redherring

I came out of a 2013 Q5 and honestly don't notice a lot of difference between those seats and the standard seats in my '18. I also initially wanted the vented seats but thought they were too hard (plus I wanted beige, which is not available in vented for some reason). Subsequently had a loaner with vented seats for a week and once I lived with them for a while and got them adjusted right I kind of wish I had gotten them (plus they were black and it was about 95 that week).

Not sure what the above proves other than everybody's body and preferences are at least a little different and that comfort is entirely subjective. One thing I do know about harder seats is that, if adjusted correctly, for long trips they're overall less tiring to sit in than soft.

jaims

Hard seats less tiring than softer seats is probably true with overly soft seats, but Q5 owners will never experience this. I

I’d gladly sacrifice the venting feature of my seat to abate the firmness of those seats, It’d be instructive to have an upholstery expert weigh in on the feasibility and cost of modifying the seat via additional padding. I might try to find an auto upholstery forum and post a question about this. Hopefully, the mod being only to the seat portion of the chair would make it less of a challenge and cost, assuming its doable at all.

ribeye

That is exactly what I want to do. See if they can do it without making it look like it was done. Let me know how you make out.

tron1982x

If your butt is a little larger it also rubs against the side bolsters. My wife has a 2019 RX 350 and it's super comfy, enough so that I told her for long trips I'd rather drive her vehicle even if it's not nearly as cool as the Q5. I'm more used to the hard(er) seating, but there's a big difference between them and the RX, or any other car that I've driven.

jpnwdc

For me it's not the bottom of the seat but the back. It is way too hard and feels like a rock in my lower back. Man I miss my 2016 Q5...

Don Amick

I have driven most of the SUVs in this class and everything about the Q5 is super -- but the damned seats ! I have a 2008 Jetta with the sport seats and I love them. I would put these seats in a Q5 (even as leathette) in a heartbeat. My buddy who drives a Porsche was in my car recently and commented on how great the seats are.

I need bolstered seats as I push it on the road. The lexus has super seats. -- but it drove like a Rav4 (had to get to a revvy 4,000 RPMs to get to speed).

I want a Q5 but seats I don't settle with. What to do ???

spindlewood

Have you tried the SQ5? It seems more SQ5 users (including myself) are satisfied. Not positive, but they may be different.

Don Amick

Yes -- the 2015 S model had the best seats. I am going to try the X3 and see how that compares. My back is not 25 years old anymore so I am picky seat customer.

ribeye

I was ready to buy a 2019 X3 until I sat in the seats. They had only one option in the seats. The bolsters in the back rest were electric and you could open and close them But even all the way open, they dug into my sides. The salesman was well aware of the issues with them. I would hope, unlike Audi, they have done something about that now. Also, the 2019 had just come out and maybe all the different seats were not available, but the car I wanted was being built and not on the lot, but the one I test drove had the same seats, as well as all the other X3's they had.
My wife had a 2017 X3 and I love her seats. They are not the softest, but nothing digs into you either in the seat or the back.

DMcDnald

My MK5 Jetta TDI with leatherette seats were some of the most comfortable seats I've had. My Model 3 with vegan leather seats are more comfortable than my 2020 Q5e. I've taken the Q5e on some long trips and they were fine for me, but they could be better.