Hi All

What a great forum! So many of my questions have been answered as a lurker, but I'm about to put my deposit down on a Defender and one question remains unanswered (at least, from my searches). So I've joined. Perhaps once I've taken possession, I can be as useful as others here. But in the meantime...

I want the basic 8 way cloth seats (I don't like leather, go figure). And I don't want seat heating or cooling (I've found that cloth seats just don't get really cold or hot). But I want comfort. And one or two messages have hinted that the basic seat has less support than the 12 way or 14 way seats. Does anyone have any experience or made a comparison between the 8 way and 12 way/14 way seats?

Are the bolsters smaller on the back or base? Are they harder or do they have less padding?

Any help would be really appreciated!

Thanks all.

 

For better support the 12 way with inflable lumber and sides are the way to go.
I also don't like the leather so I choose the Dinamica suedecloth on my D90 P300s
3 different kinds of fabric, very comfortable and good looking.

 

Thanks! I didn't realise the sides were inflatable on the 12 way seats. Now I have a tough call to make on whether I spend an extra few thousand to go from the base model to the S to get the 12 way seats. Anyone else had any issues with base model seats and lack of side support?

 

If you spec S you get also : Digital Driver display, Console, Easy Entry, auto leveling Front lights

On a point of value/depreciation the S level will be much more after sought than a base.

 

Welcome to the forum, I'm also new to the brand. If you can find base seats on the lot I would suggest a test drive just to be safe. It's tough taking the plunge on an order with base seats without having sat on them. I would say bolstering isn't the greatest on even the 12-way but I think giving up lumbar support might be something I'd regret. If it's a cost issue I mean that's an individual choice, but after having spent months with the configurator before placing my order I think the bumping up to the S level trim is one of the better 'value' choices you can make. One thing choosing the S trim does is it takes off the white steelies in the configurator and bumps you to 19 inch alloys. I wanted the steelies so I put them back on, which it allows you to do however the price does not lower at all by doing that. Important to note the base trim loses the back seat armrest too I believe, so that may be important to some folks.

 

Thanks. I’d love to try the base seats, but there aren’t many Defenders available near me and none of them are base. I could splash on the upgrade pack, but it brings it almost in line with the price difference anyway. I’ll keep thinking. I just wish someone had specifically addressed this in reviews, but the reviews only ever focus on the top specs.

 

In the configurator you can choose by the S , 18" , White Steel or the 18" 5094 Satin Dark Gray

Avoid the 19'' , Almost no tire choice

 

I like steelies. So basically in Australia going to the S adds about $10,000AUD ($US7500) to the price. It gets me two thing I was going to get anyway (interactive display and centre console) but offers things I don’t want. All this for leather and side bolster adjustment. I need to try out those base seats…$10k is ridiculous for what the upgrade provides.

 

There's a review on Youtube from Smorgasbord where he talks about his base build 2020. You might be able to wade through that, I don't recall if he mentions the seats. good luck!

 

I have the Base seats....they're fine. Even though I'm almost 70, no problem or issues as far as comfort is concerned. If I had wanted my Land Rover (or Range Rover, for that matter), optioned full of creature comforts and luxury items, would have gone with a Range Rover Sport. Wanted my D90 to be a basic as possible, with Off-Road Options.