[drivethemachine]

I sat in a base 530i today in a showroom, and it had basic seats with Dakota leather.
I found the seat bottom too hard, -and, as is the trend these days- my butt was sitting on the side bolsters instead of an even surface. (And I am quite skinny).
I wonder if it's just me, and what's everyone's experience with the softer Nappa leather on multi contour seats.

[TopgearLA]

Originally Posted by drivethemachine

I sat in a base 530i today in a showroom, and it had basic seats with Dakota leather.
I found the seat bottom too hard, -and, as is the trend these days- my butt was sitting on the side bolsters instead of an even surface. (And I am quite skinny).
I wonder if it's just me, and what's everyone's experience with the softer Nappa leather on multi contour seats.

While I fit fine as I’m a short slimmer guy I’ve heard many folks regret not getting the contour seats. That said I still got it after the product specialist showed me the upper back also bends which has been an issue for me for years as I lean back the seat so much I never have neck or shoulder support. The other leather seats use said contour seats, I didn’t opt for any different leather or the massage (which I also hear people hate sometimes due to the mechanics underneath making it stiffer)

Certainly get contour at least if you already know you’ll have pain, I know I have some in general so playing it safe. Can’t afford the nicer leather right now though personaly so it’s something

[ZigmundUK]

Originally Posted by TopgearLA

While I fit fine as I'm a short slimmer guy I've heard many folks regret not getting the contour seats. That said I still got it after the product specialist showed me the upper back also bends which has been an issue for me for years as I lean back the seat so much I never have neck or shoulder support. The other leather seats use said contour seats, I didn't opt for any different leather or the massage (which I also hear people hate sometimes due to the mechanics underneath making it stiffer)

Certainly get contour at least if you already know you'll have pain, I know I have some in general so playing it safe. Can't afford the nicer leather right now though personaly so it's something

Yeah the multi-contour (comfort in the uk) seats have the adjustable upper back part which was the factor for me too. However I'm quite portly but I fit into the normal or the comfort seats without spilling over the side bolsters.

Do note the side bolsters aren't as bolstery in the comfort seats than they are in he sports seats. People have mentioned that on the forum previously.

Also with the comfort seats you can get massage function

[Nivarox]

I have sit in various seats ranging from Nappa all the way to comfortable Multi Contour Seats . I didn't like the way massaging seats working or inflated lumbars at all .I'm skinny and can wear 30 x 32 in blue jeans
I have got multi contour comfort seats in my car , they're soft .Side bolsters must be soft in any seat which I put my butt on .
Articulated top partition of the seats in multi contour seats is nice but I have spent quite a long time to find a proper seating position because of tremendous numbers of seat adjusting positions lol

[TopgearLA]

if you’re coming from a 2 series they’re similar to my f32 4. Seats are real low n stiff and oddly angled in orientation to the peddles. I always felt my legs slanted n one leg in a 90 degree more than all angled to the side at the footrest. Ended up giving me pain over the 3 years and sitting on one tail bone. The 5 has a much better gate for your feet, where the gas isn’t just straight n kinda gives you room to the right to actually spread your legs and then add nicer seats and that alone pulled me into a 5 even though it’s s much bigger car than I thought I’d ever want. Comfort is underrated no matter how fun the performance was. It was sorta stressful to be honest n I’m not that old but I’d had sports sedans in the past so Im just going back to it n this will be by far the most comfy car I’ve ver gotten. Get the contour, it’s a cheap option in consideration... the one weird thing is the headrests in the contour function a little different vs standard but on the plus dude they fold.

[JOHNBMWM5]

I have Nappa comfort seats love them, nice and soft and side bolsters grip tighter in Sport mode if you want them too. I find them a must have in this car.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by drivethemachine

I sat in a base 530i today in a showroom, and it had basic seats with Dakota leather.
I found the seat bottom too hard, -and, as is the trend these days- my butt was sitting on the side bolsters instead of an even surface. (And I am quite skinny).
I wonder if it's just me, and what's everyone's experience with the softer Nappa leather on multi contour seats.

The multi-contour seats are a must. When I was looking for a new 5 series I made sure that my vehicle would have either multi-contour or at least the nappa leather seats (upgraded multi-contour seats). The standard seats were fine, but not too supportive, and of course the multi-contour and nappa seats had extra seat movements and areas which could be changed. I went with the nappa seats (w/ luxury package w/ cooled seats), as I liked the quality of the nappa leather more than the dakota, and really wanted the cooled seat option. If you don't need cooled seats and are completely fine with the dakota leather, the base multi-contour seats are great. One thing I wish is that we could get more colors for the nappa interiors, as black gets hot easily, and white stains easily, and I never buy brown interior because the color is not appealing in my opinion, thats why I almost bought a 5 series with beige basic multi-contour seats because I love the color and look, but in the end the nappa wasn't too much more and was overall just better.

[SteveinArizona]

Both were a requirement for me and I am very happy. Folks have been talking about the shoulder area, etc. But to me one of the best aspects is the super comfortable headrest.

[ZigmundUK]

Oh and I've got Dakota leather and love it. I'm sure nappa is lovely too but don't see any issues with the leather wrt seat stiffness. That will be the filling under the leather rather than the material on the surface...