Carmakers widen seats for wider ... seats

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY2 hours, 29 minutes ago



If you gorged at the holiday buffet, don't worry: You'll still fit in your car.



As Americans grow heftier, automakers are making seats wider, adding more space to interiors and using bigger virtual mannequins to help design vehicles.



Domestic automakers say they already had seats for increasingly rotund motorists. Now foreign brands are catching up.



Getting bigger:



• Honda. The 2006 Civic offers front seats that are three-quarters of an inch wider than those in the 2005 model. Purpose: "To meet the growing needs of our customers," spokesman Sage Marie says.



• Mercedes-Benz. The big R-Class Grand Sports Tourer, which went on sale at the end of September, has front seats about a half-inch wider than the smaller Mercedes M-Class crossover.



• Subaru. The first-ever B9 Tribeca, a crossover vehicle introduced this year that was specifically designed for the U.S. market, has front seats a half-inch wider than those in the Legacy, the next-largest wagon in the lineup.



• Mitsubishi. The Lancer Evolution was given front seats slightly wider than in the Japanese version when the performance car was introduced in the USA in 2003.



Extra-wide seats are important now that 62% of adults are considered overweight or obese, according to market research firm NPD Group. The figure has doubled since the late 1970s.



For the auto industry, the solution is not just about hippy seats. It's also wider cars.



Toyota added a half-inch of width to the RAV4 sport utility and up to 3 inches to the 4Runner, Sienna, Tacoma and Avalon. The goal was both comfort and extra interior space to help protect passengers in side-impact crashes, according to Toyota's Paul Williamsen.



For its part, Ford Motor recently started using what it believes are the industry's first set of virtual mannequins depicting nine different body types - including a hulking man - in computer-aided design. Reason: a finding that the average near-biggest man grew 27 pounds heavier and nearly an inch-and-a-half wider in the hips from 1962 to 2000.



"For the first time, we've made these virtual dummies to reflect people's growing sizes," Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Flake says.



Ford is also paying attention to comfort of the seats themselves. The automaker is researching whether to install power massage units in the backs and cushions of its seats.



It's also considering inflatable bladders in the seats to make them fit passengers of different sizes.



"When you think about how much time people sit in a seat - the average time commuting has gone up dramatically - it's staggering," says Susan Dehne, the automaker's chief engineer of seat systems.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20...tsforwiderseats

As a short (albeit fat) person, this annoys me. It's gotten to the point where I don't like eating at American chain restaurants because I know that I will not be able to reach the table from my seat. When I was going to buy my first new car in 2003 (I got a Toyota), I was annoyed that I couldn't see over the dashboard of a few types of domestic cars 'cause the windshield was soooo far away, and same with the steering wheel.

It would be nice if they ("they" -- who are "they"?) could come up with something that would fit both large and small people, but I know that's not easy. I also have a lot of sympathy for very large people, 'cause it's not easy. My best friend cannot eat at certain restaurants because the booths are too tight for her. It is really very sad and frustrating for her.

Anyway, I guess there's no easy solution.

For many years, at least 8-10, Saturn has had optional larger seats for almost all their models.

I have trouble with being too tall, and I'm only 5'8" tall! I can remember my dad having trouble sometimes finding a car, but he was 6'3". I just recently bought a Toyota too, and the main reason is the comfort of the front seats and how I fit with the wheel, dash, ceiling, etc.

Ivanna....I hear you with the restaraunts!!!! What irritates me is when I feel like a little kid, with the table practically up around my armpits!!!!! And, like I said I'm not short, so I can just imagine what it must be like to deal with this as a shorter person.

As for the airlines making seats bigger? It's about time. I swear those seats were designed for children!

The one downside to losing weight is that motorcycles fit me less well because the weight I've lost helped decrease the distance between the seat and the ground when I'm sitting on the bike, allowing my 28" inseamed legs to reach the ground a little easier. Parking lot maneuvering has been getting increasingly awkward.

As far as car ergos, my main problem with some American cars including our Ford Ranger is that the seatbelt cuts right across my neck if I don't tuck the belt under my arm.

Wyv

Now if they could only remember how to cut doors high enough to avoid spinal injury on entry.

mike

Use a clothespin clipped to the belt. Or those binder clips, that's what I use. Pull the belt out to where it's comfy and put the clip on the belt so it won't retract any more. If there's an accident, the clip will come off and the belt will retract safely. Just make sure any clip you use isn't too tight.

I used to race motorcycles in my youth. I wore 28x28 pants and had no fit problems on either small or large bikes. The only handling problems that I had were my optimism in going into corners at unrealisticly-high speeds.

My Ford Taurus has adjustable pedals. Maybe they were thinking along those lines.