2008 Outback 2.5i Seat Replacement?

[equest]

Like others, I am totally disappointed about my 2008 2.5 i Wagon's Driver and Passenger Seats.

Both my partner and I are tall people, and I do a lot of driving for work. The lack of lumbar support and awkward headrest position is killing both of us. It's gotten to the point where he refuses to do long drives in my Sube, and I am very disgruntled as well, and miss my old Volvo seats.

However, I do like the car in all other respects and could see keeping it for a long time, but for the seats!

Has anyone ever replaced or modified the seats on a 2008 Wagon, and if so how is it done to preserve the safety features, etc?

[phatvw]

You can do a 100% reversible modification to the seatback to get a little more lateral support. It may help with the lumbar as well.
Seat Back Mod for More Lateral Support

You can also remove the headrest, and put the tubes in a vise and bend them a few degress back so it doesn't jut out so much. They are designed with the bend to help protect against whiplash. You could also swap to headrests from the 2005 model which don't have quite so much bend.

The best bet is to remove the Subaru seats entirely and goto a custom shop and have them build a metal bracket so that you can get a Recaro seat that fits YOU. Expect to spend at least $800 for each side and all the work. Or visit a shop that has seats you can try and keep an eye out on craigslist for used seats that you like.

[ssweet9c1]

Can you just swap the seats out for the power leather seats from the same year outback with the higher end seats?
Jonathan

[phatvw]

Originally Posted by ssweet9c1

Can you just swap the seats out for the power leather seats from the same year outback with the higher end seats?
Jonathan

Yes. If the seats have side airbags, you need to read the owners manual to take necessary precautions when removing the seats.

The multi-adjustable leather seats may make it easier to get into a good seating position, but even then, its nowhere near as comfortable as a BMW or even a Mazda IMO.

[equest]

Interesting. Thanks, all, for the comments.

I do love my subie, save for the seats

Surprised that PhatVW is suggesting that a Mazda is more comfy. I'd actually been toying with the idea of a Mazda 5 as of late (not to offend any die hard subie folks!) LOL

[phatvw]

Originally Posted by equest

Interesting. Thanks, all, for the comments.

I do love my subie, save for the seats

Surprised that PhatVW is suggesting that a Mazda is more comfy. I'd actually been toying with the idea of a Mazda 5 as of late (not to offend any die hard subie folks!) LOL

If the USA Mazda 5 had AWD or a factory option for the limited slip diff for FWD, I would seriously consider swapping. The 6-passenger, 3rd row just is such a great feature. The limiting factor on that car is the drivetrain. The chassis and handling is really quite good! Subaru could compete better by bringing the Exiga here... its just a little smaller than the Tribeca - basically the same as the 2010 Outback, just with a 3rd row.