[Dr.AD]

I voted for Captain Seats. For me, cars are about traveling in comfort and style, and not about carrying maximum people. I never look at cars as people carriers.

Captain Seats allow the two people sitting in those seats to be almost as comfortable as those sitting in the front seats, and that makes it a team of four happy people! For me that feeling is much more important than carrying five or six people.

Further, regardless of the space available, I do not like anyone sitting in the middle position in the rear seat because that blocks my view in the IRVM. And even in the most spacious cars, this still gives a feeling of being cramped. I somehow feel claustrophobic with five people in a vehicle.

If I ever buy an SUV, I would prefer it with Captain Seats without a doubt.

[Durango Dude]

I haven't owned an MUV/SUV, but for occupying so much road space the least one can do is use the available interior space as judiciously as possible. I've voted for the rear bench, if offered I'd also ask for a front bench like the good ol' Amby of yore with a steering mounted or dash mounted gear lever to free up more user space. If you want to get really comfy why not use a Volvo B7R and sleep in comfort.

[chinmaypillay]

Voted for captain seats, in my opinion why buy an MPV if you don't want captain seats? No other sector of cars can afford to have captain seats in the rear. Xylo has spoilt us for comfort in this regard, though I don't get to sit in the rear often (actually none).

One major advantage of captain seats is that it somehow makes the occupants wear seat belts. Always difficult to convince someone in the bench to wear seat belt. You have your own space and setting. If no captain, I wouldn't bother with looking for an MPV. My family is so spoilt sitting in this, it is difficult to make them sit in another car.

But for SUV, I would prefer bench since the length and space in the third row is limited. Many of the captain seats don't fold fully like in Innova, thankfully it does in Xylo. So getting to the third row is a pain for the former. Other disadvantage is the number of people it can accomodate, one seat less and occasionally squeezing someone extra in the bench if required.

When I consider for bench I would switch to sedans rather than feel odd in the bigger one.

[Sebring]

Bench seats for me. Why?
a. Because I'll wring the most out of the limited real estate. Folded flat, I can carry more luggage. (besides the obvious advantage of carrying an additional person)
b. Its easier to get to the third row. And, leg room is better for the third row passengers
c. For the life of me, I just cant squeeze in between the captain seats and get to the third row. I'll also soil the seats in the process.
d. Somehow, with three abreast its a lot more fun - than when we traveled in captain seats (Slept mostly)
e. If I'm the lone passenger at the back, can stretch sideways. My legs will thank me

[GTO]

I love captain seats because of the enormous comfort they offer. However, I'd go for captain seats only in the chauffeur-driven car of the house. Because I prefer to self-drive 99% of the time (I use Uber for the other 1%), this point isn't applicable to me.

Hence, I have voted for the bench seat. Not only can you hold 1 more passenger, but the 5th passenger will be way more comfortable on the middle row than the last. In a captain seat SUV / MUV with a lot of luggage, a large car effectively becomes a 4-seater. We roam around in big groups and hence, the more onboard, the merrier.

[amol4184]

Voted for bench.
I see at SUV or MPV type vehicle as big family carriers. Having Innova sized vehicle only to ferry 3 passengers (apart from driver) seems vast wastage of area regardless of rear passenger comfort. Since Innova is here, the bench seat on that car is really good. So it is on Marazzo.
I'll trade in some comfort for extra seat and split seat advantage.

[anandhsub]

Voted for bench. Atleast for the duration of my next car purchase which I will likely use for the next 8-10 yrs the middle seat of the bench will always be used by my kid ( she is 4.5 now and will likely outgrow her car seat next year when I do the purchase).

Hence bench seats would work out fine with no compromises on comfort or visibility. With captain seats I would unnecessarily be losing some boot space in case we are traveling as 4 adults + a kid. I am looking at the third row as usable only in case we need to carry 1-2 more adults for city trips.

