[Touringlawyer]

Hello friends,

I couldn't find this specific issue addressed in any of the Threads on the Forum. Hence posting a New Thread.

If one were to remove the 2nd-row seats entirely from a 6/7 seater SUV or MPV, while keeping the 3rd-row intact as it is, would it affect the roadworthiness of the vehicle?

Also, how easy or difficult would it be? I understand this would be vehicle-specific, but in case any of you can give some pointers, would be grateful.

I am not mentioning the vehicle because I have not bought it yet, and plan to buy depending upon the answer to these queries.

Thank you.

[ani_meher]

I don't think the roadworthiness would be affected. You are simply removing a bench that can't weigh more than a person (80kg).

Seats are put on bolts, so it will be little time consuming but doable. But the bottom won't be finished or flat, there will be pointy things after seat removal since they are not supposed to be removed, company has not made the area underneath them efficient for storage.

Curious to know why you would want to do this. Is this for storage or for comfort? Third row seats are never as comfortable as second row, and many MPVs provide do provide folding seats. In case of BRV/ Hexa, if you simply tumble the second row seats and tie them to first row headrests, that should suffice and save you trouble of removing whole bench and keeping it somewhere.

[jayguar]

Do note that the 3rd row seats will lack under thigh support and will be much less comfortable than the middle row irrespective of the legroom. Removing the middle row is definitely doable and does not affect the road worthiness.

[amrutmhatre90]

I know someone who has done this to Toyota Innova, but he has changed the last row seats to make them comfortable. Also right behind the front seats there is a huge LED TV.

It is certainly not difficult but doable, and yes it will be road worthy.

[condor]

My Storme does not have 3rd row seats, but on occasions I have removed the 2nd row myself. A few nuts, and a helping hand to take it out of the vehicle. I have also once removed the 2nd row in my Sumo.

It wont affect road-worthiness, but normally the 3rd row seats are not as comfortable as the 2nd row. And you must ensure that the last row passengers are always wearing seat-belts.

[GTO]

DC Design has done this to many Innovas & vans:


Do note that the ingress / egress for the 3rd-row will be more difficult (even if the 2nd row is removed). The ride quality is usually choppier at the tail-end of the UV, while the headroom is limited in some. Lastly, most UVs offer zero to little luggage space with the last row up. Translated, even if you have 1 passenger at the back, you'll need to keep the luggage in the front.

[Chetan_Rao]

If you're planning on doing it to create a comfortable 4/5 seater UV with lots of room in the middle, then the bigger issue would be to make the last row more comfortable. Even if you enhance the seat's quality, you'll still be ergonomically restricted by the available recline space and headroom in some vehicles.

Will be utilitarian at best unless you get the tweaks done by a professional. Something like the middle row removed, last row brought forward by a foot or so to create recline and luggage space at the back, and the seats bolstered for better ergonomics.

[Touringlawyer]

Hi folks,

Thank you all for the advise. I have dropped the idea of buying a 6/7 seater MPV and removing the 2nd row seats.

I even tried removing the 2nd Row Bench seat from my Duster AWD and replacing it with 2 captain seats. That also didn't work out because the chassis of the Duster is so designed that the 2nd row bench seat is placed on an elevated hump and the bench seat scooped out from under. As a consequence of which what happens is that if you place any aftermarket captain seat on the elevated hump, the height of the seat increases so much that there is hardly any gap between the head of the passenger and the car ceiling. I will let the pictures explain it.

The learning that I had in all this experience (which is what I wanted to share here) is that there is a huge market for these aftermarket seats, which as the vendor explained to me, are procured from the insurance companies from vehicles which suffer total damage / loss in case of accidents and these seats are then pulled out from such vehicles.

In Delhi, the market to go to for this kind of purchase is Mayapuri. The seat that you can see in the first and second picture is the front seat of Innova and the seat in the third pic is front seat of Swift.

Though I did not make the purchase, I would still recommend the Vendor Mr. Dev Kapoor in Mayapuri (Mobile Number: 9899981660). He was a real gentleman, and the prices he offered for the seats were actually less than 50% of what was offered to me by some other car modification shops in Noida and Delhi.

He quoted the Innova Seats (with Headrest and one side armrest) at Rs. 8000/- a seat. Without Headrest, the cost was Rs. 5000/- a seat. The independent Car Seat installation expert who he referred to, quoted Rs. 3000/- for the entire installation, after a detailed examination of the vehicle, in case I wanted to still get the seats installed.

Hope this helps someone looking for this kind of modification / alteration.

[saurabh041086]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

Hi folks,

Though I did not make the purchase, I would still recommend the Vendor Mr. Dev Kapoor in Mayapuri (Mobile Number: 9899981660). He was a real gentleman, and the prices he offered for the seats were actually less than 50% of what was offered to me by some other car modification shops in Noida and Delhi.

He quoted the Innova Seats (with Headrest and one side armrest) at Rs. 8000/- a seat. Without Headrest, the cost was Rs. 5000/- a seat. The independent Car Seat installation expert who he referred to, quoted Rs. 3000/- for the entire installation, after a detailed examination of the vehicle, in case I wanted to still get the seats installed.

Hope this helps someone looking for this kind of modification / alteration.

Thanks for sharing the details. Ever since i thought of hiring a chauffeur I have been toying with the idea of getting an Aspire/Freestyle rear seat backrest(with headrests) for my 2017 Figo. I think this contact info can be a good starting point to inquire about same.