Long story short I loved the seats on my 2009 honda fit base rental but hated the seats on the 2013 models I test drove. The problem is in the back rest not the seat rest. The 2009 seats remind me of the present day golf as opposed to the flat slab of concrete like the 2013s feel.

What years had the same seats as the 2009? Could it also be that my rental is 50000 miles that they're so comfortable?

 

I owned a 2010 which had the same seats as the 2009 and now I have a 2013. The only difference I notice is the material.

 

2009 was the first year of the GE. there were no changes to the seats that I know of. It likely was the fact that the rental had some miles already or the seat was adjusted differently. There are a number of threads about seat comfort on these forums that you may want to read through.

~SB

 

Same seat different fabric, I think.

 

Ken,

You've got an '09 and a '12 right? (IIRC)

I'm guessing by your comment above you don't feel any difference between the two seats?

~SB

 

Although they are on the firm side, I love the seats in both my 10 and 13 Fit. Even more than my wife's Lexus rx 350! But everybody's bodystyle is different, and there may be an adjustment period from whatever car you came from.

 

That's what it looked like to me.

Maybe the older ones are just broken in more, and thus a little but softer?

 

When did the fabric change?

 

With the 2012 model year I believe.

 

OP here, I should have mentioned the rental had about 50000 miles on it. I also just test drove a 2010 used sport at 20000 which was uncomfortably hard. Had a sore back soon after beginning to drive it. Is that a big red flag or something you can deal with with seat mods? Because I really do love that car otherwise. That day I also drove a new golf, sportswagen, and mazda3 with no back issues.

Also, is there a consensus that the seats are all the same across all yeas except different fabric?

 

skinny, my advice is to never buy a car that you don't find comfortable. sometimes you don't notice a car doesn't fit you until after you have it, but it rarely goes the other way - you aren't very likely to find over time that your car is getting more comfortable.

car seats differ far more between suppliers than you might think. this is actually OK because so do people's bodies. i, for example, didn't like the Mazda3 seats very much.

if you can afford a car with 8 or 10-way adjustable seats with lumbar, then you can sort of sidestep this problem, but if you're shopping in the cheap end of the market you're stuck with whatever seat comfort you've got. that's my two cents ;P

 

I have to admit the seats in my 2013 are perfectly comfortable but the fabric is a magnet for fuzz.

 

Yeah they did not think through the whole "dirt collector" seat thing. Yes, they're more premium looking - sort of perforated, and it adds a little soft layer on top which is nice. But little bits of kleenex and pine needle bits and sand and granola and pretty much anything smaller than 1mm lodge in the pits, and become difficult to sweep off.

 

From what I can tell, the fabric and the shape of headrests changed with the 2012 model.

 

Sounds like this year's batch of injected foam had a slightly different recipe, or something. If they are firmer, then modifications have probably been made to make the seat more durable. I'd venture to guess that the reason for this is because a need for a more resilient foam in the backseats, due to the magic seats getting sandwiched together when loading gear over them. Would probably manufacture all the pieces at the same plant. Just my .02.