FORD driving position.

[1TUFFUTE]

have been reading quite a few comments recently about the (suposedly)poor seating position in falcons and fpvs. I am 6.1 and personaly have never had a problem in any falcon but i will say i have spent limited time in the holdens which in these comments ussually are the car reffered to with the better seating possition.

So to solve this drama..can someone take a few measurements of say diff heights

sill-road
sill-floor
sill-dash
seat to dash
seat to stearing wheel


you get the idea..any of the above from both makes will help.

Then we can see if there really is a problem or just a percieved one due to body/surroundings and so on!

[ChemicalHorizon]

Never had any issue in my BF turbo. In fact I love the seats. 6'4" 5\8" here

[wrongwaynorris]

Never had any issues either , you want issues drive a Camry or an Aurion .

[Pedro]

I think you've been reading those Wheels and Motor, rags. They are just a division of the Holden advertising department, and take every opportunity to trash Fords.

I'm 6' and have owned just about every model Falcon up to the the FG and never had an issue with the driving position. I've hired Avis Commodores and didn't notice any difference with the driving position in them.

Maybe the journos (Holden PR slags) don't take the time to adjust the Falcon seating before they trash talk them. I start with the seat at it's lowest position and then make adjustments to tilt and forwards/backwards, in combination with wheel positioning.

[prydey]

to me it was noticeable when i owned a eb and a bf2. the eb felt like you were scraping your bum on the road in comparison. hopping out of that and into the bf it did feel like you were sitting up much higher, which in fact, you were.

its all to do with the electric motor under the seat.

having said that, i'm 6'2 and have fitted fine in all my fords (every model since xf) but the FG is definitely better than the b series. these comments started appearing when the b series came out and to be honest, you did feel like you were sitting up higher.

i think a bit of the misconception comes from the height of the door trim. b series it was quite comfortable to rest your elbow on the door trim, where as the fg is now a lot higher, making you feel like you are sitting lower. more comfortable now resting my arm on the arm rest/grab handle.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I recall the space in my dads XF between the seat and the steering wheel was very limited. Don't know if there was height adjustment on the steering in the XF, but always thought to myself that it needed to be a little higher.

[Wretched]

I found the seating position in the B series and FG a little too high.
It could be the dash is lower I don't know but I was never comfortable, always trying to get the seat lower. it always gave the effect of sitting on the car rather than in it.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I found the seating position in the B series and FG a little too high.
It could be the dash is lower I don't know but I was never comfortable, always trying to get the seat lower. it always gave the effect of sitting on the car rather than in it.

yep, although the fg is much better.

[SS_01]

Yeah, after driving Vw's for the last 4 years and now returning to the BF XR6, I can say the seating and the position isnt the greatest. Holdens is slightly better, but you just dont sit right in either imo and im 5"7.

[Mr Hardware]

Seating position is all down to personal taste. One of the reasons I was so happy to defect to Ford was the enjoyable and powerful seating position. 5'11" here for reference.

Seating position in Commodores? I find most of the Commodore owners I see have the seat so far back that their head is behind the B pillar!!!

[falcon convert]

I recently test drove a Volkswagen Golf. Nice car for sure and I thought the seating position was pretty good too, but having finished my test drive I got back into my FG - it was like coming home!. I never previously appreciated just how comfy the FG was. The Golf was comfy, but comparing back to back (or should that be bum to bum) with an FG, the FG was just great.

The only other car I have recently driven (and I drive a fair few) that I thought was more comfy than my FG was ......... a Territory.

[vztrt]

Haven't really noticed that much of a difference. If anything the VT/VX models seem higher but that could just be a case of fixing the seating position.

[Whitey-AMG]

The biggest gripe comes from some of the performance testers where a lower seating position is preferable giving a lower centre of gravity and better overall balance for the car. This was explained to us on the FPV drive day......we were all shown how to adjust our wing mirrors and our seats.......which included placing the seats in the lowest possible setting....ready for track use. Based on this....in many testers opinions....the HOLDENS allow you sit lower giving you more of a feeling of sitting in the car rather than on the car and being cocooned.......( fine if you're a MOTH........LOL ) You feel it straight away when jumping from a VE Clubbie to an FPV ( B series or F series )

I've never had an issue with my BFGT..........In fact I like being able to see up over the bulge. The XE ESP on the other hand was interesting as the seat was off centre to the steering wheel and pedals so you felt like you were sitting sideways.

[Mechan1k]

I find the driving position in my Territory more comfortable than my BFII XLS ute (same seats as XRs). And it feels like there is more adjustment available as well in the Territory (also adjustable pedals does make a difference here as well).

My mother-in-law's VZ Acclaim sedan just doesn't not feel comfortable at all ... it feels like I am sitting higher in it .... I don't feel snug at all in them ... like sitting on a bench more than anything. Even my old AU seats were more snug than the VZ.

