LET'S TALK ABOUT COUPE BACK SEATS - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

albertchampion · #1 10-20-2009, 11:56 PM

every review of benz coupes relates that there is room for passengers in the back seats. no matter what the magazine, what the review, this assessment is de rigeur.

and when i read this, i know that the author of the piece has never owned or investigated a benz coupe.

i own several. a 1987 c126, a 1995 a124[c124], a 1997 c140, and now a c215. none of them offer any room for any back seat passenger unless it is a doll or a cardboard figure.

why daimler designs/installs rear seats for these cars has always puzzled me.

the funniest thing about my CL500 is that the rear seat has anchoring devices for a child seat. why? quite frankly, no matter how supple you might be, there is no room in this back seat area to install the seat.

these rear seats are a joke.

benz and all reviewers should acknowledge this.

benz coupes are just larger roadsters. and there is no reason for rear seats.

benz should just tailor that area for holding bags of groceries, etc.

eliminate the rear seats from your coupes dbag.

the oddest reviews concern the new e class coupe. it is touted as being somehow larger than its predecessor, the clk.

how odd, the e coupe is built on the same chassis. has the same wheelbase. just as cramped as the clk.

seems as if the auto magazines are as blinded by the advertising dollar as the us newspapers.

any disagreement?

pawoSD · #2 10-21-2009, 12:21 AM

That all depends on how tall the person in front (and in back) are...its that way in most cars.

I just checked out a 300CD....and it had a good amount of room in back....not as much as a 300D....but still sufficient for a kid.

albertchampion · #3 10-21-2009, 12:57 AM

well, i am 74 inches tall. and when i put my seat into a comfortable driving position, no one could sit behind me.

and i think the same is true for anyone sitting behind the front passenger seat. there is no there there.

perhaps the front seats arranged for dwarfs could allow for rear seats to accommodate dwarf children, but for more normal human beings, there is no room.

and anyone who really knows these vehicles knows this.

you know, when i am in my driving position, there isn't more than an inch between my seat back and the rear seat.

who do you know that has a leg that is no thicker than an inch?

pawoSD · #4 10-21-2009, 01:09 AM

Perhaps coupes are targeted more towards those that only need one or two seats....

Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men drives a MB coupe on the show....

albertchampion · #5 10-21-2009, 02:13 AM

is charlie harper some brit comedian?

mpolli · #6 10-21-2009, 02:22 AM

My Supra was like that. Only children could fit there. I was told it was because two seat cars have higher insurance.

Ferdman · #7 10-21-2009, 06:37 AM

Albert, our 1992 300CE accommodates adults in the rear seats. Granted it is a bit of a struggle getting in and out of the rear seats, but it's comfortable once you're seated. I'm 6' tall and there is still leg/knee room behind the driver's seat ... a bit cramped. I can believe that for a 6' 2" driver there would be little/no leg room behind the driver's seat. Realize that coupe buyers aren't concerned with rear passenger space. They prefer the styling and probably drive alone most times, with an occasional passenger. It's nice to have space for a briefcase or jacket, plus the coupes offer a roomier feel than a roadster. I used to own a Corvette and felt claustrophobic in it at times ... never get that feeling in our 300CE.

Chadahar · #8 10-21-2009, 11:43 AM

No Charlie Harper is two guys, one Charlie Sheen plays in 2 1/2 men and.......ME!

I never knew the character had my name until a couple months ago..

BTW!
I, too, drive a 1984 Euro 500SEC and mine at least has the leather upholstered piece between the rear seats. An option. I would not want to make a long drive in the rear seats of my car, but I never use the seats.

I beg to differ on the rear seats of the SEL though. I have ridden in the rear seats of Sylvia in a better than two hour rt drive last Sat to the GTG at Jono's in GA. I was perfectly fine and I loved the foot rest that Sylvia came with from the factory. Very comfy ride. Of course I am only 64" tall, so that does make a difference, but both the front passengers are 6' or better and I still had legroom.

Mercedes Guy · #9 10-21-2009, 03:48 PM

I've never owned an MB coupe, but I've often wondered this very same thing while looking at coupes on the lot. There never appears to be much leg room or head room in the back seat. Of course, I'm sure there are always some people who need to cram and extra person in just for a short trip. One time I saw an R129 300SL with three teenagers in it. One of the guys was kneeling in the small area behind the two seats. Man, if they would have gotten into an accident the guy behind the seats would have gone flying!

