| Front
Seats
As we started to use
the Defender for longer journeys we decided to investigate the possibility
of upgrading the seats for a set of bigger more comfortable ones.
Though the standard Land Rover seats
had plenty of lumbar support, and their adjustability made it very
easy to get comfortable, the under-thigh support was a bit lacking
and on long journeys this was becoming tiring.
We were looking for a touring seat
as opposed to an out and out racing seat. This would combine adjustable
back and headrest. As a general rule touring seats provide a good
deal of side bolstering and thicker foam so they are more comfortable
for longer journeys.
After some investigation we found 3
manufacturers of touring seats: Cobra, Scheelmann and Recaro.
Recaro: We eliminated the
Recaro seats early on due to exorbitant pricing and the lack of
a suitable style of touring seat for the Defender. Price approx
£525 (€750) per seat.
Scheelmann: These
seats were quite tempting as they combined all of the features that
we were looking for as well as an armrest option. Nice! It is also
possible to have these seats trimmed in the same Techno fabric that
Land Rover uses. However, the price, as with the Recaro's, was surprisingly
high at approx £375 (€525) per seat.
Cobra: The only seats
that we felt suited our brief were the Le Mans and most importantly
it undercut the price of the other two brands considerably and seemed
to provide basically everything that the others did. Price £199
(€285) per seat.
Unfortunately we were unable to try out the
seat before purchasing it as none of the suppliers in Ireland carried
the Le Mans model. We ended up purchasing them directly from Cobra
Seats in the UK. It was a bit of a gamble in case they weren’t
what we were hoping for.
Thankfully they are amazingly comfortable.
The lumbar support is just perfect, although not adjustable, it's
just perfect. The side bolsters provide a great deal of support
especially for off road use and on winding roads. The under-thigh
support is fantastic as it extends right up to the backs of your
knees.
The back rest adjustability is somewhat
negated by the bulkhead in the Defender, however, it does come in
handy from time to time as the seats have been attached to the original
runners and you can slide the seat right forward and tilt the back
rest back as far as the bulkhead to have a doze.
“Why blue?” I hear you
ask. Well I suppose it's a personal thing. We love the road-sport
look that the royal blue provides and they inject a much needed
splash of colour to the otherwise plain cabin.
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