Hello,

I am new to Scion and these forums, but I was hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. After extensive research and numerous test drives, I finally picked up my new 2010 xB on July 14th. My excitement quickly turned to concern after driving my new car on its first voyage. I discovered that although the driver seat initially felt comfortable, ultimately it began to make my back hurt. I have tried a number of different positions and even resorted to stuffing a towel for lumbar support without any relief. I have never really had any back trouble, so I am a bit concerned. I had previously owned a Ford Windstar and Freestar and cannot understand what is so different about the Scion driving position that is causing such discomfort. Thanks in advance for any insight that you provide.

 

Haven't had any lumbar problems with my xB. Is the seat the right height? Right distance from the wheel? Leaned back too far? I find my xB more comfortable than our Sienna or Ford Ranger.

 

junction produce makes a cushion for your back.

 

I opted to leather seats straight from the factory and to be honest with you, the seats are god awful.

I cannot drive more than 45' without getting a back pain, but I've just gotten in used to it.

There's nothing really you can do about it besides bringing it to someone who can take apart the seat and install a little mechanism to adjust the lumbar support. OR buy some bucket seats.

That was my fix for the tC and the stockies on it weren't even half as bad as the xB2's.

Good luck and welcome to the scion world of cheapness.

ps it's a ~$17k vehicle don't expect much.

 

I keep the back support probably at 110 degrees or almost upright. It ensures that I have the proper support when driving. The way I have the distance set up between me and the steering wheel (I'm 5'10" by the way), I can extend my arm and reach the wheel, but my elbow will be bent. For a while I used to drive with a full arm's length away, but I was too far from the controls and it was uncomfortable.

I'd recommend getting a cushion or replacement seat covers from TRD Sparks. When you put the seat covers on, you might be able to shove a lumbar cushion between the stock seat and the cover.

 

My experience is I need to allow my back to mostly rest against the seat back to avoid discomfort. To do that, I need to minimize the reach to the upper area of the wheel. So, I have the seat back inclined about one notch backwards from vertical, the set raised several notches, and the wheel tilt all the way down. Since coming up with this combination, I've had no problems. Also, I normally hold the wheel low, not high for max comfort.

You just have to try things until you find a combination that works.

 

The xB seats have been a major downside in many car reviews. Thanks to the non-telescoping steering wheel and the fixed angle headrests, many test drivers never got a comfortable driving position (hello Scion, are you listening?). It took me a month (well, two) it finally get the right combination of steering wheel position, seat distance, angle and headrest position. I even thought of replacing the seat with something from Recaro, but the prices are way too high ($2k range). But after a while, I got used to the stock seats.

 

I've noticed this issue as well. It's the only car I've ever had this problem in. I'm 6'4" tall.

I've noticed that one thing that helps is to take my wallet out of my back pocket when I'm driving. It does make a difference in the way you sit in the seat and seems to have really helped me out.

 

@r2dtoy - We are sorry to hear about your driver seat! You can always call one of our pros at 866-70-Scion for some advise and to have your concerns documented or visit http://Scion.com and click "contact us". Let us know how else we can help!

-Paul
paul@americanpopdigital.com
I work with Scion, see full disclosure here - http://cmp.ly/4/qrbca1