Xantia uncomfortable seat/driving position. Seat adjustment?

[ashy90]

Has anyone else found the Xantia uncomfortable in terms of leg ache etc when driving?

Only had my Xantia a couple of weeks but already I might have to move it on. Every day driving to and from work (30 miles each way) my right leg aches. It doesn't matter how I adjust the seat. Not helped by the seat being too soft no doubt.

Has anyone else suffered this? If so has anyone found a splution?
I am thinking of adding some spacers under the front mounts of the seat to adjust the tilt/angle

[myglaren]

Not the Xantia but the Accord that followed it was crippling for the first month, after that it was fine.
I did think I was going to have to dump the C5 and get an automatic as operating the clutch was agony. That too passed after a few weeks.
Persevere a bit, could just need a some of familiarisation - retrain the leg muscles.

[GiveMeABreak]

I had to raise the seat height up and put it well back on mine.

[xantia_v6]

You could look for a pair of electric seats from an Exclusive, they have a lot more adjustability and are no too difficult to fit

[van ordinaire]

Not sure I've investigated the seat adjustment on the Xantia, it's just not something I do anymore - but, then, it is an Exclusive!

[Michel]

Has anyone else found the Xantia uncomfortable in terms of leg ache etc when driving?

Yes. I found exactly the same. Didn't stop me owning 12 Xantias in all, but I had the same issue with all but the MK1 V6 Exclusive (I believe XantiaV6 was a former owner of the same car?) which had unheated leather seats.

I think the seat bottoms are too short and don't provide enough support for the upper leg.

[mickthemaverick]

I have suffered the short seat syndrome in various cars and my Xantia was no exception. I had a fully functioning Activa which was brilliant to drive but not a great long distance cruiser for the short seat problem. I found using a thigh support under the leg helped on long distance but was a pain for everyday hopping in and out. I'll see if its possible to cobble some C5 seats in if I ever get another one!!

[Mandrake]

The "standard" mechanical adjustment seats in the Xantia with the jack handle adjustment on the side I find quite uncomfortable - I've never owned one but both my parents did at one time so I got plenty of chance to drive them and didn't like the seating position.

The electric seats on the other hand - completely different. I've owned a S1 VSX with cloth electric seats - very comfortable, possibly the most comfortable seats of any car I've owned, a S1 Xantia V6 and a S2 Xantia V6 both with electric leather seats - not quite as comfy as the cloth seats but still comfortable with plenty of adjustment. I'd give the S2 leather seats a slight comfort edge over the S1.

I don't find any problem with leg support with the Xantia electric seats because it's possible to tilt the squab back enough to support the thighs. (I have the rear squab height set to minimum and the front squab height set near the highest it can go to get plenty of backwards rake)

If you want uncomfortable seating try my Peugeot Ion - not only are the seats unusually narrow, the squab is extremely short, firm, and barely reaches half way down my upper leg, and is parallel to the floor with no tilt adjustment whatsoever, meaning I get zero thigh support on the bare seat without an extra cushion added to make it tolerable.

Compared to this, the leather electric seats in the Xantia feel like a luxury comfortable sofa!

[ashy90]

So it sounds like I need to look out for some electric seats. Mine is a car with standard grey velour seats with manual height adjuster on the side.
I think the problem is possibly the the base needs to be tilted a bit more and also the seats being so soft. T shortness of the base, and the height of the accelerator pedal will contribute too.

I am a bit fussy with car seats, for some reason some cars give me leg or very lower back pain when driving.
The worst cars I have found for this are Ford's of a certain era - all ka's, MK1 focus, most fiestas up until the recent ones.The worst car I have owned for causing discomfort was my Astra VXR. The best was a Rover 400 (the very base spec without height adjustment I found more comfortable than the ones with height adjustment). I also had little issue with my Saxo vtr surprisingly!

[myglaren]

A cruise control might be an option too.

[Mandrake]

So it sounds like I need to look out for some electric seats. Mine is a car with standard grey velour seats with manual height adjuster on the side.
I think the problem is possibly the the base needs to be tilted a bit more and also the seats being so soft. T shortness of the base, and the height of the accelerator pedal will contribute too.
I am a bit fussy with car seats, for some reason some cars give me leg or very lower back pain when driving.

If you like the car then it may be worth looking for the electric seats in leather - they really are night and day over the manual ones, and they are significantly firmer with better support. Or just look for another Xantia that already has them!

I'm with you on this - I cannot sit comfortably in any car that doesn't have good thigh support and doesn't allow the rake of the squab (base) to be tilted back to support my legs. I'm 6 foot but a lot of that height is from leg length so in most cars without steering wheel reach adjustment (including the Xantia) if I adjust the seat position back to where I have a comfortable reach of the steering wheel and gear lever my legs are bent up quite a bit and slightly to the sides of the steering wheel, and a flat seat then results in no thigh support and a sore bum and lower back as all my weight is concentrated there...

There is quite a lot of adjustment of the rake/tilt of the squab base in the electric seat versions, and there is a separate switch to raise and lower the front and rear end to adjust both height and rake. However from what I can remember the S2 electric seats have more adjustment range than the S1 seats, and the side bolster adjustments are slightly different as well. Both are streets ahead of the manual seats however they do differ a little bit.

No idea if a S1 electric seat can go in a S2 car or vica versa though - I have never tried swapping seats in a Xantia but I'm sure someone else will know.

[sparksie]

Hmm
I think I replied to this in another thread.

[xantia_v6]

Hmm
I think I replied to this in another thread.

Perhaps viewtopic.php?f=3&t=62876&p=613865#p613865

[ashy90]

Bringing this thread back up, what are S1 leather manual seats like? Are they more comfortable than the S2 cloth grey manual seats in my W reg S2?

[Stickyfinger]

I am 6ft4in/slim....I find them fantastic s1.V6 Activa Leather.