VRS Gen3 Horrible drivers seat

[Kieral]

I find the my new VRS front seat kills my lower back on longer trips. I had the sports pack seats in the Mk6 Golf which were significantly better, and an e90 BMW with Msports seats, again much much better.

The main issue is the lack of tilt adjust so there is a huge gap under my thighs / knees. The electric memory seats apparently DO have the tilt adjust. I notice the memory seats are priced as $1300 as a line item in the comfort pack and the memory module is part of the seat so it should be simple coding and retrofit but Skoda told me it would cost 10k! and not for sale separately. Only option left is longer bolts and spaced for the front seat mount unless there is manual tool adjustment I can do.

Other issues with the seats is lack of support where the vertical recline meets the horizontal part. The Golf Sports seats has bolstering there but the VRS doesn't. A quick google and seats in the VRS are a common complaint (mostly the lack of tilt).

Anyone else run into this? Anyone know a good wrecker? I was happy to buy a new seat for $1300 but 10k was a bit much!

[sillyboy]

Other people has been putting Last gen S3 seats into the Gen 2 Octavia, I am guessing this can be an option for you too?

[woofy]

I think the Mk2 are much the same, I had no idea about the extra adjustment in the electric seats, if I did I would have sprung for the comfort pack at the time. Cursing a bit as my car was only built in Jan so had I realised a tad earlier it could have been added on. Oh well. I think its more to do with body height, you can increase the height of the squab but if you are tall like me you will hit the roof. For my wife it was fine as she could raise the height so the gap was gone. Also to do with how far back you push the seat that changes things a lot. I don't have the issue where the two bits join though, it may be the angle you have and how much the lumbar is on.

[readerr0r]

AFAIK the electric seats are just the normal seats from the elegance etc. you lose the RS design.

I'm 6ft 6 and find the mk3 seats quite nice, the lumbar support with the little toggle is excellent. I do miss the bolstering that the mk2 had tough, I don't feel as 'strapped in'.

[Kieral]

Thanks for the replies. By pure chance I'm sitting at Alto Skoda / Audi now while it's getting the 1 month check up. Jumped in the full leather version and the problem isn't as bad, the full leather seems a bit firmer and the gap under my legs isn't as bad. Additionally I jumped in the electric version... and the differences is MASSIVE! Once adjusted I liked it better than my mk6 Golf sorts seats. If you are reading this and looking at buying the VRS (or any Octy I guess), spec the comfort pack for the electric seats, worth it.
Going to beg them to sell me an electric seat chassis or look at the S3 seats like Sillyboy suggested. Can't seem to find a Skoda wrecker with anything from a gen 3.

[Jondalar]

Thanks for the replies. By pure chance I'm sitting at Alto Skoda / Audi now while it's getting the 1 month check up. Jumped in the full leather version and the problem isn't as bad, the full leather seems a bit firmer and the gap under my legs isn't as bad. Additionally I jumped in the electric version... and the differences is MASSIVE! Once adjusted I liked it better than my mk6 Golf sorts seats. If you are reading this and looking at buying the VRS (or any Octy I guess), spec the comfort pack for the electric seats, worth it.
Going to beg them to sell me an electric seat chassis or look at the S3 seats like Sillyboy suggested. Can't seem to find a Skoda wrecker with anything from a gen 3.

One month checkup? Nothing mentioned when I got my car about a 1 month checkup... first service at 15,000. Anyway I did test drive and RS and didn't like the seats, it had tech and comfort packs. The Style I ended up buying was far more comfortable with the same pack and the seat squab angle is adjustable, which is mainly why I went with what I did. RS did sound nice though.

Cheers,
Karl

[woofy]

Are they the same seats? I can't recall ever seeing the electric seats in any I've been in. Or are they the elegance/style seats?

[nickd]

The seats in the comfort pack look almost identical to the normal RS seats.. The stitched "bands" across the seat and backrest are further apart though.

[Kieral]

Yeah the VRS seats look the part but sub-par compared to the Golf counterparts. In the end Skoda gave me the details for a mobility engineering specialist that they have modify seats and cars for disabled persons.
I still call BS, the seats look interchange, maybe the memory function might not work but the seat adjustments would be there. Don't feel bad about the sound, the VRS sound is fake from a sound generator, even when booting it, the car is whisper quiet on the outside. Only reason I didn't get a different model was the VRS is the only model with independent rear suspension. The rest of the Octavia range use a torsion bar rear axle.

[woofy]

Yeah the VRS seats look the part but sub-par compared to the Golf counterparts. In the end Skoda gave me the details for a mobility engineering specialist that they have modify seats and cars for disabled persons.
I still call BS, the seats look interchange, maybe the memory function might not work but the seat adjustments would be there. Don't feel bad about the sound, the VRS sound is fake from a sound generator, even when booting it, the car is whisper quiet on the outside. Only reason I didn't get a different model was the VRS is the only model with independent rear suspension. The rest of the Octavia range use a torsion bar rear axle.

Hmm the Elegance/Style I thought had the independent suspension, originally when the mk3s came out it was only the Ambition that didn't.

[Reichter]

Hmm the Elegance/Style I thought had the independent suspension, originally when the mk3s came out it was only the Ambition that didn't.

That's right. Elegance and RS are the only ones that had independent rear suspension. Ambition and Ambition Plus were torsion beam.

[Smart1]

In Elegance the 110 and diesel only have torsion beam, the 135kw has multi link.

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[Jondalar]

Interesting, I never realised my car has the rear torsion beam whereas my wife's Golf has the independent multi-link. Can't feel any difference in ride or cornering ability to be honest, except maybe mine rides a bit smoother. According to the brochure I have it's only RS that now gets the multi-link in the Octavia.

[Smart1]

That'd be because the 135kw Elegance (Style) is delisted.

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[99Reza]

I find the my new VRS front seat kills my lower back on longer trips. I had the sports pack seats in the Mk6 Golf which were significantly better, and an e90 BMW with Msports seats, again much much better.

The main issue is the lack of tilt adjust so there is a huge gap under my thighs / knees. The electric memory seats apparently DO have the tilt adjust. I notice the memory seats are priced as $1300 as a line item in the comfort pack and the memory module is part of the seat so it should be simple coding and retrofit but Skoda told me it would cost 10k! and not for sale separately. Only option left is longer bolts and spaced for the front seat mount unless there is manual tool adjustment I can do.

Other issues with the seats is lack of support where the vertical recline meets the horizontal part. The Golf Sports seats has bolstering there but the VRS doesn't. A quick google and seats in the VRS are a common complaint (mostly the lack of tilt).

Anyone else run into this? Anyone know a good wrecker? I was happy to buy a new seat for $1300 but 10k was a bit much!

I found the RS mk3 seat quite comfortable actually, at least for my body type and size. It is a better seat than the Tiguan I previously drive which had a leather option (I believe the same as sport pack mk6 golf). The RS seat promotes a better neck position whereas the Tiguan one put it at a weird angle with no support for the base of the neck. They did revised the neck support for the facelifted Tiguan (leather seat only).

I do sit at the lowest position and like you wishes for more tilt function, to compensate I push my buttock as far back as possible into the seat, I also fully extended the lumbar support. So far so good.