So I've been trying to upgrade my 02 ES330 w/Nav to a new Lexus. Had an ES330 for awhile as a loaner in the fall (they dinged my car and had to fix it), and was tempted to do a lateral upgrade. But I quickly noticed a serious flaw: the ventilated seats.

After about five minutes, the foam compresses such that I can feel something hard, right under the center of my butt. I called the ES330 the "wedgie-mobile" because that's what it was reminiscent of. My guess was that there was some rigid piece of pneumatic tubing feeding the seat vents that didn't have enough padding. So that pretty much was a deal-breaker and I kept driving my ES300.

Fast-forward to last weekend, when my wife and I went to the dealership in response to a letter saying they were having a buyback of 02 IS-300's. So we drove a RX400h for the heck of it (can't see myself in a SUV, not even a hybrid, oh well), which had just heated seats. No problem there. And, BTW, the price they offered on the IS300 was insulting, so needless to say she's going to keep her prized jewel.

So I start to get the itch again. I come back later in the week to try a GS. This one has ventilated seats. Didn't run into much of a problem in the passenger seat while the sales droid drove, but I noticed the exact same thing when I took over the drivers seat.

Sales guy of course claims he doesn't feel it. I've seen exactly one review on the net that talks about the problem. Nothing anywhere else I can find. Conversely, when I had the ES330 my wife noticed it right away, as did my Dad. So I'm not imagining this.

Near as I can tell, it's really, really hard to buy a Lexus these days that doesn't have ventilated seats. And throwing more money at the car doesn't seem to change the design of the ventilation system. I'm tempted to try the IS250 AWD for the heck of it, if for no other reason than to see if those vented seats are any different, but I'm not hopeful. Not to mention the fact that I'm not convinced the IS is the right replacement for the ES.

So this is a huge problem for me. I can't justify throwing $46K at a car that makes my butt hurt.

Anyone else notice this? Anyone found a fix for it?

 

to each their own. try different settings (lumbar) and sit for a little longer to see if you get used to it. If you still don't like it (my uncle hates the seats in his RL) , the car isnt for you.

 

Well, I had the ES330 for nearly two weeks while they fixed the ding in my ES300. I never got used to it, and after a long trip I was noticably more fatigued than in my ES300. Even though I only took a short test drive in the GS, the seat felt very much the same.

What's really got me pickled is that it's starting to look like this problem makes any and all Lexus models a non-starter for me. At this point I've really, really enjoyed owning these cars. Had a 93 ES300 for two years before moving to NYC (sold it to a friend's father, who still drives it), then a 98 ES300, followed by the 02 ES300 and an 02 IS300 SportCross (wife's car), both with Nav. So I've been a very loyal Lexus customer, and at the moment would rather stay in the Lexus lineup.

BTW, lumbar support really has nothing to do with this. The problem is on the bottom cushion, whereas lumbar adjustments affect the seat back.

 

Sit in another one and see. Otherwise it doesn't seem that the seats were designed for your idea of comfort. I agree they aren't the best but they don't bother me and I have never felt anything hard in the middle the seat or anything around it.

I have two other GS's as well in the past and nothing with them either.

 

Yeah, I need to go back to check out other things anyway. I want to measure the footprint and opening of the trunk on both the GS and IS. My ES trunk can get pretty full when we take a stroller and/or lots of luggage, so I don't want any surprises there.

So I think my next step is to test drive an IS and perhaps sit for 10-15 minutes in another GS. Given my previous experience with an 05 ES330 loaner, I'm dubious, but it can't hurt to try.

 

Prepared to be disappointed...it's amazing how small the trunk opening is on the GS

 

I feel that the lumbar support is a bit uncomfortable in the GS.

 

I have an IS350 with ventilated seats and I don't feel the hard ridge you've mentioned--the seats are quite supportive and comfortable--firmer overall than the cushy seats (non-ventilated) in my RX330, which I expected given the vastly different natures of these two vehicles.

 

Yon,

They are definitely not the most comfortable seats.

Over time I have gotten used to them and learned to tolerate them, but if they do
this to the LS460 seats I will be

 

I just came from a Volvo S60R to a GS430. I will have to say the R had the most comfortable and supportive seats I have ever felt in a car, along with the softest leather. I really do miss those seats. The GS seats are nowhere close to as comfortable, which sucks for me because i'm in sales and spend a lot of time in my car. Now i'm not saying they are awful, they could however be better.

If any of you have the chance to sit in an R, do so, you wont want to sit in your Lexus again.

Here is the best pic I have of the interior of that car showing a bit of the seat, unfortunately I totalled the car in December.

 

Yea, Volvo has some of the most comfortable seats out there - but I don't have to tell you this!

BMW also has a "Comfort Seat" option that rivals the Volvo in terms of comfort (although the leather is still not as soft/supple as the Volvo). Of note, this Comfort Seat option becomes standard on the 07 5-series with sport package and they begin production this March.

 

Yon, I haven't had the problem you are describing in my 06 GS. In fact, these feel to me like an improvement over the 2GS seats. My only complaint, as with the 2GS seats, is the leg support isn't quite good enough.

I have the seat adjust so the front of the seat bottum is up as high as it will go, and the back is as low as it will go, and there's still just not much support behind my knees. I'm 6'0, so maybe my legs are too long, but it's a minor irritation.

I spend hours at a time in the car, and that's my only complaint with the seats.

 

Well, as many of you have seen, I took the plunge with the 06 GS300 AWD. Seats are definitely firmer, but even after a few weeks have not felt any signs of the dreaded wedgie-mobile.

I took the car in this morning for the state inspection, 3M clear bra, and to fix the rattle in the plastic cowl under the windshield. I got an 05 ES330 as a loaner, and wham... I felt that seat problem immediately! Now I wonder that if the ES seats have more "give" to them whether the pneumatics become more apparent. The firmer GS seats do not have this problem, but with this loaner I definitely feel something hard inside the cushion.

Anyway, it only took a few weeks to get spoiled by the GS handling---the ES is a slushmobile by comparison.

Happy happy happy!

 

You could have gotten a Base IS250 or IS350 RWD, without perforated/heated seats. However, you would have lost memory functions and wood trim

 

Yes, and I would have wanted all the other features like Nav, Park Assist, etc which are probably rare or non-existent in a car without the ventilated seats.

Not to mention the fact that the the IS really is a bit small to replace the ES. We already have an 02 SportCross, and this car is the bigger, "load it up for the longer trips" vehicle. So for me, the GS was the right mix of size and handling (although I paid dearly for it over what a similarly equipped IS would have cost, ).