BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
      05-10-2012, 02:39 PM   #1
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Can't get comfortable..

I've only had my 640d Convertible for a week, but I'm struggling to get comfortable. The cockpit is quite wide, and I'm finding both my knees resting heavily on the door / centre consol, which quickly becomes somewhat irritating.

Has anyone else experienced this?
Appreciate 0
      05-10-2012, 08:30 PM   #2
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
I'm 6' 4" (that's 193 cm in the UK ) and 175 pounds (79.4 kg), and I've been very comfortable in my car. A little more headroom would be nice as I can't quite make the BMW recommended four-fingers-above-the-head positioning, but leg room and everything else seem to work fine for me. It took a while for me to get all 20 seat adjustments where I wanted them, but - three months later - I'm very happy with the final positioning. I use memory 1 as my "shoes on" position and memory 2 as my "barefoot/flip flops season" position.

I'd recommend playing with the settings of the bolsters, pedal distance, and steering wheel tweaking until you get it right.

I supposed the one thing I haven't gotten around is my elbow often rests on the wood trim or the edge of the console, which isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. I've gotten around this some by adjusting the wheel, but it doesn't telescope out quite far enough for my lanky body.
Appreciate 0
      05-12-2012, 01:59 PM   #3
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Thanks for the input. Explored some more and certainly much more comfortable now. Do you use the footrest much, or stretch out and keep your foot under the brake pedal?
Appreciate 0
      05-12-2012, 06:23 PM   #4
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
I use the dead pedal (foot rest) religiously. When I was at the Performance Center they preached the use of it at all times while driving and when setting the proper seating position. Here are the basic instructions they gave us:

- left foot on the dead pedal.
- move the seat back so there is still a little bend left in your knee when your right foot is fully depressing the brake.
- adjust the seat height so four fingers fit between your head and the roof.
- adjust the side mirrors by placing your head almost against the driver side window and set the left mirror so you can just see the side of the car; place your head in the middle of the car (looking straight at the rear view mirror) and adjust the right mirror just so you can barely see the left side of the car.

That's the gist of it, I think.
Appreciate 0
      05-13-2012, 05:37 AM   #5
Bönz
Captain
Bönz's Avatar
United_States
184
Rep
764
Posts

Drives: 2018 M5
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Michigan

iTrader: (0)

Also, adjust the steering wheel so when you hold your arms out straight, the inside of your wrists rest on the outer rim at 3 and 9. This puts the right amount of bend in your elbow.

As far as all the other little adjustments, once you've set your primary position, just try to support the natural shape of your body and relieve any pressure points.
Appreciate 0
      05-13-2012, 09:23 AM   #6
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
I knew I was forgetting something. Thanks!
Appreciate 0
      05-13-2012, 11:34 AM   #7
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Thanks guys, much appreciated..
Appreciate 0
      07-01-2012, 01:57 PM   #8
MarkyMarc
New Member
11
Rep
18
Posts

Drives: 2011 BMW 535i
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Atlanta GA

iTrader: (0)

I'd like to add that even with all the possible adjustments AND having the luxury package... I don't find this car near as comfortable as my 2011 5 series. I think the pedal is too forward and there's a lot of wasted footwell space behind it. My right leg is always bent and becomes cramped on longer drives... The seat itself is also extremely firm and has next to no foam cushioning... I'd imagine that's so the fans have room to circulate air... But the seat is hard as a board and flat as a pancake as the result. Add a cramped leg and the inability to stretch it out and it's disappointingly uncomfortable for such an expensive car!! Anyone else agree?
Appreciate 0
      07-02-2012, 01:52 AM   #9
225_AB
Major
65
Rep
1,377
Posts

Drives: M235i
Join Date: May 2010
Location: buckinghamshire

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
2014 M235i  [0.00]
2009 BMW 330D  [0.00]
I agree with you Marc to a degree. The seats on my 330d are more comfortable than my 640d. This is partly because of the shape of the seats as the 640 has less lumbar support and I don't have adjustable side bolsters. Also I agree with whoever says the pedals are too far forward. As I drive it more however little tweaks are getting the seat in a better position.
Appreciate 0
      07-02-2012, 12:59 PM   #10
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
I've constantly tweaked my presets since I took delivery 4.5 months ago. I wouldn't go so far as to call the car uncomfortable, but I think a few things could be improved upon. I would like more padding and heftier bolsters. I'm pretty skinny, so I like having the bolsters set to hold me tightly in place. I also think they should've slightly reworked the design of the center console to make it more comfortable as an arm rest. My elbow seems to alternate between the leather and the trim as my proper driving position puts my elbow right on the edge of the leather/trim transition.

