Long trip in the EB- the good and the bad

[speedfrk]

Just got back from my annual pilgrimage to our summer place in Canada- about 2200 miles. The EB is really a fantastic alternative to any of the generic economy cars. I averaged 34mpg (calculated by hand) and that includes going through the mountains of TN and KY. Speed was 70-75 most of the time and lots of construction, so no point in trying to go faster. The car is great on the interstate- tracks nicely and is smooth (I have the base suspension and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires).

But, it is not a great trip car with the seats being narrow and pretty hard. I'm not very big- 5'8", 150 and the seats were still uncomfortable. The side bolsters on both the bottom and back tend to fold you in toward the center. No problem on short trips or commuting but after a few hours, it really bothered me.

The other annoyance was the seat belt. I was constantly pulling it to loosen it from around my waist since it was always pulling to tight to be comfortable.

So, even with the great gas mileage, I doubt I will be taking it on another long trip since I was always wanting to stop and get out to move and stretch.

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[BmacIL]

Just got back from my annual pilgrimage to our summer place in Canada- about 2200 miles. The EB is really a fantastic alternative to any of the generic economy cars. I averaged 34mpg (calculated by hand) and that includes going through the mountains of TN and KY. Speed was 70-75 most of the time and lots of construction, so no point in trying to go faster. The car is great on the interstate- tracks nicely and is smooth (I have the base suspension and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires).

But, it is not a great trip car with the seats being narrow and pretty hard. I'm not very big- 5'8", 150 and the seats were still uncomfortable. The side bolsters on both the bottom and back tend to fold you in toward the center. No problem on short trips or commuting but after a few hours, it really bothered me.

The other annoyance was the seat belt. I was constantly pulling it to loosen it from around my waist since it was always pulling to tight to be comfortable.

So, even with the great gas mileage, I doubt I will be taking it on another long trip since I was always wanting to stop and get out to move and stretch.

Try a different seating position? I've done dozens of multi-hour trips without discomfort in these seats.

 

[Falcon01]

These seats are some of the most comfortable I've ever been in. I love how they hold me in and just fit around me like a glove. That being said, I am a pretty skinny. (140lbs 5'11").

 

[Redraven571]

Try a different seating position? I've done dozens of multi-hour trips without discomfort in these seats.

Agreed, I think these are some of the most comfortable seats I've had.

 

[Beanpole]

In August I took my GT with the heated/cooled leather seats from NY to Yellowstone and back, 4500 miles. My wife and I found it the best road tripping car we've ever had, very comfortable. I'm 6 foot 1 @ 230lbs. Only had two real complaints, out west where the speed limits hit 80mph the steering feels sloppy without performance mode steering on, annoying to hit that every time we stopped. Other, my wife somehow has the shoulder belt slide up towards her neck causing her to be fidgeting adjusting it all the time.

 

[SAL-E]

Seats are VERY comfortable for me. Longest trip so far about 7 hours and it was great. I bought this as my road car, and am not disappointed. 5' 11"... 210 lbs.

 

[BmacIL]

In August I took my GT with the heated/cooled leather seats from NY to Yellowstone and back, 4500 miles. My wife and I found it the best road tripping car we've ever had, very comfortable. I'm 6 foot 1 @ 230lbs. Only had two real complaints, out west where the speed limits hit 80mph the steering feels sloppy without performance mode steering on, annoying to hit that every time we stopped. Other, my wife somehow has the shoulder belt slide up towards her neck causing her to be fidgeting adjusting it all the time.

The steering should stay set regardless of key cycles. If yours doesn't you should have it checked out.

 

[speedfrk]

Try a different seating position? I've done dozens of multi-hour trips without discomfort in these seats.

I played with the positions quite a bit. For me it was the side bolsters that bothered me. I could do with some flatter seats like in the BMW 4 series that don't force your shoulders forward (I'm short so taller people will not experience this) and allow your legs to move laterally a bit more. The seats look great but honestly, 99% of the people driving these are not doing X-cross or road course stuff. But, it is all body size dependent and if you are on the edge of 90th percentile, they just might not work well for you.

 

[BmacIL]

I played with the positions quite a bit. For me it was the side bolsters that bothered me. I could do with some flatter seats like in the BMW 4 series that don't force your shoulders forward (I'm short so taller people will not experience this) and allow your legs to move laterally a bit more. The seats look great but honestly, 99% of the people driving these are not doing X-cross or road course stuff. But, it is all body size dependent and if you are on the edge of 90th percentile, they just might not work well for you.

I could see how the bolsters would dig in at your shoulders if you're shorter. I'm 6'1 and have a relatively tall torso (31" inseam), so these seats hold me in perfectly for daily and spirited driving. They could be a little better for autocross, but good enough.

 

[Armen]

Summer trip to Canada....

What...?

 

[jasonstang]

The seats in the Mustang are about as the best of all the seats I've sat in. It's comfy and sporty at the same time.
I have seats that are too sporty (Recaros), and too comfy that you just fall out when cornering.

 

[jasonstang]

I played with the positions quite a bit. For me it was the side bolsters that bothered me. I could do with some flatter seats like in the BMW 4 series that don't force your shoulders forward (I'm short so taller people will not experience this) and allow your legs to move laterally a bit more. The seats look great but honestly, 99% of the people driving these are not doing X-cross or road course stuff. But, it is all body size dependent and if you are on the edge of 90th percentile, they just might not work well for you.

Just let the seats break in.
These 4 series seats look too flat.

 

[Given To Fly]

The wife and I go to Islamorada in the Keys each year and I'd like to try to take her stang on the next trip but we'd have to pack next to nothing and its a 12 hour drive. When we went this year she had the bed of my truck packed and two coolers in the back seat, so I'm not sure Mrs OCD could pack light enough.

 

[tcman54]

I have the basic cloth stitched seats in my ecoboost and for awhile it was very hard to find a comfortable seating position, like the OP said they tended to fold me over in the middle.

I am kinda of a trim skinny dude with a slight kinked gut or something on my left side, don't like seating anymore than I have to, that being said..after awhile I just found a seating position that was pretty comfortable.

I will say one more thing, being a standard ecoboost I don't have memory position seats so the next service guy that moves my seat will get eviscerated, getting sick of tired of them moving my seat, messing with my infotainment system, changing the climate controls and messing around with my trip monitor, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP TOUCHING STUFF IN MY CAR!!!!!!

Terry

 

[MRGTX]

Thanks for sharing your experiences...damned amazing fuel economy from a 300+hp coupe. We live in amazing times.
Just for some reference, my 300hp (3200lb) Dart gets 15mpg on a good day!

Interesting about the seats. Obviously, we all have different body shapes...even two physically fit people may disagree on which seat is comfortable and which is not.

As some have mentioned, the padding tends to break in a bit...hopefully the side bolsters will become more comfortable in time.

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