which foams cushions did you use? I need some for my tail bone. I notice it after 20 minutes of driving and not moving around..

 

2017 RX and I am 6:4 and 225 pounds. I find the seats extremely comfortable. The last pic shown I have much more leg room than that pic is showing. It looks as if the seat might be all the way back but raised which also brings it forward.

 

Similar experience. Seats in my 2008 RX 400h were (are) infinitely more comfortable than the crappy seats on the 2020 450h. Any recommended seat cushions or other ways to mitigate Lexus’ cheap seats?

 

I'm thinking about moving from an ES to the RX. The ride on this generation RX is so nice, but I agree with the comments about the seats being on the hard side, which to some degree is an issue with the last generation ES as well (and seems to be a trend from generation to generation of the ES) . Anyone know which competitor SUVs have more of a plush/soft feel? Audi Q5 or Q7 ? BMW X5 maybe? Mercedes mid size SUV? Maybe even Lincoln or Cadillac?

 

so what year did they increase the seat firmness? Was it 2020 and onwards? If so, Maybe I'll look at a 2019 CPO rather than a 2022 new RX......

 

I used Joann's high density chair foam, cut it down, and tried to pack it in between the metal braces and the existing cushion. It was pretty tight, so I do not think you could use a thicker foam pad.

 

My RX450h is 2017 and the seats were pretty hard. They have softened a little with time (stretching the metal springs???)

When I have gotten a loaner, I have not seen any difference between 350 and 450h seats, even in the latest models. They are all about the same firmness,

 

i took a re-look at various configurations of the 2022 RXs at the dealership today, I sat in a few variations for 10 mins each. For the power button issue, I’m 5’6” so not a factor for me , but can see how it would bother those with Longer legs. More so is the width issue (discussed on many prior threads), it’s ok for me I think at 5’6” , but on the freeway in cruise control I like to spread my knees apart to relax, it’s ok I think at my height but a taller guy sure might get bothered by the center console .

for the seat hardness aspect- one question that came to my mind - is there a difference in hardness between the aniline seats and the real leather ? Or maybe that’s just surface perception , and how your butt feels on a long drive will be the same as the inner padding is the same?. On initially sitting down and on feel to the hands the semi aniline Seats feel “softer” but this may be just because the material is more compliant than leather to the initial touch? I know this topic was discussed on the ES threads in the past with no clear conclusion !

 

For anyone having back pain from seats a physical therapist gave me some golden advice. Your hips should always be level with (or even very slightly higher than) your knees or you will develop back pain. I see so many cars today where the seat bottom slants downward towards the seat back which means your hips will be slightly lower than your knees. This is guaranteed to cause back pain for most people.

 

Own 2017 RX with base nuluxe seats. Have driven the car for four hours in a row many times and find the seats incredibly comfortable. Often too comfortable to a point where I start to doze off. When I get out, not a single back issue. I adjust my seat about a palm away between my stomach and the steering wheel, and go from there. The higher the better. Legs as straight as possible. I like it roomy with good visibility.

Before this car, I owned a Camry 2008 XLE, those were so plush. I find Toyota/Lexus seats comfortable. Except, my friends 2015 RAV4 seats are hard as rocks, zero padding, cramped, feel every bump.

 

Funny b/c I am looking into after market spacers to raise the front of my driver seat so that I am more inclined.

My previous Acura had a tilt function on the driver seat that let me tilt the seat bottom back a bit.
I love my RX and I find the seats very comfortable (Nuluxe is great...so easy to maintain, and very durable). The only thing that I notice is that on very long drives the pressure on my rear end is slightly uncomfortable and I remove my wallet to help. A slight tilt of the seat would take the pressure from the butt and place it onto my back which I prefer.

There is a company (may have been posted here....maybe even in this thread) that manufacture spacer blocks that goes between the floor and front of the seat bolts to incline the seat slightly backward. They are currently trying to design some for this generation RX. They are kinda pricey but I might consider.

Bad back is the price for standing upright. I have some moderate lower back pains (like almost everyone over 30). Heated seats help.

 

Don't you have power seats?

 

yeah....sorry. I should have said that I would like it to tilt more. Mine does tilt back but not as far as my Acura.....that was "Space Shuttle" mode or at least more than the RX. As I recall in my Acura it would tilt the entire seat and not just the seat cushion.

Not really a big deal, but apparently enough people want the same on a variety of cars since companies make seat lifters (seat jackers) to create tilt. The owner of the company asked me to send a pic of our generation RX to see if an existing Lexus item that they had would work. He wrote back that it is not compatible with our generation but that they are working on it and would let me know.

https://desertdoesit.com

 

Interesting further discussions.
RE: Acura - we have a 2013 RDX that my son now drives. As you say, that car does have its tilt function take the whole seat unitl back and forth in one piece, ie bottom cushion and back cushion all tilt in unison, which is a nice feature. You can also tilt the seat back independently. However with my 2016 ES I can replicate this really, its just that you have to adjust seat bottom and seat back separately. so you have to coordinate 2 adjustments. But maybe the Acura does indeed have greater angle of tilt.

interesting about that company offering seat blocks/ risers. For me, the main reason I'm thinking about moving on from my 2016 ES is worsening back pain with sitting down low in a sedan. I feel much better with a higher up seat position in an SUV. that seems to be the key issue for me - as per the images posted on this thread, the "frog" sedan position is just not good for me. I need to have a more upright car driving posture now that I am in my 50s. I really am comfortable in the NX, as the seats are upright as it is and you can really raise them up high from the floor (although the NX seat is a bit on the firm side). The RX seat is also more comfortable to me than my ES, and is higher up, although it does not seem to go quite up as high as the NX does. I am looking into possibly a couple of other brands of SUV or crossover too (the mercedes GLC seat is nice in being reasonably soft feeling, and sits up nice and high).

however, I'm not thrilled about the high car prices these days. One idea I had, that I thought was a bit whacky - could I just take the drivers seat out of the ES and replace it with an NX seat assembly from a used/ wrecked NX?! Of course, I assume that goes against lexus safety assurance etc etc, and if you are sitting up too high, then the height at which seat belt sits, and air bag fires may be off....of course thats a downside and then if I sell it it is clearly a modified car.... I dont have to worry about warranty as I'm past warranty now.
however that company that does the slight risers- thats in interesting idea - I wonder if they can just slight raise both front and back attachments of the seat?

Maybe a crazy idea to modify my ES seat?, so I may end up going to an SUV after all.

 

I got a 2021 RX (with 9000 miles, so quite new) to try out for 24 hours, to get a feel / longer test drive for the new Gen RX

While the base seat cushion is a bit on the firm side, it did not really bother me that much with 1.5 - 2 hour drives at a time. However, what bothered me most was that the seat back is also very firm. No matter how I fiddled with lumbar support, it feels hard, more so than older generations of the RX from what a recall (although those that I drove were broken in so that may be a factor), and from my 2016 ES seats. My ES seat backs are too firm for my liking, but these are even more hard/firm.

I'm not sure what to conclude except that Lexus are cutting corners and changing things more to market to the younger buyers, and not so much to us older buyers over age 50 anymore. This is the last model in the lexus line that people consider a "comfort car" and now the seat backs are hard. I cant find any current lexus model any more that I can consider a comfort/luxury car . (I'm not looking into the LX though as thats too big and expensive). I guess the RX is not for me. I could buy it and put some sort of sheepskin seat cover on it, but why should one have to do that on a $50K plus car, and in hot california its no fun to add on such coverings. I may start looking at other brands, versus just keep my ES longer I guess