Have you tried adjusting the thigh extender on the driver seat?

 

Hi Jimdee, thank you for your response. Yes, but I have to keep it at the lowest (default) position, otherwise it would make it worse to my thighs, unfortunately.

 

Hmmmm. I know exactly what you're talking about, but mostly with another vehicle.

My wife & I considered the Ford Edge before the Outback, but the front edge of the seat does not lower, and it put pressure on the lower front part of my thighs. The only way to work around that was to raise the rear of the seat bottom up, and to move the entire seat forward (more than I wanted to) so as to raise my thighs slightly up off the pressure points.

My '22's seat? It's actually a bit similar to the Edge in operation and adjustments, but I don't have as much of a problem finding a comfortable position that I had with the Edge.

Auto manufacturers have been going El Cheapo with seat adjustments up to recently, but they're apparently starting to respond to customer complaints. Toyota and Honda were among the worse on crummy seats with few adjustments. Both my previous '03 Toyota Camry XLE & '10 Chevy Malibu LTZ had very good power seat adjustments, and would have probably eliminated the problem you're experiencing.

 

Hi jes2, thank you for your response and the additional information. I had Ford Taurus SEL and Toyota Camry XLE before, and never had the same issue. Hopefully the auto manufacturing would be able to improve the seat adjustment design.

 

I find that the more adjustable a seat is, the worse it is. Seats that can only slide forwards and back have been universally fine for me. Weird.

 

The drivers seat in my 2020 Outback Limited seemed fine for the first year of ownership. But beginning in spring of 2021 I began to develop pain in the hamstring of my left leg after driving for more than 30 minutes or so. During a recent 3,000 mile road trip, after that pain became quite distracting, I stuck a soft square pillow under my butt. This mostly alleviated the problem. I'm wondering if any of you have any specific seat cushion recommendations to share?

 

Hi Ralph, I use a wedge seat cushion to raise my butt higher than thighs to reduce the pressure on the bottom side of them.

The shortcoming of using a seat cushion is that, in the winter, it may insulate the heat from the seat when you turn on the seat heating.

 

I am with the OP. I too have issues and pain developing after 45 minutes of driving. To the point I have been shopping around to replace my 13' OB. BUT I went swimming the other day in the river, got out, put the towel down and was really impressed with the flatness of the seat. My vehicle swap was going to be a Forester, but this new trick may save me the hassle! I'm ordering wedge car cushions to test out, but for now my towel works. Funny how an inch or two and the car-like seating angle of the OB can change the driving experience. I am tall for reference, 6'4"

 

Moving to Gen 6 subforum, as that is what generally is being discussed here.

 

I have the opposite problem. I've found that there's not enough thigh support even with the seat tilted completely back.

I've considered putting small spacers under the front seat mounts to give a tiny bit extra tilt. If it works, I'm sure it could be done in the rear. I haven't taken a look yet, but if it's successful I'll let you know.

 

I moved the seat back about 1.5 in in my 05 OB and shimmed up about an inch. Needed to buy longer bolts and used the old bolts to fill the holes left. Will need a drill and tap for new mounting holes, and I had to bend the front mounts from 90 degrees to flat. Fits me great now, but the seats in a 2005 are still a bit lacking in thigh and lumbar support. @2four ,let us know how it works out.

 

Try the "Relax the Back" store. My wife bought a cushion from them for her 2019 Outback Ltd., and she swears by it.

 

I have been experiencing slight discomfort at my tailbone recently and tried a lumbar support (was too big, felt like a karate black belt holding their foot into my back). I have a 1" memory foam seat pad that I use. I typically drive til the gas needle points to 'E' for "exit and get gas".

The seat pad does not alter seat heater operation that I can tell, if it does, it only slows down heat delivery. It's possible that it retards the temperature, but if so, I can't tell.

 

I used to fly helicopters in Africa. Seat cushions in half the helicopters were not functional. After a day of flying, I could barely walk when I got out.

Most guys over there bought a memory foam seat cushion and lumbar support from a company called Oregon Aero. I bought mine in 2011, back then they were pricey, but they are worth every penny. I used it daily, and even on the days when I'd have that stick horse buckled to my rear for 10 or more hours, I experienced zero back or leg pain after sitting on that cushion.

After 5 years of daily use, I sold it to another pilot or what I paid for it. They were coveted items over there.

Oregon Aero - SoftSeat Portable Cushions Overview

The ultimate in portable comfort. The SoftSeat® Portable Seat Cushion is available in different thicknesses and with lumbar support options to match your needs.

www.oregonaero.com

 

I used to fly helicopters in Africa. Seat cushions in half the helicopters were not functional. After a day of flying, I could barely walk when I got out.

Most guys over there bought a memory foam seat cushion and lumbar support from a company called Oregon Aero. I bought mine in 2011, back then they were pricey, but they are worth every penny. I used it daily, and even on the days when I'd have that stick horse buckled to my rear for 10 or more hours, I experienced zero back or leg pain after sitting on that cushion.

After 5 years of daily use, I sold it to another pilot or what I paid for it. They were coveted items over there.

Oregon Aero - SoftSeat Portable Cushions Overview

The ultimate in portable comfort. The SoftSeat® Portable Seat Cushion is available in different thicknesses and with lumbar support options to match your needs.

www.oregonaero.com

found them: Oregon Aero - SoftSeat Portable Cushion Ordering

Thanks for the lead, they look like a worthy product. Pricey but worth it.

I also may do a custom cut from the same foam as a last resort; ordering from Aircraft Spruce. I need more of a wedge to create that flat seat position similar to a Forester. Im tall and cant deal with the rear inclined seating position.

Confor Foam Seat Cushion | Aircraft Spruce ®

Confor Foam Seat Cushion Confor Form (formerly called Temperfoam) is the conforming foam cushion that was developed for the Astronauts Couch back in the Apollo space program. Confor Foam has the capability of absorbing a tremendous amoun

www.aircraftspruce.com

 

I have a 2021 OB Touring XT and the short trips don't bother me. However, on my first long trip of an hour or more, I discovered the driver side seat very uncomfortable, hard, and hurt my lower back. My wife felt the same way too. I had to put a cushion in the front seat and it helps 100% to alleviate the butt and low back pain. I hope Subaru addresses this problem. My wife drives a Toyota Avalon and I use to drive a Honda CRV. Never had issues with seat comfort until I bought my first Subaru. Other than that, I enjoy my Subaru OB XT.

 

You could try some of the recommended adjustments found in this article to see if any of them help.

Physiomed_Sitting_Guide_-_Driving_Digital.pdf

 

I haven't needed to use a wedge but I do adjust the seat tilt on the driver's side but I don't think the passenger seat has a tilt function.

 

When my wife and I were test driving 2025s, I found the Touring XT very uncomfortable but the Limited XT much better. It's the ventilated seats...I have this issue in other brands as well. Seems the ventilated seats are harder making them uncomfortable for some folks.

 

I believe you’re right. I don’t have that problem with my wife’s Avalon that does not have ventilated seats nor my Chevy Silverado.