White seats are too soft

[gambit48]

You still have the e46 in your profile pic, AustinPowers? That was my last BMW before the one I just bought, but my old e46 had leatherette sports seats. Yours is a 2004+?

Current BMWs have pretty crappy leather. I mean, they weren't wonderful on the old ones, but some of the Napa leather line was good. The Sensatec resembles the Model 3 fake leather (as it's fake leather as well), but still isn't as soft. More cushiony than BMWs with real leather though. I mean, it's like a wood church pew with some of the leathers (like my Vernasca leather). Dakota isn't that good either. There was one Individual kind that was ok, but I can't remember its name. As is the stuff they use in the M cars. I sat in everything from a M 2 series to a 7 series cuz financing took forever so it's all fresh in my mind. The old leather in the e46 was a firm seat, but still had a little give and was nicer than the leatherette back then.

Now, I can agree that the Model 3 needs more bolstering, but it has a little and it's FAR more comfortable than current BMW leather seats. Even if the BMW cradles me wonderfully. I've sat on the side bottom bolster of my current BMW and it barely flexed. I'm not a big guy, but I'm still in the normal range of adult males.

 

[Shizzrock]

I have an S with the Napa leather seats which I really like. I drove a P3 today and the white seats are terrible. The material is too soft for the foam and there are no bolsters of any practical mention. The white is also softer than the black interiors. These seats disconnect you from the driving experience and have no place on the P version or any 3 for that matter. Seems Tesla is catering to overweight Americans that like Lazy Boy seats in their Tesla. I find it odd to drive a car with stiff suspension and great handling but seats that are like marshmallows. I know they dumbed down the seats as they were nicer than the S seats in prototypes but do they have to be so bouncy and lack any side support unless you are 250 lbs and your body pins you to the doors? I was interested in the white but there is no way I would order these and I'm on the fence about the black seats. Try both side by side in two NEW cars and see what you think. After the drive My S seats felt like after market racing seats.

Recaro VS marshmallow - Google Search:

Yeah fat Americans suck. Almost as much as snooty foreigners who apparently have never driven a lexus

 

[svp6]

Finally got to check the white seats in a P3. I think they are just about the same as the black ones in my RWD 3. I do not think they have any less bolstering, although I cannot prove it - just sitting in the cars back to back.

Question for the white interior owners: is it too much brightness in the white interior? As soon as I sat in it the car I had to squint. Car was parked with the sun straight ahead, everything was reflecting intensely. Much like when you go skiing on a sunny day. I am very tempted to change my configuration back to black interior.

Any input from owners?

 

[Point 3]

Finally got to check the white seats in a P3. I think they are just about the same as the black ones in my RWD 3. I do not think they have any less bolstering, although I cannot prove it - just sitting in the cars back to back.

Question for the white interior owners: is it too much brightness in the white interior? As soon as I sat in it the car I had to squint. Car was parked with the sun straight ahead, everything was reflecting intensely. Much like when you go skiing on a sunny day. I am very tempted to change my configuration back to black interior.

Any input from owners?

I’d love to see a nice gray like Model S had

 

[UnknownSoldier]

I'm someone who always found the Next-Gen seats in my S 90D too hard and weirdly shaped in the upper area giving me shoulder pain so this post makes me very happy. I have a P3D with white seats on order.

 

[b0n3z]

I LOVE my P3D with white interior. I would never go back to black. The horizontal white bar is not reflective so it doesn't blind you during driving. However, my shiny black center console was blinding me the other week while driving. So I'm going to wrap that in flat white and possibly reupholster the center arm rest to white to match.

 

[favo]

I LOVE my P3D with white interior. I would never go back to black. The horizontal white bar is not reflective so it doesn't blind you during driving. However, my shiny black center console was blinding me the other week while driving. So I'm going to wrap that in flat white and possibly reupholster the center arm rest to white to match.

Are you going to use @Kenriko's kit? Post pics when you do it. Thinking of doing the same with the console.

 

[ceekz]

I still find it funny that a simple change in name makes things sound more premium.
Vegan Leather was "pleather" back in the 80s and Alcantara was "ultrasuede". Both are generally Polyurethane or Polyester based.

It is hard to imagine if you haven't tried it, but there is a big difference in the new synthetic "leather" seats from even a few years back. I preferred genuine leather but would have had to order it in my 2015 JCW Countryman, so I opted for the BMW synthetic that was available. I missed the leather smell, but otherwise it was nearly impossible to tell the difference. My daughter has a 2009 MINI with the standard pleather and it doesn't ventilate nearly as well.

This is an example of punctuation to improve clarity: Foam is the same material makes it feel different = Foam is the same; material makes it feel different.

 

[Shizzrock]

I just went to the store and sat in one with the black seats, they are definitely plush. German sedan seats are a world apart. I'd say they'll be plenty comfortable, just worry about deformation like a puffy couch

 

[EVDRVN]

Most reviewers live the black M3 seats. I think they are great with adequate bolstering.

They have no bolsters. Have you sat in a Model S? My tacoma has better bolsters. The original M3 seats were WAY better, too bad they were cut back as they were nicer than the S seats.

 

[EVDRVN]

The seats are most definitely not made for "fat Americans". They are rated up to 220 lbs, per this thread.

