- New Opel Frontera: Innovative Intelli-Seat with patented ergonomic feature
- New Opel Grandland: Further development with adjustable side bolsters
- Long Opel tradition: AGR-certified (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V) seats
- Lessons learned: From carriage seats to high-tech feature with massage function
Relieving experience: Intelli-Seats in the new Grandland and Frontera
The new Opel Frontera and the new Opel Grandland impress with their characteristic design, top technologies, many practical solutions – and their innovative seats. The newly developed Intelli-Seats for the driver and front passenger are already available in the family-friendly and particularly affordable Opel Frontera. A special slot running in the middle of the seat reduces pressure on the tailbone. Thus, this patented Intelli-Seat feature ensures relaxed driving comfort even on long trips on the Autobahn. If desired, the seat heating provides an even more pleasant feeling on cold days. In addition, the seats are not only richly crafted and sculpted but the seat fabrics are also available in a fully sustainable recycled material and – in that way – tie into Opel’s “Greenovation” approach.
In the all-new top-of-the-line Grandland SUV, the Intelli-Seat ergonomic feature is already on board as standard in all front seats. For those looking for even more comfort, the new “Golden Steering Wheel 2024” winner1 is also available with the ergonomic Intelli-Seat Pro (in Nappa leather) certified by AGR (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.). Opel has further developed this seat and added new comfort features. In the Grandland, it has adjustable side bolsters for the first time. The two air cushions housed in the cheeks of the backrests improve lateral support and can be adjusted according to personal preferences. In addition, the driver and front passenger seats offer ventilation as well as various massage programmes and many more features. The Intelli-Seat Pro represents the current high-end seat in the Opel portfolio in terms of comfort and individual adjustment options.
Early comfort: “Lutzmann” with soft leather seat bench
At the end of the 19th century, people could not even dream of such technologically sophisticated seats – the focus then was on engine-power, comfort played a subordinate role. The cars still resembled carriages, as did the seats. For instance the Opel Patentmotorwagen “System Lutzmann” of 1899: not just the entire car, but also the seats with their bolt-upright position were reminiscent of a carriage. Of course, there were no possibilities to adjust the seats yet. So instead, Opel focused on another detail that was a big comfort plus at the time: the bench seat was already luxuriously upholstered with leather.
Thirty years later in 1929, the seat in the Opel 4/20 “Moonlight Roadster” was still a rigidly fixed bench. However, it was positioned considerably lower and allowed passengers to stretch their legs out in front of them, similar to today. In the four-door model and limousine the front seats could be folded down. The next development step quickly followed with the Opel 1.8 Litre: the front seats could now be adjusted longitudinally. Brochures at the time stated: “The adjustable front seats are like club chairs: deep and cosy, with comfortable backrests.” The 1.2 Litre Regent had another standout feature: “Wide, comfortable, inviting front and rear seats. The large boot is accessed by simply folding the rear backrest forward.” So comfort combined with practical benefits was already on the agenda in 1931.
“Car seats like this were already on quite a few wish lists”: Kapitän, GT and Monza
From the early 1950s the seats of the Opel Olympia were fixed to a metal frame and also longitudinally adjustable. To facilitate entry for rear passengers, the front seat backrests could be folded forward. In 1956, the Opel Kapitän L took things a step further with extra seating comfort. “The occupant of each individually adjustable front seat can recline the backrest seamlessly all the way to a horizontal position, simply by pulling a lever and leaning back,” said the description. The so-called “relax” or “reclining” seat was born. “A slight pull is all it takes to ‘customise’ the seat position.” The rails the seats slid on were mounted on an incline. This meant that the height of the seat position changed according to the longitudinal adjustment. Already back then, the significance of seats for safety was highlighted: “Especially when cornering, you really feel how these seats have the right shape and how much support they provide. The result is a pleasant and secure driving feeling that you never want to miss again.”
In 1968 the Opel GT went into series production. This legendary model sparkled with its bold sporty styling – both exterior and interior. Passengers made themselves comfortable in seats with a sporty shape. Extended seat cushions and a significantly improved shoulder section showed the direction of development. From the late 1960s, Opel gradually equipped various models with optional headrests – such as the Kadett B, Rekord C, Commodore A and Olympia.
The next important development step came in 1978: in line with the credo “Comfort is a function of technology”, Opel introduced the height-adjustable seat in various trim variants of the Monza and Senator. “To guarantee every driver – regardless of height or size – their optimum personal seat position and visibility, the driver’s seat can be seamlessly adjusted in terms of longitudinal position, backrest tilt (…) and in the Senator CD even seat height”, was the description of adjustment possibilities in the Opel brochure.
Flexibility redefined: The Flex7 seating system in the Opel Zafira
In the 1990s, the seats in the Opel Omega B were electrically adjustable as an option. The reinforced rear seat backrests and side airbags made an important contribution to passive safety; elaborate crash tests with a payload were conducted for the first time. Depending on the trim version, all three rear seats came with three-point seatbelts and headrests.
Opel presented a global innovation in 1999 with the introduction of the Zafira compact van featuring its on-board Flex7 seating system. For the first time, a compact seven-seat people-carrier could be transformed, in no time at all, into a two-seat transporter with a large loading area – without having to remove the seats and cumbersomely store them outside the vehicle. Thanks to a clever mechanism, both the individual seats in the third row could be folded down flush with the floor of the boot. Then the seat cushions and backrests of the second row could be folded down, pushed up against the first row seats and secured there. This transformed the family van for seven into a load-carrier with up to 1,700 litres of transport volume (VDA – German Automotive Industry Association – standard). With this concept, Opel raised flexibility to the next level and continued further developing it up to the lounge seating system with transversally adjustable outer seats in the middle row.
Good for the back: AGR-certified ergonomic seats from 2003
Relaxed travelling not only increases the well-being and safety of passengers, it is also an important health factor. The “right” seat is not only comfortable, it also supports the occupant’s back. Opel has a pioneering role amongst volume manufacturers in this area. The company was the first automaker to offer back-friendly seats in the mid-size class in 2003, with the first AGR seal of approval for the Opel Signum. The experts for healthy seating awarded the 18-way electrically adjustable, multi-contour driver‘s seat in the Opel Vectra/Opel Signum their seal of approval.
From this moment on, the ergonomically superior seats set off on their road to success. In 2008, the standard comfort seats in the Opel Insignia offered generous adjustment setting ranges – 65 mm (electric) for height and 270 mm longitudinally – achieving absolute best marks here. The premium driver’s seat was AGR certified. And in 2012 the Opel Meriva was the first series production car to receive the coveted AGR seal of approval for its overall ergonomic concept: FlexDoors with an opening angle of 84 degrees, FlexSpace system, AGRcertified ergonomic seats and the FlexFix bicycle carrier.
Opel also made the especially back-friendly seats available in the compact class. For the first time, the AGR-certified premium ergonomic seats in the Astra generation introduced in 2015 were not just multi-adjustable in height, longitude and tilt (including side bolster adjustment) they were also optionally available with further comfort features such as massage, ventilation and memory function. And there is also a comfort plus for the second row: from then on optional seat heating is not only available for both front seats, but also for the outer rear seats.
Opel is continuously developing the seats recognised by the Campaign for Healthy Backs (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.) and enriching them with innovations that make driving even more relaxed and healthier. The latest development in this regard is the new Opel Frontera with its Intelli-Seat and the new Opel Grandland with the Intelli-Seat Pro – with more comfort and ergonomic settings than ever.
[1] AUTO BILD edition 46/2024 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 45/2024, category for “Best car under €50,000”.
