Hey Guys, I had an 09 GTS and recently totalled it Anyways, I'm thinking about picking up a base model RA(Cdn) and it comes with Recaros. When I took 2 test drives, the Recaros weren't bad to sit in but I'm wondering how they are for long trips? The wife and I like to go on long car trips and she really worries about them being horrible on long trips. I'm debating between another S&S GTS or a base model RA. The 2 things throwing me off are not having fast key which I would eventually get over not having(I loved having fast key) and how the Recaros will be on trips. Any inputs from the guys with recaros would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Sorry if I got your hopes up because, I don't have an answer, but I do have a question... Lots of people have been saying getting in and out of the Recaros is kind of a hassle, do you agree?

 

Worst case, if you don't like the Recaros, I imagine it'd be insanely easy to find a Lancer owner who would do a cash + swap.

 

I noticed that the first time I got in them the bolstering on the seat pinched my leg. But that was because of how I got in them, never happened when I sat in other RAs. But they're not difficult to get into.

On a side note, I prefer the leather/suede recaros to the clothe ones, for some reason they're more comfortable.

 

IMO unless you can get a good deal on the Recaro package on the R//A the base is better for the money. I test drove the R//A with the Recaro seats and they didn't feel that much better than the normal ones did & it was a little bit of a hassle getting in & out (or maybe I was getting out of them incorrectly ), but maybe you should take the opinion of someone who spent the extra cash.

Reasons to stay with the base model:
650w of power split to 9 speakers & 1 sub, really isn't that much power per speaker.
~$2.5k less than upgraded package

Reasons to go with Recaro:
Free (or included how ever you look at it) Sirius for 6 months
6 CD Changer
HID's (best part of the package IMO) (about $600 dollars aftermarket)

And the thing that will sway your mind would be whether you find the seats worth the additional $1.5k

 

in canada the recaros are the only ones available. They come in cloth in the base model and in leather/suede-like-material in the premium model.

 

Getting in wasn't a problem but my dad came with me on the 1st test drive and he found it hard to get out because of the hard part on the bottom to hold your butt tight. I didn't really notice but he did.

In Canada the base(cloth) and premium(leather/suede) both come with Recaros and HID's

 

My wife loves them. She says its like the car is giving her a hug so she loves it back lol.

Really, only takes a couple of days to get used to stepping over the bolster before you sit your butt down but after that it's fine. I haven't taken really long road trips thus far (only had the car 12 days) but on a 2 hour trip wasn't bad, in fact as nice or nicer than the seats in my 2008 VW GTI

 

I love my Recaro's! The stiff bolsters were easy to get used to for me (i'm 5'10" 195lb) when getting in and out. I think the same issue would be experienced with any seat that is heavily supported. I prefer stiff seats and the foam material in the Recaro's are nice and stiff too. I hate driving in seats that are soft like a couch.

The side supports are great and the faux-suede material grips well and does a great job of preventing any side to side movement on the seats.
The rotary adjustment for the seatback is good also as you can really fine tune the seat back angle. My wife found it to be a bit of pain as she wasn't used to the rotary adjustment.

on a side note, the Recaro's look good also

 

Yeah sorry I'm from the states. So my reference was all from what I've seen down here. Good luck in your choice!

And on a side note: I took a summer road trip down to San Diego (6HR one way drive, and the US base model seats were fine for me)

 

I dont know if the recaros are the same in the evo as the RA but when i had my evo 8 the recaros were cool but after 3 years really started to hurt my back lol thats part of the reason why i stepped down to the RA it was way more comfortable.

 

I think they are comfortable and I test drove the hell out of one w/o it and IMO get the Recaros.
They hold you while your in the twists while with the regular seats, your sliding all over the place.
I came from an 08 GTS and the seats that are in the base RA, are the same seats.
my .02

 

I haven't done any real long hauls in the RA yet. But My commute is about an hour each way every day. I have on occasion taken as long as 2.5 hrs one way. Seats are surprising comfortable to me (specially for sporty seats) They aren't like some super luxury car feel though so don't expect that. Getting in is never a problem, getting out just requires knowing the bolster is there, after the first day, it's not an issue. I like the feel they give of being firmly planted in the seat, but it's in no way harsh. (I have the leather/suede so these are the ones I'm referencing). There is a limit to how big of a person they will comfortably sit though. If you're not too large of a person it's a really nice fit (I'm 5'11" 190lbs).

 

I love the recaros, In fact I bought a set off the forum to replace the gts seats that came with the base RA in the U.S. Best way to get out is basically turn sidways and then get up, but as far as long term comfort they are about the same as the gts seats.

If you really need I could sell you my old pair for 200 bucks just to get them out of my room haha. And the recaros are going for about 1000 so you could make some pocket change off them. Something as small as seats shouldn't keep you out of a car.

 

recaros in the evo are a little hard to get in and out of, but when ur in them u feel really comfertable and very snug, amazing around turns. i drove 4 hours on the highway with them and they were decent for the long trip