The 313 seats are certainly a lot more comfortable, especially if going right down to Moorgate, don’t think I’d be able to handle the non-cushioned seats for that long...
It's interesting that when the 387s and the last of the 377s came with thin seats, we got the first moans about ironing board seats. That subsided a little until the 700s came, then picked up again.
That too died down and now you don't hear people moaning about the seats much. It only picked up (massively) when a few high profile people moaned to coincide with the introduction of 700 services on Great Northern. The thin seats were mentioned as if these were the first trains with 'ironing boards'.
Naturally, that died down too.
How is this on topic? Well, because looking online it seems there are very few moans about the seats on the 313s. Perhaps this is down to the fact the 313s were so old and were falling apart, compared to coming from a 365 or 387 (the 317s and 321s having gone long before) or that most people aren't really that bothered and only join in when someone else starts to moan.
As has been said before, with 313s offering a great service for those who board at Moorgate or WGC, but less so for those in between, the 717s are now making a real difference in allowing people to get on. These people never had seats in the first place, so aren't missing out. Chances are they're still not sitting down now - but they can at least breathe.