[sridharps]

Here is the photo from the Hyundai Website. The Verna rear seat has a headrest for the rear middle seat, albeit a smaller/lower one, but at least it has one! I have also felt that the Verna rear seats are quite comfortable for all passengers.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

Doesn't the new Honda Civic have a flat floor at the back, to make it easier for the fifth passenger?

I remember, the previous generation Ford Taurus was the only sedan in North America to have six seatbelts in the car, 3 in front and 3 at the back.

The Civics rear is very comfortable with three persons. The flat floor really goes a long way to provide comfort to the middle passenger. Though a third headrest is missing, it is still very good.

SX4 I guess would be the most inappropriate for the middle person.

[spadival]

[quote=raj_5004;979804]how much would plastic wheel covers cost to a manufacturer making any 3 lakh car?quote]

We are talking about back seat comfort here. Where does plastic wheel covers come in to the picture?

All I was saying is because of the extreme cost cutting measures by M&M in the Logan base model, what would have been a comfortable back seat for 3 people, is no longer comfortable. They might as well have taken out the seat cushion and put in a wooden bench to further reduce cost

[appuchan]

I agree that some cars do have horizontal space in back seat for middle passenger. But that doesn't guarantee actual sitting comfort. This is mostly affected by bad design of seats, including the folded arm rest with an uneven cushion, bulging or odd shaped seat cushions in middle, uncomfortable seat linings etc.

I own a Verna and I can say from my experience that the middle seat, even when there is decent space and has a smallish head rest as shown in picture above, its not comfortable to sit for long. The backrest is bad due to folded arm rest. Even the seat portion is not properly cushioned.

[GTO]

No clear designation of a middle seat in the design of the "back bench". It is almost always two seats with a "wide bordering" between them rather than 3 clearly designated seat positions.

Not too many cars are wide enough to accomodate three on the rear bench. Car manufacturers would rather optimise the rear seat for 2 passengers (in max possible comfort) than 3 (compromised). Reason being, that seat will be used most frequently for 1 or 2 passengers than a full load, isn't it? Heck, 90% of cars on the roads have driver + 1 at the most.

[dicorex4x4]

Even the Safari, the leader in seating comfort, has a rear middle seat that is a compromise. The "seat" portion is quite OK but the backrest part is compromised by the hard base of the arm rest (which, unfortunately, becomes the back rest of the middle seat passenger).

While the Safari seats 4 in supreme comfort, the 5th occupant will definitely not get the same level of comfort as the other 4.

[viper_711]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

The seat belt in the middle is only for a child seat, IMHO. Of course, the car companies can posture themselves.

Not good enough for that either - I recently checked out a lot of car seats before purchasing one from mothercare - all of them insisted that the seat be fixed on either side with a 3 point seat belt! Most cars in india give only a 2 point lap belt for the middle seat.

[CBlazer]

When the SX4 was launched, I was very disappointed because of the rear middle seat. It's probably one of the worst designs for a fifth passenger. The transmission tunnel is extra large (apparently because the SX4 hatch was designed for a 4WD) and so is the bulge due to the arm rest.

I soon realized that the rear middle seat is a compromise in most cars. In the Logan, the extra shoulder/leg room makes the middle seat feel better (the tunnel is wider, if you look at it closely). Felt the Fabia also has a poor rear middle seat - especially in the Elegance trim.

I believe the newer cars are being designed more smartly - making the floor flatter helps to a great extent. The cars sold in Europe - Jazz, Yaris, etc. advertise a lot about how their cars are comfortable for 5 adults. I think this is the way to go for cars - especially the upper segment hatches which will be mostly bought in cities.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by spadival

We are talking about back seat comfort here. Where does plastic wheel covers come in to the picture?

All I was saying is because of the extreme cost cutting measures by M&M in the Logan base model, what would have been a comfortable back seat for 3 people, is no longer comfortable. They might as well have taken out the seat cushion and put in a wooden bench to further reduce cost

i mentioned that because headrests are much more expensive than plastic wheel covers. still most of the manufacturers act stingy by not offering wheel covers in their base variants. thats called cost cutting!
yes, logan has gone to the extreme in such measures, but it is because of such techniques that it is priced low. hence i asked, who would buy a 8 lakh logan?

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by sridharps

Here is the photo from the Hyundai Website. The Verna rear seat has a headrest for the rear middle seat, albeit a smaller/lower one, but at least it has one! I have also felt that the Verna rear seats are quite comfortable for all passengers.

aren't they adjustable? and aren't headrests more of a safety precaution against a backlash in case somebody rear ends you?

[raj_5004]

they are adjustable i think. these types are called "waterfall headrests"!!

[Vid6639]

Doesn't the Altis have an almost flat floor as well. Not as flat as the Civic's but very close I think.

Another thing which reduces the comfort in the middle rear seat is the front centre armrest with the box. It eats into the legroom in almost all cars.

[sridharps]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

aren't they adjustable? and aren't headrests more of a safety precaution against a backlash in case somebody rear ends you?

yes, but they are also for comfort I feel and to rest your neck occassionally

[biju_kp]

What I have felt an advantage for middle seat, The A/C will blow directly at you. I am talking about the cars that have ac vents only at the front. But cramped sitting is definitely a disadvantage.

[mithun]

Why some cars are having flat floors & others are having very high bulge ?