I'd be perfectly comfortable taking a grand tour in this luxury GT, but there are some disappointing shortfalls you'd think the would have caught when designing a car of this caliber.
Appreciate 0
      07-02-2012, 01:39 PM   #11
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Mark I'm fully in agreement. To be honest I'd pretty much given up on this site as there seems to be a lot of discussions around what I consider to be irrelevant nice to haves. Lights, spoilers etc and not much focus on the more important (to me at least) issues like seat comfort, ride etc. I simply cannot get comfortable and agree with all your observations. I've gone from a car that was supremely comfortable and a joy to drive, to a car that constantly irritates me, and after less than a few months I'm already thinking about changing it. I'm thinking a diesel Panamera or another Jaguar XKR. Might also try a Ferrari California. Took a trip to my local Ferrari dealer and they tell me a new California comes with a 4 yr warranty and 7 years free servicing.
Appreciate 0
      07-03-2012, 12:31 PM   #12
225_AB
Major
65
Rep
1,377
Posts

Drives: M235i
Join Date: May 2010
Location: buckinghamshire

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
2014 M235i  [0.00]
2009 BMW 330D  [0.00]
Been trying to work out why it's not completely comfortable and the false pedal for the left foot appears just to be in the wrong place mainly bring too high I.e. causing me to bend my knee too much. The seats aren't as good as my 330 but hopefully with gradual tweaks I will find a good position.
Appreciate 0
      07-03-2012, 04:51 PM   #13
Superspeed
Captain
Superspeed's Avatar
Norway
61
Rep
859
Posts

Drives: 640i, 120d, Cooper S
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Oslo, Norway

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Come on guys! Seriously? The steering wheel and the seats (at least the comfort seats) have so many adjustment possibilities that no way you can't find the right position! I am picky when it comes to cars, but I have never had a car that suits my 6 feet / 182 cm, normal build, better
__________________
[SIGPIC]"Never a boring car"
Some X'es: BMW Z3 2.8, DeTomaso Pantera, Porsche 928s, BMW 732i, BMW 323i, BMW 2002
Appreciate 0
      07-03-2012, 06:20 PM   #14
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superspeed View Post
so many adjustment possibilities that no way you can't find the right position!:
The 20-way seats seems a bit ridiculous, but the options are nice. It takes a while to fine tune all of the settings, but I just make small adjustments and set my memory buttons. It's amazing the difference a small change in the seat makes in your overall comfort. I found my shoulders to be slightly uncomfortable, so I tilted the upper back cushion the tiniest amount, and the shoulder pressure points were gone. I had a similar experience with the thigh support. I thought it looked weird being separated from the cushion so I avoided it, but it made a huge difference in the overall comfort. I really noticed the difference with the heated seat function enabled as I felt a lot more heat (and therefore seat) in contact with my legs.

I do agree that the car could use some additional padding and bulkier side bolsters. This is one of those prime examples of BMW "over-engineering." I'm happy overall and am willing to keep playing with it until I get it right. The seat could have half the settings and more soft padding and still be very comfortable, which is the case for a lot of car manufacturers.

The seats are a bit like iDrive and a lot of BMW's technology, whether it is iDrive, profiles, or even the electronic shift lever. These cars aren't get in and go vehicles for people who don't want to interact with their car. This insane amount of engineering and tech part of the reason why I chose a BMW - I like playing with and mastering the toys. iDrive is difficult to navigate if you aren't used to it, but once you play with it and know how many clicks to get from A to B, it is better than pretty much any other system fitted to a car.

I've completely gone off on a random tangent, but my point is that getting comfortable takes some time and tweaking to get there - just like most settings in the car (hence the need for the "profiles" feature - when it works properly...).

Just to clarify, I'm not saying that the car is uncomfortable because you haven't tried hard enough to get there - I agree that the car could use some improvements on that front. I don't want my random commentary on BMW's tech and somewhat complicated settings to be interpreted as offensive.
Appreciate 0
      07-04-2012, 04:00 PM   #15
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Southern I really appreciate your input, and please don't think your invaluable opinion would cause offense.

To be truthful I'm now pulling what little hair I have out, as I'm really not enjoying my car one little bit. I have the standard M Sport seats and they are very uncomfortable. No matter how much fiddling about I do, I simply cannot find a driving position that suits me. Nightmare. Someone in my company is about to get a nice little surprise when I give them a new 6 convertible!
Appreciate 0
      07-04-2012, 08:15 PM   #16
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Are the "standard M sport seats" you mentioned different from the 20-way comfort seats? The 20-way are standard for the US on the 650i, and there are no alternatives, so I didn't give the seats too much thought when I was looking. I'm wondering if that could be part of the reason for your discomfort if your seats are padded differently, don't have the same articulation options, etc. I am surprised that any 6er doesn't have the highest level seats as standard, but BMW has been surprising me a lot lately...

