to larger drivers
3 Lexus LS 430 Lots of room and good lumbar support
4 Peugeot 607 Pedals well lined up and good exit height
5 Renault Modus/ Nissan Micra Best of the small cars but seat quality could be better

The full article can be seen here.

[John@CdnRockies]

Glad you found and posted that article Art. With my 400 km ski trips and 2,000 km countryplace visits (both round trip distances) I can testify that the Volvo seat is superb. Our little Mercedes comes a close second, further supporting their ratings.

At the same time, I'd caution new buyers to "try before you buy" as seating peculiarities vary for each person (have a cracked spine so I'm keen on this area). Imo, seating comfort adds to Volvo's safety reputation as it keeps me alert and focused on the road for extended drives.

John

[AWD*V70XC]

The new '05 and '06 seats have more (an extra 2") of comfort over the older models so when you sit in a newer car you think there is something wrong with your old car. The newer seats are much better and more comfortable but I am sure Volvo will start to remove some of that extra comfort if they think they could save some money of the car. (let's hope they don't.)