What are you doing about uncomfortable seats?

I have had a 2012 Denali a 17 and now a 22 Denali. The 12 has the most comfortable seats. I believe 15 and later have the motor to vibrate the seat for warning and so the cushions are thinner.

I am less than impressed with the seat comfort of our 21' SLT, long drives are very unforgiving my right shoulder and lower back, on the last trip (7 hr drive one way) I was ready to trade in!! LOL! I can drive my 2020 Ram all day and never have an issue. Our 2017 Explorer had very good seats as well.

Seat comfort is very subjective, as my wife is completely fine with the SLT, so she thinks I am nuts

KMeloney said:

I like the seats in my '23 Denali. I think it's all about finding the correct settings for each aspect of the seat to be most comfortable. I think I'm pretty sensitive to seat settings, and so it took me a while to find the right settings combo -- but then it's all good.

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This is the best advice I can agree with. In these newer vehicles there are infinite adjustments to seating and arm position. Between the telescopic steering wheel and seat height/distance/angle you can find the best position but it can take some time. I have been playing with my position for a couple months and I think I almost have it right lol!

A good strategy is to take a road trip and try a couple different seat heights and arm position using telescopic steering wheel changes. Road trips are fun, maybe measure your initial “perfect” position and adjust little by little. Documenting the changes with a diary on your changes - does your ass hurt? Do you feel alert/fatigue? Can you relax more? Etc

Depending on what time of year it is go for some place you and your companion will enjoy and have fun with it!

If all else fails at least you had a great time and maybe just blow your kids inheritance and buy that brand new Escalade or Denali Ultimate!

I have a 2004 Tahoe LT with the Chevy version of the Escalade seats and a 2022 Tahoe Z71. The new fifth generation Tahoe seats appear to be at least 2 inches NARROWER than the second generation seats. The usable shoulder room seems to be correspondingly narrower when the seat is moved back to the “tall/big Guy” position. The 2022 Tahoe seats seem to have more in common with a midsize 2005 Chevy Trailblazer than they do a full size 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Saltydog said:

I am less than impressed with the seat comfort of our 21' SLT, long drives are very unforgiving my right shoulder and lower back, on the last trip (7 hr drive one way) I was ready to trade in!! LOL! I can drive my 2020 Ram all day and never have an issue. Our 2017 Explorer had very good seats as well.

Seat comfort is very subjective, as my wife is completely fine with the SLT, so she thinks I am nuts

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My thoughts about the 5th generation Tahoe is that it was designed by soccer moms for soccer moms. The seating is smaller and less comfortable for tall and broad shouldered drivers than that its 2nd and 3rd generation predecessors despite the 5th generation vehicle being physically larger.

Best seating=GMT800.

Saltydog said:

I am less than impressed with the seat comfort of our 21' SLT, long drives are very unforgiving my right shoulder and lower back, on the last trip (7 hr drive one way) I was ready to trade in!! LOL! I can drive my 2020 Ram all day and never have an issue. Our 2017 Explorer had very good seats as well.

Seat comfort is very subjective, as my wife is completely fine with the SLT, so she thinks I am nuts

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I so much can relate to this!!

I also got shoulder and lower back pain no matter how often I adjusted the seats. Terrible seats for long distance driving. It’s flabbergasting that GM puts auch poor seats in a 70K+ vehicle. I can sit 12 hours in my Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk without any issues. I have to say though the best seats available are in BMWs and Mercedes. And in some Audi Prestige Trims. German manufacturer are putting real premium seats in with endless options for adjustment

xycrazy said:

I so much can relate to this!!

I also got shoulder and lower back pain no matter how often I adjusted the seats. Terrible seats for long distance driving. It’s flabbergasting that GM puts auch poor seats in a 70K+ vehicle. I can sit 12 hours in my Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk without any issues. I have to say though the best seats available are in BMWs and Mercedes. And in some Audi Prestige Trims. German manufacturer are putting real premium seats in with endless options for adjustment

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I agree regarding the Mopar, one of my clients let me take his Durango Hellcat out for a spin and the seats in that thing are lazy boy comfortable. Much the same with my Magnum SRT8, the bolstering keeps you firmly in place, but the padding is just plush enough to make long drives comfortable without being so soft that you find your spine curving from a lack of support.

I'm surprised by the Mercedes statement though, years ago the owner of a business I worked for was a Mercedes fanatic, I found both his E Class and his ML Class had seats like a park bench in my opinion. I guess my back was meant for soft domestic seats.

xycrazy said:

Man, I own a 2021 Tahoe High Country and the car is great. No issues whatsoever. However, on longer road trips it gives me back pain. Sometimes really bad. Sometimes it's fine. I feel like I have to change the seat settings every time. I actually bought it for long distance trips but the seats are way less comfortable than I thought. So thinking about trading it it for something more comfortable.

Feels like even the Yukon SLT seats are way more comfy which I don't get as this is a trim level below the High Country. Same for the Tahoe Premier. Seats seem to be comfy but the High Country and Denali Seats suck.

I wonder what your take is on the seats and what you did about uncomfortable seats. It's pretty ridiculous to change a car just because of the seats but that is a huge factor for me and so I'm looking into the Escalade right and Yukon SLT now. Before I pull the trigger, I wanted to see what other people did in such a situation.

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I’ve had this issue. The more in the seats, the worse the issue. Looking at an SLE for this reason lol

i do not care for the seats on my 2323 Yukon Denali. Too narrow ( I have 34" waist). Too hard. not contoured.. Seems like a simple thing to be better at. but still love the rig