Driver seat: metal bar in the middle is pushing after just 1 month

Not their weigh just their width. IMO the M3 seats are a big miss, the P seats should not be pillows. It's like having Sloppy steering on a sports car. I guess you don't need bolsters when you are overweight and sunken into a pillow. These seats are great for old people that like cushy recliners, they are not a drivers seat nor a seat you would ever find in a car in Europe. Properly designed firmer seats are actually more comfortable over time than soft seats.

 

[Shizzrock]

Not their weigh just their width. IMO the M3 seats are a big miss, the P seats should not be pillows. It's like having Sloppy steering on a sports car. I guess you don't need bolsters when you are overweight and sunken into a pillow. These seats are great for old people that like cushy recliners, they are not a drivers seat nor a seat you would ever find in a car in Europe. Properly designed firmer seats are actually more comfortable over time than soft seats.

I don't understand how fat people have anything to do with the seats. Fat people also own German cars. Fat people like all kinds of different seats. Do you think Tesla engineers got together and said "we have to make these seats for fat people, all fat people are the same, lazy and fat. They hate bolsters because they only sit all day in their recliners living off welfare. They're not like us skinny successful people who like firm seats. We need to win them as customers. Only fat people for Model 3s! Put some KFC in the center console and fill the coolant reservoir with insulin! Then they'll buy this car. But not if we put bolsters in. They can't fit in the bolsters! They're fat!" It seems like you hate the seats and also hate fat people, more specifically fat Americans, which makes you a European snob who likes everything firm. What is it with Europeans liking everything tiny with their small streets and cramped little apartments, living their sad little lives? A proper street is wide enough for a dually pickup, not any of these little cobblestone chump streets.

 

[EVDRVN]

I don't understand how fat people have anything to do with the seats. Fat people also own German cars. Fat people like all kinds of different seats. Do you think Tesla engineers got together and said "we have to make these seats for fat people, all fat people are the same, lazy and fat. They hate bolsters because they only sit all day in their recliners living off welfare. They're not like us skinny successful people who like firm seats. We need to win them as customers. Only fat people for Model 3s! Put some KFC in the center console and fill the coolant reservoir with insulin! Then they'll buy this car. But not if we put bolsters in. They can't fit in the bolsters! They're fat!" It seems like you hate the seats and also hate fat people, more specifically fat Americans, which makes you a European snob who likes everything firm. What is it with Europeans liking everything tiny with their small streets and cramped little apartments, living their sad little lives? A proper street is wide enough for a dually pickup, not any of these little cobblestone chump streets.

Americas are getting larger so auto makers are making wider seats which translates into minimal or flat bolsters because large people don't like being in tight seats. This has been a trend in the industry. Americans also like soft and cushy things, hence soft suspension, soft seats etc. To say I hate fat people is a bit of a reach I'm simply pointing out the realities of the US market. Europeans consume less than Americans in general but they are learning our ways as well. They have small homes and cars for a specific reason. Have you traveled much outside the USA? I'm an American and thanks for stereotyping me and yourself quite well. FYI, I was privy to the seat design process on the 3 and the original seats were much different. Tesla engineers do not say or think what you suggest but they do follow market demand and they are bending to more and larger cup holders and wider seats as an example. I would not be surprised if there is not a KFC bucket holder added to "dually" trucks soon, the extra wheels will carry the load.

 

[Shizzrock]

I'm an American and thanks for stereotyping me and yourself quite well.

LOL at the irony

 

[super20g]

I think the black seats are way too soft too... I mean, they are nice enough now, but I don't see them being nice for the next 10 years...

 

[geometro]

I really wish Tesla had seats comparable to E46 sport seats. Those are perfect for me... I would have paid for the upgrade.

 

[buttershrimp]

I have an S with the Napa leather seats which I really like. I drove a P3 today and the white seats are terrible. The material is too soft for the foam and there are no bolsters of any practical mention. The white is also softer than the black interiors. These seats disconnect you from the driving experience and have no place on the P version or any 3 for that matter. Seems Tesla is catering to overweight Americans that like Lazy Boy seats in their Tesla. I find it odd to drive a car with stiff suspension and great handling but seats that are like marshmallows. I know they dumbed down the seats as they were nicer than the S seats in prototypes but do they have to be so bouncy and lack any side support unless you are 250 lbs and your body pins you to the doors? I was interested in the white but there is no way I would order these and I'm on the fence about the black seats. Try both side by side in two NEW cars and see what you think. After the drive My S seats felt like after market racing seats.

Recaro VS marshmallow - Google Search:

Also, my wife is too hot, my car is too fast and food is simply too delicious nowadays. Can't a guy catch a break?

 

[SoCalGuy]

220 lbs seat weight limit? I've got a couple of friends who exceed that and I have to imagine that most cars today are rated for at least 250 lbs... especially when targeting the US market...

 

[Krugerrand]

I like them. I was afraid they'd be too hot in the SoCal summer heat with the car parked in the sun all day, but it's been acceptable. I do have a white car though which might help keep things cooler.

Precool to the rescue! Love my black interior and seats. No issues. I could never do white interior - I’d obsess over every mark/dirt spot/coffee stain etc...

 

[bartekr]

I find the white seats make my back sweaty!