Comfortable "Captains Chair" for Fiat Ducato - Adria A Class

[Berniea]

Much as I love our Adria Sonic Supreme, both the passenger and drivers seats are not particularly comfortable to sit in when relaxing. They're not so bad when driving but they're still a little on the hard side for my liking.

This got me thinking - would it be possible to either replace them with more "squishy" seats, or failing that would it be possible to have the existing seats reworked to provide a larger, softer seat?

Has anyone done this?

The van is built on a Fiat Ducato Chassis (2014)

Any thoughts please.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

I believe the swivelling cab-seats on your Adria have integrated seat-belts (photo attached) but I’m not sure if they are the Fiat versions or sourced from another manufacturer.

 

You might be able to find replacement seats within the Recaro or Isringhausen ranges, but it would be a hellishly expensive swap and - in any case - those seats tend to be ergonomicallly well-designed but definitely on the firm side.

 

This leaves your ‘reworking’ idea, but you’d need to find a company prepared to carry out the task (example here)

 

http://www.cbscc.co.uk/caravan_and_boat/caravan_boat_furnishings_upholstery.html

 

and, once again, it would not be cheap.

 

Is it really that bad - can’t you just put some soft cushions on the seats when you are relaxing?

[Berniea]

Thanks for the reply.

The seats in the pic are indeed the same as in my van.

My wife thinks I'm daft for even suggesting the seats are uncomfortable, so I guess this is a very subjective subject.

I do occasionally use a cushion or two but it's just not the same as having a comfy chair.

 

 

[pepe63xnotuse]

Hi

 

Maybe try something like a memory foam pad/topper? (for when in "lounge mode")

 

I don't think I'd be rushing to mess with the OE seats, not in such a smart and relatively new-ish van.

[keninpalamos]

There you go, job for the other half. Make some cushions. I have worked and played with Isringhausen vehicle seats most of my life and I have yet to find a "soft" one. Indeed I'm sat on one now in my ageing Hymer and I have a choice of three and they are all relitivly hard as a seat for relaxing in but as a driving seat they are close to perfection. So again I would compromise with the cushions idea.

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Your adria sonic supreme is not built on a fiat leaf spring chassis. But on a alko torsion bar axle.Have you ever greased your axle? If you want more comfort have air seats and air suspension on your axles which can be retrofitted.Your seats are Aguti and very stiff. In a saab 9000 as i have it is a dream.

[Mikey]

noticed a few vans had sheepskin seat covers has anyone tried these?

[Berniea]

monique.hubrechts@gm - 2017-05-01 5:03 PM

 

Your adria sonic supreme is not built on a fiat leaf spring chassis. But on a alko torsion bar axle.Have you ever greased your axle? If you want more comfort have air seats and air suspension on your axles which can be retrofitted.Your seats are Aguti and very stiff. In a saab 9000 as i have it is a dream.

 

When driving it's fine - im looking for more comfort when lounging.

Maybe I'll give the topper idea a go.

 

Just a bit surprised there isn't a company out there that makes a proper, good quality seat that can be bought "off the shelf"and plonked in the place of the existing seat. Yes if one existed, it might well be expensive, but I for one would be willing to consider this as a replacement option.

I understand that matching the interior decor would be a consideration but this could be overcome.

 

I just don't understand why manufacturers don't make something softer.

[Keithl]

Bernie,

 

There is the option of getting new foam fitted to your existing seat, try giving Care-A-Van re-upholstery a call...

 

http://www.careavan.org/motorhome_reupholstery.html

 

We had our MH re-trimmed by them a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with the results.

 

Keith.

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

These are German Aguti seats . And Aguti Turntables..Not to confuse what fiat can deliver. Captain seats do not exist in a motor home. They have not space for it. Only some large A class come close. By just turning 90 degrees it makes no captain seat.

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

In case of the ford transit your turn table and pedestal came from mass china production. The cover under seat whatever sits there to close is a problem. The same of the ribbed covers front and rear of the ducato seats just bulls**t.

[keninpalamos]

monique.hubrechts@gm - 2017-05-07 3:36 PM

 

These are German Aguti seats . And Aguti Turntables..Not to confuse what fiat can deliver. Captain seats do not exist in a motor home. They have not space for it. Only some large A class come close. By just turning 90 degrees it makes no captain seat.

I think the discription "Captains Seats" is a generalisation in the UK Motorhome industry, for seats that, and in no particular order, have two adjustable arm rests that can be raised for easier access, the back rest should be adjustable for rake, the seat base to be tilted forward or backward and height adjustable and the seat should rotate at least 180 degrees which seems to be the case with the ones in the photo. Some Captains seats also have some form of suspension such as hydrologic or air ( which is probably what you are alluding to, as used in many larger goods vehicles and coaches, ie Plaxtons, Setra, Neoplan and so on and on some US RV's. As for the rest, I'm guessing that you are saying that the seats in the Adria on this thread are cheap and cheerful with fancy covers on them? So is that what you were trying to explain with the word " bull#^+t" perhaps the word cosmetic might have been a little more polite. This is only a friendly and helpful Motorhome forum, not The Lord Jack bar in Ostend I hope that helps

[pepe63xnotuse]

I would've thought that one obvious gamble with fitting news seat; or reupholstering the OE ones, is that you'd have no real idea as to how comfortable they were going to be in the van, not until they'd been fitted, driven-in and lounged -in? :-S

 

 

 

[Wortho]

We bought these inflatable air cushions for long distance flights and they also work well when doing long distance in the van. Bought them in Oz but can probably get them shipped. http://www.airhawk.com.au/product_details.php?product_category_id=49&product_id=35

A bit pricy but good quality and pump included.