[Nilesh5417]

I chose Marazzo with bench seat cause I wanted a car with enough seats to carry my family. We never had a car with captain seats in the middle so the comfort aspect never crossed my mind - you don't miss what you don't know. Used to bench seats and I didn't want to compromise on the additional seating space cause my car gets full with kids and their friends often!

When am over this family phase, guess am not going to need that seating space and captain seats for sure!

Summary - my choice was driven by my need ( for extra seating space).

[abhishek46]

Why not provide a Hybrid-Sort-Of arrangement?

A captain seat arrangement with an option to convert it to bench, at the flick of few levers, could most ideal.

[landcruiser123]

Voted captain seats for chauffeur-driven comfort. The only real disadvantage IMHO is that the 2nd row won't fold.

I think 4 adults + 1 kid is manageable provided the child isn't too young/prone to motion sickness sitting alone in the 3rd row.

[Eshan Joshi]

I voted for bench seats because they are more practical. You can spread out comfortably while sitting on a bench seat. You will have space for five people. The seats fold down. It's just a sensible choice.


However, I won't not mind if the seats are like this:



I believe that these are called executive seats (Please correct me if I am wrong).

[freakmuzik]

Opted for a Captain seat as in ideal conditions, I really enjoy the plethora of individual adjustments it offers. But otherwise, I'm quite happy with a bench seat. Most bench seats actually aren't that bad when compared to the captain seats. Infact, in some vehicles, I've found the under thigh support to be better in bench seats than captain chairs. Also, you can have your bag beside you, you can fold your legs and sit in a long journey. You can even do yoga if you have a bench seat Also, in captain seats, try sitting a bit cross and it will be so uncomfortable. In bench seats, you can lean either sides, stretch your legs wherever you want, rest your head on the C pillar with a cushion and feel home behind the front seats.

But since I've mostly travelled with strangers in MUVs, I still voted for Captain seats. My seat, my business.

[PatienceWins]

Prefer captain seats any day.

1. Rear passengers can sit in comfort with their own arm rest and there is no competition for the front seats, especially with children.
2. Third row passengers would not feel claustrophobic, have more space to stretch their legs in the middle and easy adjustment to middle row seat as space needed for third row (for e.g. a tall passenger seating at one side)
3. Easier to access the third row why passing through the middle than folding the seats, especially with children who keep moving in and out.

[Herbie98]

Voted for Bench seats,the bench seat is more practical and comfortable any day.

1. Easy ingress-egress for 5th passenger
2. Much better long distance comfort for 5th passenger in the middle row than the 3rd row.
3. Long trips - Luggage space is good with the 3rd row tumbled down and 5 people accommodated in first two rows.
4. Bench seats can be tumbled down to carry additional luggage.

Disadvantages with captain seats:

1. With captain seats, the car becomes a 4 seater for long distances. This is the biggest disadvantage for a family of 5.
2. All cars except Xylo have the 3rd row so low placed that folks have to sit knees up. So, this makes 3rd row seats best suited for 1-2 hrs journey, not more than that.
3. Ingress-Egress is tough to last row, no one likes to climb in and out there. Only kids are ok with this row. This is a practical observation.
4. Bumpy ride in the last row. Many people with motion sickness struggle a lot with the last row.
5. The last row seats are very close to the rear windshield in most of the cars, we feel its always a risk to have someone seated there.
6. And if someone has to sit in the 3rd row then the luggage space is compromised big time.

Our experience is with Scorpio, Innova and Hexa.

[TrackDay]

I think manufacturers can bridge the gap between Bench and Captain seats. A hybrid kind of seat, similar to the ones found on the Honda odyssey or the upcoming Citroen C5. Perhaps a love child of them both. .

The main advantage of the captain seats that most BHP'ians have stated is the individual recline function while the bench has the option of seating additional passengers or lying down. Why not introduce a flexible middle seat that can be folded / used as arm rest / or removed when not required. A 40:20:40 setup with recline on all three ! Why not have your cake and eat it too