Lumbar support?

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DSN

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I've been trying to use the "build your own" configurator at miniusa.com, and can't find any way to tell whether the configuration includes lumbar support - which is a pretty important feature for me. Any suggestions what to do about this?
 
You could call the dealer and ask which seats come with lumbar support. Or take a poll here. Which seats do you want?

As far as I know they all have lumbar adjustment except for the non-sport seats and the JCW seats. But I could be wrong
 
Thanks, chrunck. According to a dealer we visited today, lumbar support in the Cooper SE comes only on leather seats (hence the Iconic trim level).
 
I've been poking around this morning looking at interior pictures and I don't think that's true. I know I said to ask the dealer, but I never trust them :)

Satellite grey (iconic) - you can very clearly see the lumbar knob.

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Cross punch leather (sig+) - harder to see, but the knob is there.

xW0l6md.jpg


MINI Yours leather (iconic) - I don't see one in this top picture, but it might be hidden by the angle. The bottom picture is from someone selling them, and you can see the knob clearly.

H8ECq8u.jpg


2nd pic:

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Black Pearl Light Checkered (sig+) - This is the best picture I could find and it's not clear whether the knob is there.

WR2gip6.jpg


Cloth/leather black pearl (sig+) - you can see the lumbar knob behind the arm rest.

5qEAGFr.jpg
 
Additional note: some of these aren't from Cooper SEs and may be from older model years. Most of these seats have been around since 2014, so it's possible they've removed lumbar since then, but I don't know how likely that is.
 
This is from a 2020 Cooper S with the black pearl seats. No lumbar, it looks like.

UzpdbC6.jpg


So maybe the dealer is right and it only comes with leather seats now. But you can get the cross punch leather seats in the Sig+, so you're not limited to just Iconic.
 
chrunck said:
This is from a 2020 Cooper S with the black pearl seats. No lumbar, it looks like.

UzpdbC6.jpg


So maybe the dealer is right and it only comes with leather seats now. But you can get the cross punch leather seats in the Sig+, so you're not limited to just Iconic.
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I ordered the Sig+ in cross punch leather and honestly it was the best interior of them all IMO. Has lumbar support too.
 
My base SE does have the sport seats with the thigh adjustment but no lumbar support, really wish I had it. Question is, is it worth the extra 7k or so?
 
MatthewL said:
My base SE does have the sport seats with the thigh adjustment but no lumbar support, really wish I had it. Question is, is it worth the extra 7k or so?
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I love it, but you can get it with Sig+ and cross punch leather to save a few thousand
 
My cloth/leatherette black pearl seats don't have it. I don't really miss it (though I might if I tried it), but I like the smooth look of the side of the seats without the knob.
 
ColdCase said:
I think so too, the Iconic seats are close, but there is something about the cross punch feel.
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I was forced into the MINI Yours Leather seats when I went Iconic, but I have to say they are extremely nice. The leather is much softer than I expected.
 
I wish the mini website was a little better... I'm also new here and shopping and I've noticed if you look at a Toyota's main site they have tables that list all the options between the trim levels (very detailed.. they're really good at that) so you can see exactly what you're getting if you pay for a higher trim. The build a mini site was pretty vague so I went into the mini dealership and asked a few questions to the salesperson and.. I sometimes wonder if they even know.
 
chrunck said:
You can retrofit the lumbar support if you're so inclined. I read a how to a few years ago and it didn't seem too complicated. The kit is $200.

https://www.outmotoring.com/retrofit-lumbar-support-f54-5-6-7.html
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Thanks for that link! After seeing the photo on that page I now know what's actually happening inside the seat when I twist the lumbar knob. I'm actually a little disappointed with how simple it is. Costing $400 to do both seats, these kits aren't cheap, but it's great they're available. People complaining about Honda's omission of adjustable lumbar support in the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid have no such option.
 
ColdCase said:
I think so too, the Iconic seats are close, but there is something about the cross punch feel.
Click to expand...
The iconic is okay, but not as fond of the stitching. Definitely not of the color after having nearly identical in my car. But the touch of suede and the feel is by far my favorite and in part why I didn't jump to iconic.

Puppethead said:
I was forced into the MINI Yours Leather seats when I went Iconic, but I have to say they are extremely nice. The leather is much softer than I expected.
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They are nice. I just didn't like the headrests as much. If I went Iconic I was going to get those as well.
 
insightman said:
Thanks for that link! After seeing the photo on that page I now know what's actually happening inside the seat when I twist the lumbar knob. I'm actually a little disappointed with how simple it is. Costing $400 to do both seats, these kits aren't cheap, but it's great they're available. People complaining about Honda's omission of adjustable lumbar support in the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid have no such option.
Click to expand...
Hi there! I wonder if you can help. I purchased this retrofit kit from Outmotoring last June and cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it operating. It's easy enough to install, except the arm that connects to the knob is too long, but turning the knob and winding the cable does nothing to the back of my seat. Any help would be appreciated. I'm out $200 if I can't get it working and Outmotoring, though so responsive, insists it works. BTW, my local dealer told me this is not a retrofit kit, but rather a replacement part. Not sure who to believe.
 
Melinda Mulcahy said:
Hi there! I wonder if you can help. I purchased this retrofit kit from Outmotoring last June and cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it operating. It's easy enough to install, except the arm that connects to the knob is too long, but turning the knob and winding the cable does nothing to the back of my seat. Any help would be appreciated. I'm out $200 if I can't get it working and Outmotoring, though so responsive, insists it works. BTW, my local dealer told me this is not a retrofit kit, but rather a replacement part. Not sure who to believe.
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Unfortunately, because my lumbar adjustment knob came installed on my SE, I don't know how to install one. I don't recall any other forum members who have installed this kit, be it a retrofit kit or a replacement part (I doubt this kind of part ever fails). I hope your resurrection of this thread will bring your plight to the attention of someone who has made this kit work.
 
Thank you so much. It's been a long, frustrating road. Literally NO "how tos" online or provided by MINI. My son is a tech at Mercedes and he couldn't figure it out either. Yikes!
 
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