Has anyone sat/driven in the new M6 seats and compared to the 6er comfort seats? Yes, I'm talking to you Jettie I've only seen pictures, but the M6 seems to have more padding and bigger bolsters, so I'm curious if there's a notable comfort difference or are the changes primarily aesthetic.
Appreciate 0
      07-05-2012, 02:40 AM   #17
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

I've not seen the 20 way seats, but I assumed wrongly that the sport seats, which cost extra as part of the M Sport package would be top of the line from BMW, so it did not occur to me once that they'd be anything less than super comfortable. The adjustment scope is minimal, front to back, up and down with tilt and obviously the back. Other than that, nothing. It has two memory buttons so I'm constantly adjusting. Woke up this morning with a very sore back.

I had a 540i in 2002 and that was a fantastic car, one of the best I've ever owned, and always remember those seats being superb.
Appreciate 0
      07-05-2012, 04:08 AM   #18
Superspeed
Captain
Superspeed's Avatar
Norway
61
Rep
859
Posts

Drives: 640i, 120d, Cooper S
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Oslo, Norway

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by RDT View Post
I've not seen the 20 way seats, but I assumed wrongly that the sport seats, which cost extra as part of the M Sport package would be top of the line from BMW, so it did not occur to me once that they'd be anything less than super comfortable. The adjustment scope is minimal, front to back, up and down with tilt and obviously the back. Other than that, nothing. It has two memory buttons so I'm constantly adjusting. Woke up this morning with a very sore back.

I had a 540i in 2002 and that was a fantastic car, one of the best I've ever owned, and always remember those seats being superb.
From your earlier posts on the forum you seem to be happy with the rest of the package. Would it be a solution to change the seats to comfort seats? They really are super comfortable. Just try them out first in another 6'er.
Might cost you some money, but worth checking out.
I really want anybody to keep such a gorgeous car if the problem is solvable.
__________________
[SIGPIC]"Never a boring car"
Some X'es: BMW Z3 2.8, DeTomaso Pantera, Porsche 928s, BMW 732i, BMW 323i, BMW 2002
Appreciate 0
      07-05-2012, 05:12 PM   #19
Harveyten
Private
United Kingdom
29
Rep
87
Posts

Drives: M6 coupe
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Midlands, UK

iTrader: (0)

I have got the standard sport seats, yes i agree they are firm and the cushioning could be improved and the headrest are not very supportive, i also agree i have found other seats more comfortable (M3 and 5 series much better) i would rate them either a 7 or 8 out of 10 but i definitely do not find them uncomfortable and i spend between 2-3 hours a day in my car 5 days a week.

RDT its very disappointing to hear that you find the car so uncomfortable and you are looking to change the car after a very short period of time, however i can relate to this and in 2009 i changed my M3 for a new 120d and i sold that car within 6 weeks because.....i could not get comfortable!

I personally did not opt for the comfort seats, because i preferred the styling of the sport seats
Attached Images
 
__________________

2014 M6 Coupe & 2013 X6 4.0d M Sport
Previous
2012 640d M Sport Convertible,2011-X5 4.0d M Sport,535d M Sport, 2010-M3,2009 335D M Sport, 2008 M3, 2006 X5 Le Mans, 2004 Z4 3.0, 323i first Luv
Appreciate 0
      07-05-2012, 09:29 PM   #20
southern6er22
Southern6er22
United_States
37
Rep
841
Posts

Drives: 2012 650i xDrive M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Alabama

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
For comparison's sake: Here are the 20-way comfort seats...

Attached Images
     
Appreciate 0
      07-11-2012, 03:25 PM   #21
RDT
Private
United Kingdom
3
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 640d M Sport convertible
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Bath, UK

iTrader: (0)

Read a full road test in Auto Express yesterday, comparing Gran Coupe with Panamera and the CLS. One observation they made was that a number of testers could not get comfortable in the Gran Coupe. The point hardly registered in the article overal, but I think that it's a big problem for the 6.
Appreciate 0
      07-11-2012, 05:42 PM   #22
Superspeed
Captain
Superspeed's Avatar
Norway
61
Rep
859
Posts

Drives: 640i, 120d, Cooper S
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Oslo, Norway

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
RDT, your story is really sad..... Have you come closer to a decision what to to about it?
__________________
[SIGPIC]"Never a boring car"
Some X'es: BMW Z3 2.8, DeTomaso Pantera, Porsche 928s, BMW 732i, BMW 323i, BMW 2002

Last edited by Superspeed; 07-11-2012 at 07:02 PM..
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:03 AM.




6post.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST