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Ford Fiesta - Advice - Dobiesmon

Hi all not been on for a while I have had from new Fiesta Zetec 1lt eco engine on a 13 plate just 9,000 miles full service history no rd tax , love the car but for me causes me back pain if I do any long trips .

So have looked at getting the Fiesta Vignale for the comfort ,

I have looked at the Focus and the Kuga but my son can not fit in the front seats he is 7ft tall and the 3 door Fiesta has more room than the others . so unsure wether to change or just plod along with mine .

what would you do or your thoughts

Ford Fiesta - Advice - SLO76
Overpriced new and the 1.0 Ecoboost engines are rather notorious for failures plus the basic seat frames will be the same as your current car just with leather and possibly a bit more padding so I doubt it’ll make much difference. Try a few other cars first before committing and remember high spec mainstream superminis like this plummet in value.
Ford Fiesta - Advice - Leif
You might want to look at back supports. I used to get back pain when driving ten years ago and tried something that looks like this:

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06VT4KVH6/ref=asc_df_B06VT4KV...4

It was useless, too thick. Eventually I got used to the seat. Maybe someone can recommend a better support. I get discomfort from the seat in my VW Polo, but only when I get out, at which point I have a dull ache in the lower back, not sure why car makers can’t produce back friendly seats.
Ford Fiesta - Advice - FP

I have a long-standing back problem and find that what helps me the most is good lumbar support. In both my current CX-5 and in its predecessor, a Mk2 Ford Focus, there is an adjustment for this and I set it to give the maximum. It ensures I'm sitting upright and, while sitting in the same position for a long time is not good for the back, it enables me to do long journeys without major issues.

Ford Fiesta - Advice - John F

The most depreciation the car will have suffered is with you, so financially it would make sense to keep it (and keep a careful eye on temperature and coolant level!).

I, like much of the human race, also have a 'bad back' - specifically degenerate L4/5 and L5/S1 discs. (Spines were never designed for vertical use; whether dogfish, dinosaur or dog, intervertebral discs evolved as spacers, not the heavy load-bearing mountings that humans try to make them to be in our split second of evolutionary time).

There are three important considerations for seat comfort. In descending order of importance they are - 1. Height of seat from floor - the greater the better. 2. Lumbar support. 3. Thigh support, i.e. length of seat. 4. Back rest inclination adjustment. Much can be achieved with simple cushions and attention to a relaxed posture while driving. Also, armrests (available from ebay etc) will transfer some weight away from the lower spine.

Ford Fiesta - Advice - expat

Try a cushion at your back. That worked for me. Maybe you could replace the seat with something better. Companies like Recaro make after market seats. Most of them are aimed at the sporty driver but perhaps some are for people with back problems. Also you may be able to get seats from a higher spec Fiesta from a breakers.

Ford Fiesta - Advice - Dobiesmon

Hi well I have now been to Mazda and very keen on the Mazda 3 sport nav plenty of space for my son so will be getting that instead of Fiesta

Ford Fiesta - Advice - landmarked

Make sure you take the Mazda on an extended test drive before buying if you have back problems.

I don't find the seats great for the lower back on long journeys, and the lumbar support is of the "bar in the back" variety, I preferred the electric height and depth adjustable lumbar in my Golf MK5.

Ford Fiesta - Advice - Engineer Andy

Whatever you do, and you do need to check you've got it right on your current car - make sure you adjust the seat and steering collumn position so you aren't stretching to reach the steering wheel at all, and centre console buttons that much, when wedged into your seat. Same goes with depressing the pedals.

I found on my first car, a mid 90s Nissan Micra, that my seat was one notch too far away - I could still reach everything, but my arms were straight when I held the top of the steering wheel, and I has pivoting with my lower back when fully depressing the clutch, causing me to have serious back problems when using the car on my longer journey to work (20 miles each way) at that time. I never had any problems when I was doing low speed, short distance driving to my previous job. With the new seating position, all my back problems went away.

Besides any possible inherent poor design of the Fiesta, I would check the rake and height adjustment (if it has one) of the seat, any lumbar setting it has too, as well as the ones that make most difference - the seat distance from the steering wheel and the height and reach of the steering collumn. Its not always the case that just adjusting the seat position works - I found an even more comfortable driving position in my 2005 Mazda3 as it had reach as well as height adjustment on the steering column - my arms are relatively short compared to my leg length, and so a small adjustment helps.

What won't help, especially for non-luxury cars that have seat/steering collumn memory settings is that if you share the car with others and if one/more of them driving is significantly different in height.build as you, re-finding the correct position for everything is difficult, hence why you may find its not to your liking. Sometimes its worth paying that bit extra for a car that does have that facility in such circumstances.

One final tip - whether you've already adjusted the above to what you think is the best driving position for comfort or you wish to have another go, once you've changed it, give it a while (a couple of weeks as a minimum), then if you find doing certain things (e.g. steering, pressing the clutch fully, something else), adjust ONE THING, then leave the rest for another fortnight, then adjust the same item again or another as required. Adjusting too many at the same time means you may not know what has worked and what hasn't.

Best of luck.

Ford Fiesta - Advice - Avant

I agree with what's been said above, but there's another equaly important aspect if you have back or knee problems - getting in and out.

My three much-loved Octavia vRS estates were extremely comfortable once in the seat, but the reason of not having a fourth was that SWMBO has a back problam and an arthritic knee, and the vRS has large, firm side bolsters on its seats which made entry and exit awkward for her. She has no problem with her current Audi A1 nor with several Minis before that, even though the heights of the seats are all lower.