Uncomfortable seats?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 292
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver, Canada
2016 CLS550 4Matic
Uncomfortable seats?
Hey, does anyone else have problems with the bottom seat cushion left side bolster causing a pain in the ***?
I've owned my car for a month and I just can't get comfortable... the left bolster seems incredibly hard, raised, and unforgiving. I'm not particularly wide or overweight... just an average 5'10" 200lb guy.
I've come across threads in other forums about seat comfort, and wondering if any other CLS owners have problems.
I've owned my car for a month and I just can't get comfortable... the left bolster seems incredibly hard, raised, and unforgiving. I'm not particularly wide or overweight... just an average 5'10" 200lb guy.
I've come across threads in other forums about seat comfort, and wondering if any other CLS owners have problems.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 292
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver, Canada
2016 CLS550 4Matic
i have tried endless adjustments. There is no adjustment that moves the side bolster on the seat cushion. There are adjustments for theigh support, back side bolsters and lumbar, but none of these affect the seat cushion where your *** goes. 
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
GL450 & CLS550
I have a 2014 CLS550 with the Active Multicontour seat. The seat bottom seems to be broken down or the sides of the seat bottom are too narrow. My thighs ride on top of the sides of the seat bottom, terribly uncomfortable. I've tried adjusting many times, can't figure it out. I've only put about 2000 miles on the car and going to sell it if I can't get this figured out!
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 57
Likes: 9
2012 CLS550, 1994 Chevy K1500
When I was first looking into my next car c.2016, I ran across some reviews (sorry, didn’t save the links) that complained about the seat comfort. When my Audi finally finished its protracted death process, I looked again, and couldn’t find those reviews. I did really pay attention to the seat comfort on the test drive of my 2012 CLS, and I drove it a bit extra to be sure, because I was concerned about the seat comfort. Bottom line: the seats work well for me. That is, of course, irrelevant if they don’t work well for you.
The seats in the CLS seem to generate more complaints than some. Unfortunately, the best advice I have is to do a good, long test drive, and really pay attention to the seats. This is completely unhelpful to those who already own a car they find uncomfortable.
I wonder if these seats are designed for a narrower range of body shapes. I don’t know why MB would do that. You guys aren’t alone in having difficulty with seat comfort in the CLS.
Addendum: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...cls550-4matic/
link includes complaints about seat comfort in the 2014 CLS.
The seats in the CLS seem to generate more complaints than some. Unfortunately, the best advice I have is to do a good, long test drive, and really pay attention to the seats. This is completely unhelpful to those who already own a car they find uncomfortable.
I wonder if these seats are designed for a narrower range of body shapes. I don’t know why MB would do that. You guys aren’t alone in having difficulty with seat comfort in the CLS.
Addendum: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...cls550-4matic/
link includes complaints about seat comfort in the 2014 CLS.
Last edited by Stens; Mar 3, 2018 at 01:46 AM. Reason: additional info
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 292
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver, Canada
2016 CLS550 4Matic
I think the problem is the bottom cushion side bolsters are too stiff. They just aren’t as compliant and as a result they apply unnecessary pressure to the sides or bottom of your buttocks. I have a workable solution now that angles the front of the bottom cushion up so some weight is taken off my butt by my theighs but I would really dread having to drive 8hrs at a time in these seats. I’d probably have to get an old man seat cushion gel pad to get through a day of non-stop driving 
If you look at any car that’s several years old, the sides of the bottom cushion are usually in the worst shape... deformed, deflated, wrinkled, etc. I wonder if Mercedes thought that adding stiffer foam or even metal frame elements to these bottom side bolsters would help them keep their shape over time. Whatever it is, I think it was a mistake.
If you look at any car that’s several years old, the sides of the bottom cushion are usually in the worst shape... deformed, deflated, wrinkled, etc. I wonder if Mercedes thought that adding stiffer foam or even metal frame elements to these bottom side bolsters would help them keep their shape over time. Whatever it is, I think it was a mistake.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 53
Likes: 1
2016 CLS550 4matic
Hey, does anyone else have problems with the bottom seat cushion left side bolster causing a pain in the ***?
I've owned my car for a month and I just can't get comfortable... the left bolster seems incredibly hard, raised, and unforgiving. I'm not particularly wide or overweight... just an average 5'10" 200lb guy.
I've come across threads in other forums about seat comfort, and wondering if any other CLS owners have problems.
I've owned my car for a month and I just can't get comfortable... the left bolster seems incredibly hard, raised, and unforgiving. I'm not particularly wide or overweight... just an average 5'10" 200lb guy.
I've come across threads in other forums about seat comfort, and wondering if any other CLS owners have problems.
A330PYLT
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E63 S AMG, CLS550 4matic, C63 Ed 507, Volvo XC90 T8s
2014 CLS550 with regular seats, no dynamic seat capabilities. Base sport leather. Been perfectly happy with my seats but then again, I am only 5' 7 and 168. They do hug me a little tighter than the seats in our 2015 GLK but I would expect that given the type of vehicle the CLS is.
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2020 GLS450 (wife) / 2024 Ford Bronco (mine) / 2014 VW Tiquan (son)
Not sure if OP fixed this or not, but think the W212 is the same seat frame here.
Thought this might help. Go towards end where pictures are. Mine was horrible and found a way to fix it permanently. Used to be painful, now one of most comfortable for a couple hundred bucks. Has been perfect ever since (10,000 miles). When doing my research I kept seeing part numbers that suggested cross reference from the E class sedan (mine - 2014) to the cls as well.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...seat-pain.html
Thought this might help. Go towards end where pictures are. Mine was horrible and found a way to fix it permanently. Used to be painful, now one of most comfortable for a couple hundred bucks. Has been perfect ever since (10,000 miles). When doing my research I kept seeing part numbers that suggested cross reference from the E class sedan (mine - 2014) to the cls as well.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...seat-pain.html
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 292
Likes: 46
From: Vancouver, Canada
2016 CLS550 4Matic
