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Highline (SEL) vs. Golf R seats - significant upgrade?

N

Nuje

Go Kart Champion
Location
Island near Vancouver
Car(s)
2015 Sportwagen TDI
Curious if anyone has experience (real-world butt-time) in the Mk7 (pre-FL) Highline (SEL in US) leather seats vs. those in the Golf R. It looks like the R seats have more bolstering around the thighs and shoulders, but it's tough to get a good compare looking only at photos.

It's not that I'm wholly uncomfortable in my Highline seats (real leather, decent bolstering; definitely an upgrade over Trendline and Comfortline (S / SE)), but I just remember the Recaro seats I'd put in my Mk4 and just how comfy and nestled I felt in those seats.
 
K

Kushdaiin

Go Kart Champion
Location
Connecticut
Car(s)
MK7 R, MK7 GSW SEL
@Nuje I have a MK7 SEL GSW and a MK7 Golf R. The center of the Golf R seats is narrower and you nestle into the bolstering whereas I find the SEL GSW seat bolstering is wider. I have to have to move maybe 1/8" to 1/4" side-to-side to touch the bolsters in the same manner in the Golf R. I generally find my Golf R seats slightly more comfortable (5'7", 165lb) over long trips as they center you into the seat however the leather long term durability seems better in the GSW, at least from disformity. I have ~72k miles on my R and the lower seat leather has a wave in it, which seem fairly normal based upon interior shots of other similar Rs. This is in spite of me conditioning the leather every single week since I bought the car at 20k miles. My GSW has 40k miles and has absolutely no signs of wear. My R had that wave by 40k miles. I find that the foam in the GSW gets quite hard when temperatures dip below 35°F but soften after about 5-10 minutes of seat time. If you can find a cheap pair (I think autohaas has a full set for ~$500), it's not a bad upgrade. I've been wanting to convert my GSW to an R, but I would be torn on the seats, as I agree with you, there's nothing too wrong with them.
 
N

Nuje

Go Kart Champion
Location
Island near Vancouver
Car(s)
2015 Sportwagen TDI
Follow-up question: From the looks of it, the SEL seats and Golf R seats are identical from an electrical connection as well as physical installation standpoint; is that accurate as best you can tell?
 
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