2008 Honda Accord: Dino Leather Seats

Oh boy! Who would pass up the chance to ride a T-rex! Wow! Honda should advertise this!
And sell the Honda Accord in stripy tan leather!

My biggest issue with the seats are the headrests. I had to incline the back in order to stop the headrest from pushing my head downwards.
BTW, do you feel a lag in the gas pedal response due to the VCS or what ever the variable cylinder thing is named?

Banhugh, in Honda's defense the horrendously uncomfortable headrests are now essentially mandated on cars by our wise and caring government, unless you want to pay for "active" headrests.

Ahh, another affirmation of my choice of the EX. I love the upgraded cloth seats. Very comfortable.

To each his own, I guess... I find the leather seats in my '08 Accord to be quite comfortable. No complaints from any passengers, either. The seats do have stronger lumbar support than previous generations, but I got used to it in a couple of days and now when I sit in other car seats, they feel like they have no lumbar support at all.

No problems with the head restraints, either, but I ride with my seatback a bit reclined. I did sit in a 2008 Accord at an auto show that had its driver's seat upright and I understand what people are complaining about. If you can recline the seat just a bit, you should be OK.

BTW, the Accord's head restraints are "active"... they move forward as the occupant's body compresses the seatback in a rear collision.

No lag noticed with the VCS on my car.

Ooops... it's VCM (Variable Cylinder Management), not VCS.

My Dad's Accord has the cloth seats and I find them quite comfortable. Then again, I have a decided preference for firm seats - and firm they are. Nothing spells back pain for me faster than soft, squishy puffy-pillow seats. No lumbar adjustment for the passenger does suck, but I suspect it is pretty much the rule in this segment.

By the way - is it just the pic, or are those leather seats showing signs of wear already?

I guess I should have made the same disclaimer... I also have a preference for firm seats and I agree that they're firm. Just not uncomfortable, at least for me and my passengers.

Jaeger1 - I was thinking the same thing as far as wear. Is it just me, or is it unrealistic to expect to get high quality leather in a Honda Accord? I just think you are probably getting a low-to-mid grade leather at best. Could be the cause for the stiffness and possible premature wear.

Don't get me wrong, I like the look, feel, and smell of leather, but the leather in the Accord just wasn't cutting it. Plus, I didn't want all the other stuff that comes with the EX-L.

I can probably comment about leather wear. I'm on my 3rd EX-L (MYs 2000, 2004 and now 2008). The previous 2 cars didn't show any appreciable leather wear in about 60,000 miles. I'm at 9,000 miles with the 2008 and the seats still look brand new... I guess they should with such low mileage. Anyway, if this Accord follows suit with the other ones, I don't think I'll have any wear problems with the leather.

One thing... Honda claims that the leather in the 2008 is softer and more supple than previous models. I have to disagree on this one... the 2008 is similar to the 2000 that I had, and the leather on the 2003 was the softest and most supple. However, it certainly is better than some other leathers that I've seen... case in point, most Ford brand cars. So I'd say that the leather is probably mid-grade, but not low-grade.

Sorry but the leather in the Edge is much better than the leather in the new Accords.

I'm comparing to my sister's 2007 Explorer... that leather is tough enough to repel bullets. Maybe they've improved in the past year.

Here in Florida, the heat and sun tend to dry out the leather interior quite a bit. I use Lexol once a month to soften and recondition the leather and it keeps my seats pliant and looking good. Regular use of a conditioner like lexol should help soften the leather on the Accord as well as forestall some of the wear. Other BMW owners seem to swear by the Leatherique rejuvenator oil product but I have never used it. Might be a good long term test to use Lexol on some of the seats and Leatherique on the others in the Accord and see if there is any improvement.

I think you can and should expect good quality leather in an Accord. Not Bentley quality, of course, but not one step from vinyl either.

I had leather in my 2001 Maxima that I kept for nearly 7 years. I used Lexol cleaner / conditioner 3 or 4 times a year. When I traded it in, it looked better than the leather looks in that Accord right now - which is why I asked the question. I could just be the photo, or it could be that the seats were dirty, but they look kinda chalky and worn to me in that image.

If I lived in Florida I would avoid leather, big tie.

buy a Chevy Malibu, much nicer seats

Not trying to get into one of those urinating matches that Edmunds is so famous for, but let's look at a perhaps more standardized test than Dan's "buttometer".

Consumer Reports tested the '08 Accord EX-L V6 and the Malibu LTZ (both models with leather). They rated the front seat comfort for the Accord excellent and the Malibu was rated very good.

