2007 Mitsubishi Outlander: Third Row for Show

You chop them off before hand. Actually, the seat's not quite up at that point, it's in between positions 4 and 5.
 
I'll put a video up of raising the Outlander's rear seat when I get a few moments or take it home for the evening.
 
-James Riswick

Oh yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that right off. I couldn't figure out how to get those seats up so just took a picture of 'em like that.

My first impression of the 3rd row bench wasn't that good either. But after a few months driving my Outlander, I find these seats to be very useful. I am constantly driving my children's friends (ages 5 through 9) around town and I find the 3rd row seats just fine for the job. Putting the seats up and down becomes really easy after just a few tries. My only complain is that they don't come in leather like the rest of the upholstery.

LOL ! There you go again! :)
To begin with, the third row in BOTH RAV4 and Outlander is more like a penalty box for normal adults - in case they can get there. I think the RAV4 is as bad as the Outlander in this respect. True, the 3rd row in the RAV4 looks a bit better due to matching upholstery and without the funny headrests, but that's about it.
Now, YOU not being able to unfold the seats have nothing to do with the seats being so hard to unfold. An average person, following the instructions and practicing few times, could fold/unfold them under 20 seconds.
And one more thing, if you unfold the seats properly, they are pretty sturdy. If this is not the case in your vehicle, take it to the dealer.
 
Check out the video review at the link below and judge for yourself how difficult is to unfold the Outlander’s 3rd row seats.
 
http://www.roadfly.com/2007-mitsubishi-outlander-road-test.html

I was never planning to use those 3rd row seats when i bought my outlander, but surprisingly it has gotten me out of a few jams when i needed to transport a few extra kids too and from school, or the notorious load up the extended family to journey to the crowded chinese restaurant (I am asian and love crowded chinese restaurants!). anyways the 3rd row seat is really not that complicated at all once you've tried it no more than a few times, but i am not going to vouch for their comfort. The kids never complained, in fact they though it was sweet. Even got some OOOhss and Ahhhhhs from them when i folded the seat out of nowhere. It was my tiny aunt who complained big time when we decided to put her back there because well she is no bigger than a 13 year old girl. Stiff she said. And to be perfectly honest, most people i would assume buying SUVs in this class are not concerned about a "proper" third rows and are more like me. Its nice to have when you are in a pinch.

Regarding comfort in the 3rd row, you wont find much of it in most SUVs anyways. I am 5'8" and I have sat in MDX and Land Cruiser 3rd row and they were one of my worst experiences ever. Almost made me want to walk rather than getting trapped back there.

The Outlander's 3rd row seat serves some purpose. It doesn't aim it toward the folks who sprout over 4 feet. Kids will think it's awesome and a wizard in folding but to us, its ridiculous. Its looks funny and to hear it offers hardly any real comfort is displeasing especially to the potential buyers. But do the research and think again when confronted with crossover 3rd row seat space. I would use them to secure bulky loads and things that might find sliding a hobbie while in drive. It wil do tricks to kids but we all know that cramming someone back there will do torture. The diagram did look user friendly to follow but the same goes for Ikea products. Get it for looks, a kicking stereo, and loads to playtime, sacrifices have to be made. Still find the style tastefully bold.

If the kids are small enough to fit back there, they probably need to be in a car seat or use a booster. Also note the close proximity of their noggins to the rear hatch and glass. No thanks. I'll stick with a real third seat.

The directions to the seat are clear, but it does require some effort to get them up -- more so than most third rows including the RAV4. In terms of space and seat comfort, the RAV4 does have a clear and definite advantage over the Outlander. This is based on actually sitting in both our long-term Mitsu and a RAV4 back-to-back as they sat right next to each other. The differences between the two are a lot more than upholstery matches and funny headrests -- the Outlander doesn't actually have padding in its seat bottom, it's almost like folding lawn furniture with higher quality fabric. I could also fit in the RAV4, I physically could not in the Mitsu. I don't want to sit in either back seat, but I wouldn't even consider putting myself or my fictional children in the Outlander's third row.

OK, if you wouldn't sit in the RAV4's 3rd row seat nor you would put your kids there, how does the extra padding or another 0.5 inch of legroom or headroom help? It seems like the 3rd row is EQUALLY useless in BOTH RAV4 so what's the point?

Actually, regardless of how often they plan to use it, most people would agree that a seat that's larger and more comfortable is more useful than another that's less so.