Ours travel everywhere with us.

[Derek Uzzell]

As Ken says, the term “Captain’s Chair” or “Pilot Seat” is just a generalisation and (as far as I can make out) when it comes to motorhomes may sometimes be used when a seat just has a couple of padded armrests.

 

Fiat’s Owner Handbook for Ducato includes a reference to a “Captain Chair Seat” that has an integrated seat--belt and is available for some versions/markets.

 

The real risk with the replacement/modifiication strategy is (as pepe63 points out) that the result - besides costing big bucks - may be no improvement.

 

If cushions/pads on the seat don’t help, maybe this product might

 

http://tinyurl.com/klyzgyz

 

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

I just gave my personal interpretation. The adria sonic supreme is a very nice built motor home built on a high frame AL-Ko chassis and they made a technical double floor out of it not done by any other that way. What Aguti makes is top quality in respect to their turn table but their seats are too stiff W/O air option.But i do not like the typical ribbed plastic coverings by fiat. One touch by your feet and they lay flat open and my dogs check the electric internals at 12 volt Dc. And the lord jack bar in Ostend is very popular by UK visitors.Lucky they are not here.

[Berniea]

Derek Uzzell - 2017-05-08 2:18 PM

 

As Ken says, the term “Captain’s Chair” or “Pilot Seat” is just a generalisation and (as far as I can make out) when it comes to motorhomes may sometimes be used when a seat just has a couple of padded armrests.

 

Fiat’s Owner Handbook for Ducato includes a reference to a “Captain Chair Seat” that has an integrated seat--belt and is available for some versions/markets.

 

The real risk with the replacement/modifiication strategy is (as pepe63 points out) that the result - besides costing big bucks - may be no improvement.

 

If cushions/pads on the seat don’t help, maybe this product might

 

http://tinyurl.com/klyzgyz

 

I reckon that's the answer. :)

 

[keninpalamos]

monique.hubrechts@gm - 2017-05-08 3:17 PM

 

I just gave my personal interpretation. The adria sonic supreme is a very nice built motor home built on a high frame AL-Ko chassis and they made a technical double floor out of it not done by any other that way. What Aguti makes is top quality in respect to their turn table but their seats are too stiff W/O air option.But i do not like the typical ribbed plastic coverings by fiat. One touch by your feet and they lay flat open and my dogs check the electric internals at 12 volt Dc. And the lord jack bar in Ostend is very popular by UK visitors.Lucky they are not here.

A much clearer interpretation of your thoughts on the matter Monique. Lord Jack was a bar I frequented for lunch many years ago. He (the landlord) had no menu as such. He would sit at the bar eating his lunch, usually a cooked meal of potatos, red meat, fish or chicken and you just asked if he had any to spare and he always did. So that was your lunch. It used to get, shall we say rowdy or boisterous in the evenings and the language could be quite "colourful". So I knew the bar well but expect it has changed from that time.

[Derek Uzzell]

Specialist seating manufacturers (Isringhausen, Recaro, Aguti, etc.) often ‘build to order/specification’ so that the seats that are eventually fitted to a vehicle are not necessarily identical to those in the manufacturer’s standard range. Classic examples were the seats produced in the past by Recaro for Ford and Volkswagen.

 

The current ranges of Aguti seats are shown here

 

http://shop.aguti.com/de-de/sitzzubehoer.html

 

and, although some of the those seats closely resemble the cab-seats in the Adria photo in my posting above, they are not identical. This may just be be due to upholstery-matching or the construction of the Adria seat itself may differ.

 

Monique’s comment that Aguti seats are too stiff is just a personal opinion. I dislike a soft seat for both driving and ‘lounging’ and I’m pretty sure I would not find the Adria's seats uncomfortable. That Berniea’s wfe disagrees regarding seat-comfort proves that the bum-on-seat factor is (as Berniea acknowledges) subjective.

 

When Porsche introduced the 911 model in 1963, buyers complained about the seats being uncomfortable. Porsche’s reply was that the seats were ergonomically correct and it was the driver’s posture that was the problem - essentially, the driver’s body needed to come to terms with a well-designed firm seat not vice versa.

 

I note that this company markets seat covers for Aguti seats

 

http://www.motorhomeseatcovers.co.uk/product/fiat-ducato-aguti-motor-home-seat-cover-henry-brown-mh-007/

 

and (besides protecting the original seats) these might offer the opportunity to insert some padding between the underside of the cover and the top of the seat cushion.