So they disagree both with Dan's assessment of the Accord's seat comfort and the other poster's claim that the Malibu's seats are much nicer. This doesn't invalidate their opinions in any way, it just presents an alternative view from a widely known source.

Obviously, comfort is subjective, so you'd have to try the Accord out for yourself to see what you think of the seats.

Absolutely. A blog impression (pun fully intended) is hardly a standardized test--it's merely an observation.

Rating seat comfort as Consumer Reports does is risky business. There are a lot of unique butts out there, and some people like hard seats, some people like softer ones. Few will agree how much lumbar should be present, or precisely how high up the backrest it should be located.

Bottom Line: Test-sit the seats when you shop for a car. Pay attention to this on the test drive, and don't assume you'll "get used to it" if you can't get comfortable with the adjustments provided. And, take it from me, it's vital that you make sure your spouse can get comfortable, too.

You have to be prepared to chuck all of your research out the window if it turns out that you can't stand sitting in your choice--a point jefferey15 nearly makes in response #1, above. For my wife and I, the 2008 Honda Accord is a no-go--with leather seats, anyway.

"Rating seat comfort as Consumer Reports does is risky business. There are a lot of unique butts out there, and some people like hard seats, some people like softer ones. Few will agree how much lumbar should be present, or precisely how high up the backrest it should be located. "

I agree but we all know CR believes they can rate ANYTHING with authority. Rating seat comfort is pretty ridiculous because its hard to find consensus.

I've never seen any proof that leather and cloth seats offer varying levels of comfort. The foam underneath the fabric should be the same. The only difference should be the outer surface that you sit on.

My mom's 2004 Accord has leather, and it seems very comfortable to me, but I'm not sure how much they've changed it on the 2008. And jaeger1, I live in Florida, and leather is not that bad. People say it gets hot, but it's not that bad.

Interestingly, 1487, that isn't always the case. I've actually worked with seat design engineers when I did tire and suspension tuning for ride comfort. The particular cloth vs. leather seats I worked with had different foam and supporting spring designs underneath the coverings, even though both were power seats intended for the same cars.

The difference doesn't merely come down to appearance, clean-up and hot weather stickiness. Many times (but not every time) the cloth seat gave better static and dynamic ride comfort. And, all things being equal, cloth-equipped cars can be a tad quieter inside because cloth seats are generally better at absorbing noise.

"I agree but we all know CR believes they can rate ANYTHING with authority. Rating seat comfort is pretty ridiculous because its hard to find consensus"

They test cars over several months and thousands of miles with drivers of many different statures. Their comfort rating is the summation of the opinions of those testers. All this does is serve as a guideline for those looking for a car. Nobody is claiming that their rating is the definitive answer and that because they rated the seat comfort as excellent, everybody will find them comfortable. Even they state that their results are no substitute for a thorough test drive by the shopper to check the car against their own personal preferences. Anyone who doesn't follow this recommendation deserves what they get.

Is it a perfect solution? No. Can it serve as a starting point for shoppers? Absolutely. And frankly, I've found their seat comfort ratings to be quite reliable, at least for me. But YMMV.

Id say the most comfortable seats Ive sat in recently were in my best friends 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport 6MT sedan and the Civic Si sedan. I could drive for hours in either car without any discomfort.

Audi has an extremely nice Vinyl, you would never suspect that it's Vinyl or even want to pay extra for Vinyl, too bad the seat designs only comfort a small amount of people, I personally like them.

Pay extra for leather********

CR can't rate seat comfort no matter how many people they sit in their cars, because there will always be someone that doesn't like the way the seats feel in a Volvo(impossible, I know) and then there could be someone that LOVED them, and a bunch of people from CR that shouldn't even be reviewing cars say that they're just better and the seats in the new Pilot are the best ever.

"Based on this, I'd have to pass on the leather."

The cloth seats are not any more comfortable.

stovt001, I believe the headrests are active - if you pull the headrest forward, as if doing a crunch, you can feel the retraction of the plate (or whatever it is) back into the seat. This plate is what makes my seat uncomfortable, as it sticks out like a second lumbar support.

I think these seats are polarizing. They are firm and supportive, so some will like them, some will not. I agree that you can feel the active headrest plate in the back. I actually had the dealer work on this for me, and they seemed to alleviate the problem. Might be worth looking into.

What did your dealer do exactly? I took the car in but they said the dealer said they couldn't do anything for me.

They actually took the seat out, replaced the foam piece or pieces in that area, and put the seat back in. It is much better now. I sat in many Accords on the lot and felt the protrusion in them all, but it was especially pronounced in my car. All the service and sales managers that sat in it agreed that something was wrong with mine, so they fixed it.