Which car has the best and worst rear seat comfort?

ACM · 18th November 2008, 17:27

My Vote:
Upto 5L : Indica Vista, Amby, Indigo CS
5L-10L : Tata Safari, NHC (Tata Indigo Marina at the lower end in this)
10L-15L: Tata Safari, Toyota Corolla Altis, Elantra
15L-25L: Honda Accord, Superb, Camry
25L-60L: E-Class Merc
60L-1Cr: S-Class Merc

backrub · 18th November 2008, 19:31

The hyundai cars are definitely in the not good category, even though some say it is fine.

Dzire and swift qualifies for the same.

Safari comes to be in one of the vehicles which offer good comfort.

And I have also heard that the Siena is a excellent car which offers back seat comfort.

CorsaLove · 18th November 2008, 19:37

The Ambassador rocks in this category! Also, Aveo and my Corsa offer good rear seating comfort.

The worst I have experienced is in the Tall boy cars (santro and Wagon R)

ssingri · 21st November 2008, 10:41

Guys,
I don't see the Baleno mentioned, the back seat is very comfortable with good thigh support and the tall backrest which supports your neck. I know fidgety people who have sat in my car for hours without asking for a "stretching the leg" break.

obed5579 · 24th November 2008, 16:26

My votes
Best Fornt and rear space/comfort: Chevy Optra, Mercs (E class and above)
Good Front and rear space/comfort: , Indica/Indigo, Lancer
Good Front and ok rear seats: Skoda Ocativa, Ford Ikon, Merc C class
Worst: All maruthi's except Sx4, santro,

sunilchakola · 30th January 2009, 01:07

Best comfort: Tata Sierra/Indica/Indigo Amby/Logan ...
Worst: Scorpio/Esteem...

Murugan · 29th June 2009, 08:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedMM340

Best:
My Tempo Traveller. I have put in a bed mattress on long trips and slept comfortably. The individual seats aren't bad either.

Please give details on how you modified your tempo traveller

govigov · 30th June 2009, 05:51

the rear seats of the optra magnum.. oh my god they are great!!!!

sriny_blr · 30th June 2009, 06:15

IMHO.
TATA INDIGO MARINA: I was driven twice to the Airport by MERU cabs (bangalore) and found that compared to Indica, Logan, Ikon, i10 or esteem to be the most spacious all around you and lot of leg room space as well.

syravi · 3rd August 2016, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Path_Finder

Of late we see that the back seat comfort is a point which is rather ignored by most manufacturers. Even in the some of the newest launches. Some concentrate just on leg room and highlight that as great back seat. The pain points include poor back support, poor thigh support, head rest, slanting floor, very low seating, ease of getting in/out, poor cooling etc. In a typical western scenario, back seat is meant for kids and/or pets, so none of these are a big consideration. Not so in the Indian context.

The question is which car has the best rear seat comfort and which the worst is. I mean in the B/C/D segments only. Leave out the luxury/high end.

A corollary question is on the rear middle seat comfort.

Your views.

Great question! I am an avid reader of BHP. I too am looking for an answer. I need a driver driven car and rear seat wobble (from suspension) and comfort are important to me. I travel 45 kms one way and spend 2.5 hours on my return home. Yes I work in Gurgaon and commute from Punjabi Bagh.

Having first driven (and later driven by driver for 3 years now) I plan to sell my 6 year old CNG Wagon R which has clocked 1,50,000 (yes one lac fifty thousand kms) with just a clutch, battery and suspension change, I am thinking of buying a new car and of course from Maruti in about 4 months.

I self drove my dad's Alto K10 and found it very easy to drive through traffic and am tempted to buy it for its parking convenience, cheap (as it will be used by my driver who is a careful driver).

The other options are, stick to Wagon R or switch to Celerio. I find one problem in Wago R. It has a lot of body roll and probably the three cyclinder engine and CNG makes the ride a bit (yes a bit) jerky. The CNG kit is company fitted and the jerk is not on account of it. It is just when the accelerator hits a low and you have to pick up, there is a very visible jerk. Not every time but when it is picking up from a low speed (even though it is in the right gear)

A look at rear suspensions gave me these three types in the cars I am considering:

Celerio: Coupled torsion beam axle with coil spring
Alto: 3 linked Rigid axle suspension
Wagon R: Isolated Trailing Link with coil spring

I suspect the Alto K10 rear ride will be the least comfortable, even though the front ride was awesome.

Is there any expert who can tell the difference between these suspensions and which of them is superior.

I have Alto and Wagon R but a lot depends on the road, the pot holes travelled and the way it is driven. I want to go about the next purchase scientifically.

Thank you

condor · 8th October 2017, 00:02

Looking at various reviews and discussions about the rear seat - and if the seat can take 3 people comfortably, I think that most cars, and many SUV's are best for 4 people. The culprit is either the retractable hand-rest that is built into the seat back-rest, or the 40:60 split which cause the seating area for the passenger sitting in the middle seat of the 2nd row to feel not-so-comfortable to in-comfortable. Most times the back-rest part is bad due to the retractable arm rest.

