Dr. Derriere – Designing Ford Comfort

Dr. Mike Kolich, Courtesy of Ford Media

Our team at Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Humble recognizes the importance of comfortable seating in the interest of your seat for your commute or long trips. Ford supervisor Dr. Mike Kolich, a.k.a. Dr. Derriere, designed the new front seats in the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer with your comfort in mind. Now, let’s get to the bottom of this front seat redesign.

Comfort Throughout

The all-new 2020 Ford Explorer will debut new front seats that will not only be more comfortable for front seat passengers, but they will also be less cumbersome, too. The new seats will free up space for the second-row passengers to provide a more comfortable ride for everyone.

“Road trips can be largely defined by how comfortable people are – and when you get down to it, how comfortable our seats allow them to be,” said Dr. Kolich, whose Ph.D. in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering with a concentration on seat comfort has earned him the nickname among Ford seating experts.

The new design follows extensive research that suggests more and more families will be packing up in the car this year. According to AAA, more than 50% of family travelers will take a road trip this year. The U.S. Census Bureau also found that the average American commute is a record 26 minutes a day each way.

Dr. Kolich said, “As engineers, we’re thrilled with this new seat, but really it’s what our customers say and think that matters.” Dr. Kolich and his team found that when looking for comfort in a vehicle, customers focus on two aspects: shape and softness. Ford engineers believe this new design will improve the comfort of those Americans with long daily commutes or plans to take road trips.

A New Design

Courtesy of Ford Media

To add to the new level of comfort, Dr. Kolich and his team of engineers designed V-shaped seats that provide increased torso support as well as additional space to accommodate various body types. The new available 8 and 10-way adjustable front seats will cool passengers using a ventilation feature that draws warm air from the body, evolving from the previous design where the seats would blow cold air through seat perforations. The Explorer ST and Platinum trims will also feature a multi-contour system that includes unique massage patterns. These features will contribute to the overall experience that our Ford customers have come to expect.

Even More Comfort

The all-new 2020 Explorer isn’t just getting more comfortable for the front driver and passenger, rear passengers will also receive benefits from the new design. Great for families, the second-row seats feature the new-to-Explorer EZ-entry functionality. This design allows for easy access to the third row without having to remove a child’s booster seat. The front seat redesign also increases knee room for the second-row passengers, leading to fewer kicked backs for parents. Talk about a win-win!

Whether you have a long daily commute, enjoy road trips, or just want a more comfortable ride, we’ve got your back(side). Come visit Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Humble (serving Greater Houston, Atascocita, Kingwood, Conroe) or visit us online to get behind the new standard of comfort.

This entry was posted in All-New 2020 Ford Explorer, Ford Explorer and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.