New Cars- Which ones (under 40k) have the best seats?

The parents are in the market for a new car in the next couple of years. This is going to be "Mom's Car" but the reality of it is they use it for both of them to take long trips (dad has a pickup they use for hauling plants/lumber/dirt and other short trip uses). Both parents are in their 60's and mom has back issues. They enjoy traveling and now that Dad's retired and mom has a boatload of vacation time - and since their new grandchild is about 5 hours' drive away - they'll be spending a LOT of time in whatever new car they get.

"Mom's Car" has generally been a midsize- full size 'Murican vehicle; some past examples are Buick LeSabres, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierras, and their current whip, a Buick Lucerne. Mom's thinking something with a bit more upright seating this time, like a small SUV (Hyundai Sante Fe was mentioned).

I told them to shop around and test a few seats, but of course no one's going to let them test drive a car on a 5 hour road trip to see if the seats work for them. So I figured I'd ask the cognoscenti here, who makes the best seats? Said seats should be wrapped inside a reliable vehicle (Dad's been perusing Consumer Reports again...) and not ostentatious (my folks have a bit of a midwest sensibility, and don't want anything showy). That said, dad mentioned 30-odd thousand for some of the cars they were considering, so I know they have some room to work.

Finally, keep in mind they're pretty much the opposite of me, automotively speaking. It's gotta be new, automatic trans, nothing too weird, and a soft, cushy ride is >>> over any semblance of handling. Fuel economy is somewhat a concern, but as long as it gets in the 20's somewhere average they'll be fine with it. (ie no B-O-F SUVs)

Aaaaannnd...go.

Toyota Avalon.

Mustang seats aren't too bad....

Toyota Avalon, new Buicks (Seriously--go take a look), and possibly a few of the Hyundai's.

Volvo has the most comfortable seats, but may be too flashy.

It's sad, when I asked dad why they don't just buy another big Buick, he said "Buick doesn't make cars that we want anymore". He also said that a lot of cars were getting hard to see out of, hence why they started looking at more upright vehicles.

I mentioned Volvos, but the new ones scored near the bottom of CR's rankings and with them being sold to the Chinese my conservative dad is leery about them.

Ohhh...

Toyota Venza, Honda Crosstour, Buick (whatever that small SUV is), and Subaru Outback/Forester.

I'd forgotten about the Venza and Avalon (see, I told you, they're completely different form me!) but those are good options. I thought about that Buick SUV...might be worth a drive. A Subie is an interesting choice- they do live in upstate NY....

Best NEW seats? Focus ST Recaros. Don't care about the rest of the criteria. The Recaros win.

I'd look into a Mazda CX-5 or even a Nissan Rogue or the Rogue Select (used to be the regular Rogue). They all pull decent fuel economy. I work for a dealership group that sells both Mazda and Nissan and they seem to be popular with the older crowd.

Volvo has the best seats around. Clear winner

My vote is for the Mustang's Recaros.

They might want to look at a loaded Taurus, preferably the SHO. I haven't spent hours behind the wheel of one, but I think they even offer a massage function as an option. Pretty comfy for a test drive.

I did the same shopping last year with my 80yr old M-I-L.
She wanted out of her Chrysler T&C van. She thought she wanted a Ford Edge like her one daughter.
She found the Edge to be just as large felling as the van and her goal was for smaller.
It came down to newly released Ford Escape or Honda CRV.
The tie breaker for her was that her deceased husband had never bought a Honda.

She likes the Ford but I wish we had avoided the overly complex radio.

The seats in my company escape seem nice. Also ecoboost!

Edit: the radio is too confusing though.

nocones wrote: Toyota Avalon.

I haven't ridden in most other cars on this list, but the Avalon does have very nice seats.

Also, surprisingly, it has a "sport lux" feel to it & is somewhat fun car to drive. Nothing like the previous generation.

What my parents really need is the equivalent of a 1975 Ford LTD, but that gets twice the fuel economy and has airbags.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: What my parents really need is the equivalent of a 1975 Ford LTD, but that gets twice the fuel economy and has airbags.

That Taurus suggestion would be a good one then, or the Lincoln equivalent.

Although I do suggest looking at the Toyota offerings.

I suggested the Toyota offerings...I think they're open to them. Outward visibility is an issue- all these new cars are like sitting in a cave to them. Hence why they may start looking at SUVs or crossovers.

I vote for the Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Explorer, Avalon etc.

Volkswagen has always impressed me with their seats...and at 6'6" I am pretty picky. Try a Passat.

Google Search: "Reliable Volkswagen"

No results found.

FSP_ZX2 wrote: Volkswagen has always impressed me with their seats...and at 6'6" I am pretty picky. Try a Passat.

Reference the minor rant thread, extreme discomfort of forward leaning head rests.

volvoclearinghouse said: Google Search: "Reliable Volkswagen" No results found.

Found via "google search" 7.8 out of 10, with "average reliability"
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Volkswagen_CC/Reliability/

Having driven a new Jetta, and been in the presence of a new Passat, I don't think I'd be shopping VW for them either, but the blanket poor reliability pandering so often mentioned on this site has nothing to do with my decision. They feel cheap (because they are) and I just don't like them.

I vote Volvo, but understand your parent's trepidation.

• Lee

Update for anyone who's interested...The parents have test drove a Hyundai Sante Fe, which my mom really liked. They wanted to test drive a Subaru, but the local dealership had none to test drive. Zero. Subaru is apparently selling every car they can make. The local dealer had people lined out the door to take their money. I guess this is life in the snow belt.

They test drove whatever the new Buick sedan is (LaCrosse?) but then my mom got her butt in the seat of a Caddy XTS4. Yeah. Guess which one she liked more? The XTS4 is AWD, which she likes, and they have some offers/deals/cash on the hood that brings them well under 40k. So far I think the Caddy's the leading contender, though she wants to try out the GMC Acadia or Traverse or whatever mid-size SUV they have.

The new sho is a cavernous barge with alot of power....nice seats though. Get them to test drive a Flex Titanium with the awd/ecoboost. I bet they'll like it.

Cadillac does make nice seats. I saw a LOT of the XTS cars when I was up north this summer, but I haven't seen a single one in Texas. Weird.

My parents seem oddly drawn to General Motors products. I don't understand why. My dad's parents always drove Mercuries. My mom's parents weren't brand loyal at all. All the rec's I've made for them to test drive a FoMoCo product have fallen on deaf ears. After they expressed interest in the XTS4 I suggested the Lincoln equivalent, I think it's the MKB or whatever...based on the Taurus.

Interestingly the one downfall to the Caddy is...it's a Caddy. As mentioned above, they don't like flashy, expensive things. Spent our whole time growing up riding in dad's 6 cylinder, 2wd truck or mom's sensible Oldsmobuick. And now they find themselves liking this.

Alfred Sloan would be so proud...