[MO]

One thing I have noticed is that the door height,from sill to window ledge on the BFs on, is more than the AU. Is this due to bigger side intrusion bars?

I can't recall the exact model when it started but the drivers seat was moved sideways about 25mm in due to some reason. Which put you more inline with the steering wheel instead of being off centre.

[castellan]

I am only 6'2 and could not sit in the rear of any falcon from AU without my head touching the roof and it stopped me from buying them falcons, and i put that down to saboteurs in the ford camp. but in the FG siting in the back is OK.

But with the front seats it seems to be all over the place as to the heights when the seat is all the way down.

I sat in a FG FPV ute and thought f this is good the seat goes down lower than the other falcon utes.

In them car mags the measurements seem to be a bit of nonsense in reality.

[XRtowcar]

I personally prefer my BA to the FG series.
They tried to make you feel lower in the FG by raising the console up.
Just makes it feel crowded.
Not enough steering reach or height adjustment in the FG either.
Depends what you prefer.
But yeah the mags really do crap on about it, when they dont live with the cars longer then a week.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by falcon convert

I recently test drove a Volkswagen Golf. Nice car for sure and I thought the seating position was pretty good too, but having finished my test drive I got back into my FG - it was like coming home!. I never previously appreciated just how comfy the FG was. The Golf was comfy, but comparing back to back (or should that be bum to bum) with an FG, the FG was just great.

The only other car I have recently driven (and I drive a fair few) that I thought was more comfy than my FG was ......... a Territory.

Hey buddy, What Golf were you comparing to what FG? Funny its horses for courses. I got out of the Golf R after the test drive and Jumped into the F6 and it felt soft and rolly in comparison but that depends on what you are after.

As for the FG seating position, The seat is too high, and the steering wheel too low. I always knock my knees on the steering wheel on the way out and both are in their lowest and highest position respectively. Its not a huge drama though.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by XRtowcar

I personally prefer my BA to the FG series.
They tried to make you feel lower in the FG by raising the console up.
Just makes it feel crowded.
Not enough steering reach or height adjustment in the FG either.
Depends what you prefer.

don't agree there. my fg has loads more movement in the seat and wheel than my ba or bf2.

Originally Posted by Danny

As for the FG seating position, The seat is too high, and the steering wheel too low. I always knock my knees on the steering wheel on the way out and both are in their lowest and highest position respectively.

that seems a little odd too, unless you are a fairly solidly built chap.

[GTpilot]

IMHO the driving (Read:seating) position fine. I quite like it, I think FG is better than BF, I just could not get comfy in my BF and I hated the FPV wheel I had.
The thing that lets FG down for me is the lack of height adjustment on the wheel, it does not go high enough. When holding the wheel in a 9/3 position my hands are about 100-150mm too low for how I like them to sit.

[flappist]

I have no problem with any of the recent Falcons as far as seating position and comfort is concerned.

The only aspect of the FG that I would like to see improved is visibility from the driver's seat both to the rear and more particularly to the left.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by prydey

that seems a little odd too, unless you are a fairly solidly built chap.

Nope, I'm quite thin, 68kg.

[Peuty]

I personally dislike the seating position in the FG, it seems like the seat is too high and the wheel sits too far down in my lap.

Infact, I found it VERY annoying.

[Rodp]

After driving a Golf R32 then a E1 HSV, the seating in my BF Ghia felt really off when I first bought it. When magazine reviews suggest that if feels like you're driving ontop of the car and not in it I finally understood what they meant.

After 3 months, I'm now used to it and don't notice it anymore.

[XR Martin]

Even with the seat to the floor in FG I find it a bit tight to get in and of. The wheel is too close to the seat base and you often hit the wheel with your thighs.
You can put the seat further down in the Commodore, but then you are still stuck with the giant A-pillars in the way.

[jason71]

In my BA XR6 it seems that I can't get the seat low enough, I am always hitting the tops of my legs with my hands when turning the steering wheel.

I drove my mates VE sportswagon and the seating position was a heap better, but the A pillars were a nightmare.

Would be good if we could have a best of both worlds.

[XR6VCT]

Similar to a lot of others in this thread I find the steering wheel is too low compared to the height of the seat. Whenever I jump in the FG after not driving it for awhile (or driving other cars for awhile) it always feels weird and not like I've properly adjusted my seating position.

It's pretty frustrating however you do adapt to it. Hopefully Ford will get it right in the next model...

[Franco Cozzo]

I find it a bit awkward getting into our work BA Wagon, the wheel is all the way up but i still brush my legs on the wheel getting in.

[Bobman]

I like the seating position in Falcons and I'm 6'5, but in Commodores the seats feel flat and too low.

[Jimmyd]

FG, once behind the wheel and adjusted, is quite comfortable - however, at 6'4" and 120kg I almost have to dislocate my left knee to get in behind the wheel.......the primary reason I will keep driving my AU rather than trade on a FG......