OK, I tried the Performante bucket seats again, just to make sure I didn't make the wrong choice.

They are not too hard, they can be uncomfortable though. 

Let me explain: The issue at hand is actually the backrest, not the seat itself or that the seat is not well enough padded. Why the backrest? Well, it is a little bit too inclined forward, like in a real race car. This is the perfect position for the driver because it pushes the shoulders a little bit forward, making it easier to hold a proper grip of the steering wheel. This may be an unusual position for many drivers but whoever drove in a race car should be used to it.

I can imagine that some drivers have issues with this position, simply because A. they are usually driving with an backwards inclined backrest for comfort or B. they have back issues in the lumbar area.

The bucket seat can only be moved back and forward, it has no backrest or height adjustment. The perfect driving position for me is like a "frog", I call it the classic rally driver position. I am sitting like this anyway most of the time when I drive, so it doesn't really bother me. I am not very tall though, this position can be an issue if you have very long legs.

I made two critical observations though: 

1. If you wear a (thicker) jacket, the seat can be uncomfortable because your back isn't sitting firmly on the seat back. Every millimeter counts! With a normal shirt or thin pullover (I was wearing one of those), no issues.

2. The foot rest (for the left foot) is too close to the braking pedal, wearing driving shoes or shoes with a smaller "profile" is highly recommended. This happens because the legs are more inclined due to the "frog" seating position.

Overall, I do not regret having ordered the bucket seats instead of the comfort seats but I'm glad I tried them again.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking to order the bucket seats for the Performante/Evo because it saves you from bad surprises.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mercedes E63 S AMG Edition 1 (2018), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)