 

A soft seat-base is not ideal the driving, so (for Berniea) the realistic options are either some sort of extra cushioning or eventually acclimatising to the Aguti seats.

[Berniea]

Derek Uzzell - 2017-05-09 8:09 AM

 

Specialist seating manufacturers (Isringhausen, Recaro, Aguti, etc.) often ‘build to order/specification’ so that the seats that are eventually fitted to a vehicle are not necessarily identical to those in the manufacturer’s standard range. Classic examples were the seats produced in the past by Recaro for Ford and Volkswagen.

 

The current ranges of Aguti seats are shown here

 

http://shop.aguti.com/de-de/sitzzubehoer.html

 

and, although some of the those seats closely resemble the cab-seats in the Adria photo in my posting above, they are not identical. This may just be be due to upholstery-matching or the construction of the Adria seat itself may differ.

 

Monique’s comment that Aguti seats are too stiff is just a personal opinion. I dislike a soft seat for both driving and ‘lounging’ and I’m pretty sure I would not find the Adria's seats uncomfortable. That Berniea’s wfe disagrees regarding seat-comfort proves that the bum-on-seat factor is (as Berniea acknowledges) subjective.

 

When Porsche introduced the 911 model in 1963, buyers complained about the seats being uncomfortable. Porsche’s reply was that the seats were ergonomically correct and it was the driver’s posture that was the problem - essentially, the driver’s body needed to come to terms with a well-designed firm seat not vice versa.

 

I note that this company markets seat covers for Aguti seats

 

http://www.motorhomeseatcovers.co.uk/product/fiat-ducato-aguti-motor-home-seat-cover-henry-brown-mh-007/

 

and (besides protecting the original seats) these might offer the opportunity to insert some padding between the underside of the cover and the top of the seat cushion.

 

A soft seat-base is not ideal the driving, so (for Berniea) the realistic options are either some sort of extra cushioning or eventually acclimatising to the Aguti seats.

 

Fantastic post Derek - many thanks for providing useful insight and source material.

Right now I'm off to do a bit of shopping for memory foam.

Dunelm is my first stop to see if anything can be adapted, or simply used directly off the shelf.

I

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Some adds to Derek posts. A motor home suspension is not soft. A ford transit whit seat belts in the A pillars and their seats was not bad at all. Including their seat pedestal and swivel seats. Their pedestal fitted the car battery one or two. In a LHD drive it was under the driver seat. And the right side had the same space. To change the battery you have to remove the seat and the swivel plate. That is a two person exercise. The fiat ducato battery box lies under and is easy accessible. But outside the cabin area. Not sure for extra battery space. But a heavy duty is possible. We all want comfort seats L/R. But the builders look for the space under them. My motor home it is fitted like this. Aguti seats whit integral seat belts .Swivel seats and floor bolted pedestal all made by aguti. In the driver seat sits all electric dry and well whit all the fuses. I have Alde heating on the passenger seat which is a spiral in the pedestal. In the driver seat the heating is in the foot well. These pedestals are covered by fiat where possible. Again not sure what is fiat or aguti. Your dealer have now a paperless desk where you can see all this in 3D. As i did last week to change a gas spring in cabin entrance door.

[Derek Uzzell]

monique.hubrechts@gm - 2017-05-09 4:21 PM

 

...A ford transit whit seat belts in the A pillars and their seats was not bad at all. Including their seat pedestal and swivel seats. Their pedestal fitted the car battery one or two. In a LHD drive it was under the driver seat. And the right side had the same space. To change the battery you have to remove the seat and the swivel plate. That is a two person exercise...

 

It depends which Transit model you are referring to.

 

I owned a Herald motorhome based on a 1996 Transit Mk 5. The swivelling cab-seats were re-upholstered Ford originals with twin armrests, inflatable lumbar support and heating, and a wide height-adjustment range. Despite this, I never found them particularly comfortable for driving iong distances. The vehicle’s starter and leisure batteries were both in the engine compartment.

 

This was followed by a 2005 Hobby motorhome based on a Transit Mk 6. The swivelling cab seats (standard Ford with Hobby covers) were much too high with limited height adjustment and I couldn’t drive the motorhome safely until I had removed the swivel mechanism. Although the Hobby’s seats were simpler than the Herald’s, they proved to be reasonably comfortable over long distances.The starter and leisure batteries were housed in the cab-seat pedestals and (as you say) access to the batteries required displacing the seat + swivel-mechanism, However, I had no great difficulty doing this on my own.

 

Transit Mk 7s had the same cab-seating as Mk 6s, but Hobby and Hymer both offered Isringhausen or Aguti replacement seats for some of their Transit- Mk 7-based models. The Transit Mk 8 has a different, much lower seat-pedestal, but the seat itself will have been designed to cope with the wear-and-tear of years of builders’ backsides sitting on them, so can’t be expected to provide armchair luxury.