Comfort seats vs. Sport seats

Ashok Arora · 9th August 2002, 13:38

I know most of you have the Sport seats. Personally, I chose the Comfort Seats because I had to (Active Seat option not available on Sport seats).

During a recent visit to my dealer I checked out another M5 with the Sport seats and they are definitely more body hugging - as BMW like to say you sit "in them not on them". The thigh bolster is a nice addition although I still prefer my Comfort seats. The shoulder bolster is great and they're a lot easier to get in and out of (not to mention the A.B.M. - active bum massage!!)

Has anyone else tried both? Which would you choose next time around?

Ashok
2002 Carbonblack/Caramel

MAVERICK · 9th August 2002, 15:41

Does the comfort seat have shoulder bolsters that are deep enough to hold you during hard cornering?

MAH · 9th August 2002, 16:05

Personnally, I am not a fan of the sport or luxury seats in the M5. I have had both and they are identical except for the seams and color variations. Why didn't BMW make the side bolsters on the lower half of the seats adjustable? Oh well, to each his own.

Mark

MAVERICK · 9th August 2002, 16:12

We are not talking about luxury seats. We are talking about 18-way adjustable COMFORT seats not available in the U.S.

JEM · 9th August 2002, 16:49

Bear in mind that the US doesn't get half (or more) of the options available elsewhere in the world. In the US options tend to be very very limited. Not sure whether this is a logistica (parts supply), regulatory (DOT/EPA certification of different combinations) or sales (dealers want 'easy' combinations to sell) issue.

For sporting use, I don't find the comfort seats (as seen in other 5s and 7s) acceptable. They're not any more supportive than the base 5 seats, even though they have a bunch of adjustments.

Digi · 9th August 2002, 16:59

I had the comfort seats on my X5, and wanted to get them on my M5 in US, but not available except through special order. These 16 way sport seats are very nice, and much better than what I had expected. Since I am big and tall, I would probably rather had comfort seats. They don't hold you in as much, but the side bolsters, along with the narrow door width, make entry too difficult. The door weather stripping is already wearing off after 5 months, and I have been as careful as possible. Also, I understand wear on the left inside of the large side bolster is a major issue, and I can see that in my future as well, even being careful. The comfort seats would be my preference after having both.

Chris Foote · 9th August 2002, 17:01

Agreed -- we have comfort seats on our '98 540 and at 6' 2", I like them a lot better than the sport seats. The sport seats tend to hurt after a long trip, whereas the comforts could almost make you fall asleep

Just MHO of course...

-Chris

jerome · 9th August 2002, 17:10

I also have the comfort seats on my new beast(2002). At 6 foot 4 and 250 lbs this is a must! My old m5 ( 2000 ) had the sport seats and I started to get very uncomfortable in them after just 1-2 hours of driving. They (sport seats) however held my upper body much better then the comfort seats in tight cornering situations. I guess your choice is very much depends on your body habitus.

Fernando · 9th August 2002, 19:57

Hi guys, I have sports seats and like a lot. I prefer the old 1995 sport seat in the old M-5

or the M-3 seats; it's like more Recaro seat. It’s a pity because the difference between sport and luxury seats is very low

, they need to change the sports seat for another that hold our body better than the original, then you will have difference between sport and luxury.

Regards for all

Richard in NC · 10th August 2002, 01:12

I have driven a 540i with the comfort seats, owned a 540i with the base seats (plus lumbar) and now the sport seats in the M5.

I did think the comfort seats in the 540i were very nice but ended up without them on the 540i I bought. The base seats were perfectly fine for long trips but seemed a bit lacking in lateral support when wanting to have fun.

I am 6'0" and have no problem with the sport seats in the M5 nor have had any problems with wear in 10 months. The extra lateral supprt was much appreciated on the track! Sometimes the gap at the thigh support bugs me and I frequently take my wallet out of my back pocket on long trips as the side bolsters cause it to dig in. However, I have driven long trips with the sport seats and once 6 hours non-stop from driveway to beach. I was so comfortable after the 6 hours that only being low on fuel would have forced me to stop shortly thereafter.