Surprisingly, the other two seats in the middle row are often very comfortable. This situation makes even the big SUV's comfortable for 4 pax many a time.

One example of even comfort for all 3 people in the middle row is here.
Note: the seat cushions are not necessarily plush

Which car has the best and worst rear seat comfort?-tatasumogoldinteriorseatingarrangementtopview.jpg

( pic from : http://www.carcomparisons.intop-view.jpg )

drsingh · 26th December 2017, 22:30

This is a subject that I'm deeply interested in nowdays as rear seat comfort is a major priority.The cars are also getting lighter and suspension components are getting lighter too.This seems like a complicated subject though.The article below presents a scholarly discussion.

https://www.rqriley.com/suspensn.htm

I would like to see the top 20 cars sold in India rated on rear seat ride quality over typical Indian roads at average speeds of about 70-80 km/hr.

Members with comparative experience in rear seats of Hatches,MUV,SUV and Sedans ,kindly share the experience of ride comfort in the rear seat.

18th November 2008, 17:27	#61
ACM Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,754 Thanked: 4,383 Times View My Garage	base up My Vote: Upto 5L : Indica Vista, Amby, Indigo CS 5L-10L : Tata Safari, NHC (Tata Indigo Marina at the lower end in this) 10L-15L: Tata Safari, Toyota Corolla Altis, Elantra 15L-25L: Honda Accord, Superb, Camry 25L-60L: E-Class Merc 60L-1Cr: S-Class Merc
	() Thanks

18th November 2008, 19:31	#62
backrub BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 196 Thanked: 2 Times	The hyundai cars are definitely in the not good category, even though some say it is fine. Dzire and swift qualifies for the same. Safari comes to be in one of the vehicles which offer good comfort. And I have also heard that the Siena is a excellent car which offers back seat comfort.
	() Thanks

18th November 2008, 19:37	#63
CorsaLove BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 392 Thanked: 18 Times View My Garage	The Ambassador rocks in this category! Also, Aveo and my Corsa offer good rear seating comfort. The worst I have experienced is in the Tall boy cars (santro and Wagon R)
	() Thanks

21st November 2008, 10:41	#64
ssingri BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 120 Thanked: 114 Times	Guys, I don't see the Baleno mentioned, the back seat is very comfortable with good thigh support and the tall backrest which supports your neck. I know fidgety people who have sat in my car for hours without asking for a "stretching the leg" break.
	() Thanks

24th November 2008, 16:26	#65
obed5579 BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 49 Thanked: 7 Times	My votes Best Fornt and rear space/comfort: Chevy Optra, Mercs (E class and above) Good Front and rear space/comfort: , Indica/Indigo, Lancer Good Front and ok rear seats: Skoda Ocativa, Ford Ikon, Merc C class Worst: All maruthi's except Sx4, santro,
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 01:07	#66
sunilchakola BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 124 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	Best comfort: Tata Sierra/Indica/Indigo Amby/Logan ... Worst: Scorpio/Esteem...
	() Thanks

30th June 2009, 05:51	#68
govigov Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cochin!!!!! Posts: 1,708 Thanked: 1,105 Times View My Garage	the rear seats of the optra magnum.. oh my god they are great!!!!
	(1) Thanks

30th June 2009, 06:15	#69
sriny_blr BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: BLR Posts: 217 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	IMHO. TATA INDIGO MARINA: I was driven twice to the Airport by MERU cabs (bangalore) and found that compared to Indica, Logan, Ikon, i10 or esteem to be the most spacious all around you and lot of leg room space as well.
	() Thanks

8th October 2017, 00:02	#71
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 16,095 Thanked: 16,468 Times View My Garage	Re: Which car has the best and worst rear seat comfort? Looking at various reviews and discussions about the rear seat - and if the seat can take 3 people comfortably, I think that most cars, and many SUV's are best for 4 people. The culprit is either the retractable hand-rest that is built into the seat back-rest, or the 40:60 split which cause the seating area for the passenger sitting in the middle seat of the 2nd row to feel not-so-comfortable to in-comfortable. Most times the back-rest part is bad due to the retractable arm rest. Surprisingly, the other two seats in the middle row are often very comfortable. This situation makes even the big SUV's comfortable for 4 pax many a time. One example of even comfort for all 3 people in the middle row is here. Note: the seat cushions are not necessarily plush ( pic from : http://www.carcomparisons.intop-view.jpg )
	() Thanks

26th December 2017, 22:30	#72
drsingh BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ludhiana Posts: 778 Thanked: 713 Times	This is a subject that I'm deeply interested in nowdays as rear seat comfort is a major priority.The cars are also getting lighter and suspension components are getting lighter too.This seems like a complicated subject though.The article below presents a scholarly discussion. https://www.rqriley.com/suspensn.htm I would like to see the top 20 cars sold in India rated on rear seat ride quality over typical Indian roads at average speeds of about 70-80 km/hr. Members with comparative experience in rear seats of Hatches,MUV,SUV and Sedans ,kindly share the experience of ride comfort in the rear seat.
	() Thanks