kg19989

I think Lexus' move from the 330 to the 350 was a step back in luxury and comfort for sure. I had an 06 ES and an 07 ES and the 06 was a much better car all around in my opinion. The 07 was louder, firmer (more sporty) and just didn't feel like the quality of my 06. Of course, they both pale in comparison to my LS.

azncapcom

Im having the same problem with my 2008 ES. I think its typically the one with heated/cooled seats that have this problem... Still haven't found a way around this yet...

dman00001

I'm six foot tall and I had the same problem with not being comfortable in the seats for the first few months when I bought my 2007 a year ago. I finally found a post on here that recommended how to adjust the seat for taller people and since I did that I couldn't be happier. Sorry I don't have the link but it should come up in searches. So I don't think it's the seats that are uncomfortable but rather finding that right setting for you.

azncapcom

I've tried searching and couldn't find it. Would you be able to give me a brief explanation on how i should try to adjust the settings? im 6' 2"

dman00001

Searched and found it for you. I followed the advice of J13 who is 6'4" and tweaked from there. Let me know how it works for you!

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...-position.html

azncapcom

i tried that setting and it is not for me. and i had override my seat setting with it before driving to test it out *facepalm* now i lost my previous setting which was approaching the more comfortable side...

jerfitz

We were with a group of MotorHome friends that tow cars behind their MHs. One had a new 2012 Jeep Cherokee and it had a 4-way lumbar support. The lumbar, of course, went in and out but it also went up and down about 4 to 5 inches. It was really nice.

This same Jeep had VERY hard seat cushions for your bum that you sat more on like the European high performance cars.

Both of us LOVED the lumbar support and hated the HARD seat bottom cushions.

BTW, if you look back through this thread I left a DETAILED description of our 2007 ES350 front seats. It is dated 4/5/2011 and explained our problems with the front seats. Just look for the blue motorhome avatar.

JerryF

jagtoes

I guess it just must be personal preferance. I've had a 2008 and now a 2010 both purchased new. My seating comfort is great and even after 4 hour drives there is no back or butt pain. I find the car very comfortable and a great ride. I bought the car with distance driving in mind and it has been great. I now have 16K miles on it which most have been 2-4 hour drives. Oh I'm 6'3" and 240 # and I always use the CC when driving .

unklexus

Generally speaking, if your legs and rear end aren't supported evenly, there's gonna be problems. For taller people, many car's steering wheels won't come back far enough so that the seat can be moved back far enough for even support.

So one has to move the seat forward to reach the steering wheel -comfortably-, this then props up the legs and angles the pressure toward the rear, and our butts suffer. If there was more headroom this could be alleviated by height, but can't do that in a 350.

Of course age, sensitivity, etc. play a part, but I've found this to be the case with the past three cars I've owned. Suvs usually don't cause rearbo pain because the seating is high enough to even out the support.

And with decontenting to save weight, money, etc. don't see it improving. Have to shop around. American cars seem to be a bit better in this regard. Some of them at least.

The 350 seats are a bit firmish, especially with the heater/cooler plastic in them, which only exacerbates the above situation. The softish leather can't help with that.

jerfitz

Unklexus,

Good explanation...thanks for taking the time to write it up.

JerryF

IS350jet

Well, this is certainly a case where "everyone is different". In my own situation, (ES350, 2009 and 2012), the seats in both cars sucked. They sure seem comfy when you first get in but sit there for an hour or longer drive and you beging to get extremely uncomfortable real quick. Trying to adjust the seat every which way doesn't work very well. I find myself almost twisting my lower frame to get comfy. 3 hours in this car are unbearable. Again, that's just been my experience. I'm 6'3" and most of my height is in my torso.

glepera

memory foam heals all wounds although it does get a bit hot.

unklexus

Was getting my usb 12.1 installed Friday and sat in two new ES350's, definitely the seats were much firmer than my 2011. Then jumped in a GS350, holy moley they were as firm a seat as I've ever sat in, Lexus definitely going the German teutonic firmness route for sure. But after sitting in them a while they may be great, maybe in a couple of years I'll try one.

tolian21

yep, they are pretty bad. The seat bottom cushion is very flat, and it feels like you are seating on flat chair sometimes. You need to drive for 20-30 minutes to realize that, and it gets worse after that. Makes me regret buying this car, oh well.... I am getting Infinity G37 in few years.

smarty666

I have to agree, about the seat cushion bottom on the ES350. After only 1 year of use, it got so mushy and compressed it wasn't providing me any support any longer. So much, that after only 15 minutes of my 35 minute commute, my *** was getting so sore I could feel the mechanism and bars underneath the seat.

I complained to my Lexus dealer, they called Lexus HQ, and got immediate approval to have a new seat bottom put in my car. My Lexus dealer even admitted, they have had a lot of people come in and complain about the soft/flat seat bottoms on the 2007-2012 ES350s. I'll need to make sure I get the seat bottom replaced before the 4yr/48k mile warrant is up.

Before you get a G37 though, which is going to have a really harsh/jarring ride compared to the ES350. When they were working on my 2011, they gave me a 2013 ES350 as a loner car. All I can say is WOW. The seats were like night and day. The new ES has more of a sport bucket type seat and the bottom cushion is much more firm and supportive. I would give that a look before you jump ship to Infiniti. Plus, they have the ECO and Sport mode on the 2013 and when in Sport, the handling gets nice and firm and pretty crisp, my biggest complaint on my 2011. If I could, I'd be in a 2013 tomorrow.