I have velour cloth seats in my '98 T5, and I think they are really much, much, much better than the leather seats in the bazillion Volvo service loaners I've had, better than the leather seats in my '86 Porsche, and better than the cloth seats in my wife's Honda Oddity (the EX power seats that the car mags and Consumer Reports rave about) and those REALLY feel like sitting on a park bench.

Did you purchase your S70 new? If not, is it possible that the seat and/or the lumbar support has broken? I believe the latter mechanism is pretty simple mainly wires strung through the seat back. See the Brickboard FAQs.

http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/InteriorSeats.htm#LumbarSupportRemovalandRepair

The 850-SVC70 seats differ in that the new cars have explosive charges in the side (the side airbags) so I'm not suggesting you try the repair at home, but the principle of the lumbar support mechanism is probably about the same.

The leather seats can't be cheap, even from a salvager. I would suggest you try living in your own passenger seat (to see if there's any difference) and also try another 70 Volvo with leather seats for a long drive before investing in new seats. Hertz rents Volvos...although I would be shocked if the design of the seats changed at all from the 850 to the 70.

Finally, my wife doesn't like the Volvo seats (the headrests come too far forward for her, not the lumbar support) so we carry a lumbar support pillow which I purchased from an office supply shop in the Chicago Loop. Similar pillows are available from the office supply chains

http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/SKU.asp?BCFlag=False&PageType=1&SKU=SAF71101

Another:

http://www.painreliever.com/als.html

Good luck!
-bill d cat