Has anyone been in the back seat of a CLS? I've never sat in one, but while looking at them at the MB dealer there doesn't appear to be much head room in the back seat.

At just over 6'4" I can honestly say that my W140 is the only back seat that I have sat in that allows me to sit up straight, and I still have enough leg room even when the front seats are all the way back.

G-Benz · #10 10-21-2009, 05:34 PM

Deleting the rear seats puts the car in the "roadster" category...insured differently than 4-seaters.

The CLK rear seats are barely suitable for my petite teen daughter. A Honda Prelude we formerly owned had even less rear legroom!

pawoSD · #11 10-22-2009, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercedes Guy

I've never owned an MB coupe, but I've often wondered this very same thing while looking at coupes on the lot. There never appears to be much leg room or head room in the back seat. Of course, I'm sure there are always some people who need to cram and extra person in just for a short trip. One time I saw an R129 300SL with three teenagers in it. One of the guys was kneeling in the small area behind the two seats. Man, if they would have gotten into an accident the guy behind the seats would have gone flying!

Has anyone been in the back seat of a CLS? I've never sat in one, but while looking at them at the MB dealer there doesn't appear to be much head room in the back seat.

At just over 6'4" I can honestly say that my W140 is the only back seat that I have sat in that allows me to sit up straight, and I still have enough leg room even when the front seats are all the way back.

I've sat in the back of a CLS, the headroom was not great, but I did not hit the ceiling...and I am around 6'. The weirdest part is that there is glass over you instead of ceiling.....

Texholdem · #12 10-22-2009, 01:39 AM

It is not quite true that Germans are under 6' on average. I have been living in Germany for a long time. Germans are taller than most Europeans except for the Viking descendants in Northern.

G-Benz · #13 10-22-2009, 11:19 AM

You would think with the price of gas in Europe, carpooling would be encouraged...and MB would design the cockpit so that 4 people could sit comfortably.

Fulcrum525 · #14 10-22-2009, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I've sat in the back of a CLS, the headroom was not great, but I did not hit the ceiling...and I am around 6'. The weirdest part is that there is glass over you instead of ceiling.....

I'm a little under 6' and have been in the back of a number of coupes. When your reading these articles and they are talking about ample leg room you have to consider that they are comparing all the coupes on the market. If you think a Mercedes coupe has no leg room then go and look at the back seat of a lot of the other available coupes. In this case lets say a Mitsubishi Eclipse....now thats a squeeze.

The CLS rear seat was an ok place to sit but yes the lack of headroom could be a problem but once again is nowhere near as bad as a VW CC.

I was surprised at how spacious a 300CD's rear seat was.

I was surprised at how tight a Bentley Continental GT's rear seats were.

I was greatly impressed with the rear seat of a 560SEC....those back seats are very comfortable and you have loads of headroom. You would be fine back there even on a longer trip. Sure you can't beat a LWB S-Class for comfort but thats not the point.

One reason why I would never own an SL is because it only has two seats. If you have to transport more then one person your going to be in trouble. Technically 560SEC would be far better for me in comparison to my full sized S-Class. Its very rare that I have passengers in my car so a big coupe makes lots of sense to me. You have the smaller size of a 560SEC but if you need to carry people its not a problem.

albertchampion · #15 10-21-2009, 08:37 PM

i hear this "insurance category" argument.

but then tell me this....

i owned a 1985-6 honda civic crx. a wonderfully fun vehicle. as i recall it had two seats only. with a rear deck. yet it was classified as a coupe, not a roadster.

and then there is the "soon to be released" lotus evora[i want one. i used to one a 1972 lotus europa t/c which i still consider the most fun to drive car i have ever owned]. it can be acquired as a 2+2[i.e., rear seats]. but since there is no room, it can also be optioned as a 2+2 without rear seats, only a rear deck. how will the insurance companies rate this?

candidly, i think dbag ought to offer a rear deck as an option and let the purchaser deal with the insurance issue.

concerning the w140[500sel]. i wish that i had purchased a post-1996 one. i keep looking for a cherry one. hard to find. most seem to have been abandoned. they were apartments on wheels. far superior to my w126[560sel]. i consider the post-1996 models the zenith of post ww2 sedan design. just ahead of the series 60's cadillac fleetwoods that ended in 1953, as i recall.

i would kill for one of those in a cherry condition.