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!

albertchampion · #11 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.

bsmuwk · #12 10-21-2009, 08:40 PM

Germans on average are at or under 6' in height. This is a German car.

Put 2 and 2 together and you get 22

. If you're taller than an average German, not many people will fit in the backseat. If you're around German height, 6' and under, you should have no problems fitting an average German in the rear seat.

It's a 2+2 Coupe. If you really want 2 seats and no room behind you, there's the SL.

albertchampion · #13 10-21-2009, 09:04 PM

the SL's are way too small for me.

claustrophobic, in fact.

and no trunk room.

more to the point, dbag targets the usa as a major market for its vehicles.

if germany is #1 in dbag sales, the usa must be #2.

and dbag isn't paying attention to its major export market? come on. be smart[don't be a smart car, however. what a catastrophe].

even if i were 72" even, there would still be no acceptable room in the back seats of any of the coupes that i own.

bsmuwk · #14 10-21-2009, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albertchampion

the SL's are way too small for me.

claustrophobic, in fact.

and no trunk room.

more to the point, dbag targets the usa as a major market for its vehicles.

if germany is #1 in dbag sales, the usa must be #2.

and dbag isn't paying attention to its major export market? come on. be smart[don't be a smart car, however. what a catastrophe].

even if i were 72" even, there would still be no acceptable room in the back seats of any of the coupes that i own.

Don't you think that if Benz designed the vehicles specifically for the US market they would at the very least have cup holders (back in the day)? Don't forget the whole Euro schpeel...you have the option to have NO options on your MB. The only reason the US is a major market for MB specifically is because MB can load up on the options of the car and make them "standard" to increase the price of the vehicle and people here in the states buy them because they're limited to those options and whatever packages MB offers. More money for MB because they can load up the cars with "options", that's the only reason US is major market.

Now, just because US is a major market for MB, doesn't mean they had to design the cars for it. When these cars were made, cost was no option. They didn't care if the car they designed was for any type of market, they built a car that everyone KNEW was the best of the best and in a way, it was and still is. MB built a car that was up to German standards, and back then, people were happy to buy them! Designed for US? I think not! Designed for the world? Maybe. Designed by Germans that fit Germans (AND MOST OF THE WORLD) comfortably? Most likely.

I doubt the Germans had an American sit in a prototype in a comfortable position while they measured the rear seat. You most likely had the average German measuring and designing everything. Germans are on average less than 6' tall. These cars were very roomy and luxurious for them in the back, because on average, they're less than 6' tall.

A comfortable position for the average German most likely leaves a lot more room in the rear for another German to climb into comfortably. The Germans know what they're doing...obviously, as you're still driving those cars today.

If you're not the average German there won't be room. Besides, without rear seats, I think the coupes (with their size) would look absolutely ridiculous. These cars are unique 2+2 coupes, I bought it because it was roomy, comfortable, and because I'm a dumb teenager who appreciates some of the finest German engineering to date.

If you haven't noticed, the seat positioning and the positioning of the invisible B pillar are offset. Hence the need for the extendo arm seatbelt. I'm sure you can guess why the Germans designed it this way.

You didn't have to buy a coupe, you know.

If it irritates you so much, just remove the seats, cut out a template out of plywood, and upholster it with matching carpeting. Just sayin'.

pawoSD · #15 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.....