Recaro Sport Seat

Price Paid:  $645.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 1999 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS

Summary:
This seat just grips. It has less aggressive bolstering down low than some other good sport seats (like the Recaro SRD), but it still holds the driver in place just as well. The adjustable seat cushion is great - proper adjustment of this can really help with leg fatigue on longer drives or track days, trust me. No sub-belt hole, but I'm sure it's an option. I opted for none of the add-on options, just went with the base seat. Reclining mechanism is relatively precise, and gives a good solid feel. This seat is completely void of the flex and creaking noises that pretty much every factory seat I have experienced has in abundance. Looks great in my Impreza, seems to match the interior much better than the SRD or Torino, not because of color, but because of shape and contour. The Recaro sliders are nice and solid, but unfortunately, owning a Subaru Impreza, my only choice for adapters were from Wedge - a company with a very poor reputation for consistency and manufacturing quality. The adapters barely fit, and I have heard of cases where they were so entirely wrong directly from Wedge that people have had to actually do cutting and welding to make them fit. Fortunately, that was not the case for me, but if you own a Subaru and are looking for Recaro seat(s), beware that you are stuck with Wedge for the adapters. But adapters aside, the seat is incredible, and a massive improvement over the decent factory Subaru seats.

Strengths:
There just isn't another seat that combines looks, comfort, and support like this one. It looks incredible (in black anyways), doesn't hinder getting into or out of the vehicle like some sport seats, and is extremely comfortable, but at the same time manages to hold you in place with serious tenacity. Beautiful seat!

Weaknesses:
Nothing in the Recaro seat, just the Wedge adapters, which consistently suck (and I'm not the only person out there to complain about these).

Similar Products Used:
Sparco Torino - no comparison, complete lack of lower seat bolstering, and the shoulder supports are too flimsy.
Recaro SRD - A bit more extreme on the bolstering, but definitely a lower-tech seat all around.