My sister-in-law came over last week to borrow some long stuff. The pile included a rake, an area rug, 4 five-foot-long two-by-fours and an oversized patio umbrella. She popped the trunk of her 328i and realized her rear seat does not fold down.
Now what?
"Well", I said, "I can take the kids seats out of our Passat wagon and fold down its seats, but what a pain in the butt. You got any other ideas?"
"What about that car?" she said motioning to our long-term Mazda 6 that was sitting in my driveway. "Will they fit in there?"
"I don't know, let me get the key."
Sure enough. The Mazda's rear seat folded flat in seconds (it's even split 60/40) and it easily swallowed all the items. In fact, there was so much room to spare she went back in the garage and grabbed my push broom, a few tall bamboo sticks I'd been saving and my lifesize cardboard cutout of Burt Reynolds.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
nealibob says:
02:44 PM, 07/ 1/09
Can anyone explain to me why the seats do not fold in the 3 series? The only reason I can see for not making seats fold (besides being unbelievably stingy) is locking the trunk, but that gets negated by the ski-hole and you can put locks on the seats anyway if it is such a big deal.
fuhteng says:
02:47 PM, 07/ 1/09
I've heard the reason is structural stability. Someone (may have been me, I can't remember) asked about the G8's not folding rears and this was the response. Without the seat structure in the back I guess it can get all wiggly.
texases says:
02:54 PM, 07/ 1/09
I thought fold down seats were an option in BMWs.
texases says:
02:59 PM, 07/ 1/09
Yep, $475 for a fold down rear 328i seat on the BMW web site.
gregnv says:
03:03 PM, 07/ 1/09
I was told the G8 seats didn't fold to avoid rattles and squeaks.
carguy622 says:
03:04 PM, 07/ 1/09
Burt Reynolds should be in a Trans Am! Blasphemy!
billt9 says:
03:23 PM, 07/ 1/09
G37 seats don't fold either, right?
So the sporty RWDs are even.
Does the CTS fold?
nealibob says:
03:40 PM, 07/ 1/09
You know, I wouldn't mind the nickel-and-diming so much if BMW would start their cars at a saner price. Drop 5k across the board and we can talk. I love my 335i, and I am a sucker for a new car, but I could not be talked into spending nearly $20k more just to get this car new. I was quite content with $28k for 19k miles and nearly every option.
bc1960 says:
04:03 PM, 07/ 1/09
Generally it has to do with structural rigidity, although in a sedan with a fixed parcel shelf it should be a relatively minor difference-but given the obsession some of the performance car makers and buyers have with handling...
That's ostensibly why the MazdaSpeed6 was based on the 4-door sedan instead of the 5-door, and had a fixed rear seat instead of the sedan's usual fold-down seat
ahmado says:
05:46 PM, 07/ 1/09
Thats true even my mazda 3 does that , and many times I loaded my exhaust system and I didn't need a big car !!! .
stephen987 says:
06:08 PM, 07/ 1/09
Could you have done it in the Fit?
esoterica says:
10:13 PM, 07/ 1/09
The CTS has split-folding seats but they're only available with certain of its inscrutable options packages.
cx7lover says:
10:54 PM, 07/ 1/09
I still see the cheap, paper thin carpet.
powell_jr says:
05:36 AM, 07/ 2/09
Nothing matters other than the Burt Reynolds cut-out. Where did you get it? I drive a Mazda 3 sedan and have stuffed my Specialized road bike sans front tire in the trunk with the seats folded down many many times. Mazda has a knack for offering deceptive amounts of storage space.
jkp1187 says:
06:10 AM, 07/ 2/09
Big thumbs down to BMW for not including fold-down seats as standard in the 3-series (instead they are either a stand alone option for ~$500, or bundled as part of the cold weather package for ~ $1,100 MSRP.)
Fold-down seats are standard in the 1-series, for pity's sake....
dougtheeng says:
06:12 AM, 07/ 2/09
Its disappointing that you need to pay to have the fold down seats option. 60/40 split and fold down seats is something I pretty much expect in a vehicle nowadays. Its a major FAIL if they don't have it. Hell, in my old Mitsubishi Lancer, my golf clubs wouldn't even fit in without one side folded down - the thought of not even being able to put my clubs in the trunk in a BMW is pathetic.
blueguydotcom says:
07:27 AM, 07/ 2/09
@Neal" Can anyone explain to me why the seats do not fold in the 3 series? The only reason I can see for not making seats fold (besides being unbelievably stingy) is locking the trunk, but that gets negated by the ski-hole and you can put locks on the seats anyway if it is such a big deal."
I have a better reason - structural integrity. The cross brace on the e46 made the versions without fold down rear seats (sedans without the option) the most structurally sound of all e46s. I would not buy a BMW with fold down rear seats. I'll take the rigidity over the occasional use.
redwoodaggie says:
07:54 AM, 07/ 2/09
Yes, thumbs down to making split/folding seats optional in the 3er sedan, but they are standard on the coupe. That is definitely one thing I missed when I went from an E36 M3 coupe to E46 sedan (bought the latter used, so I didn't get to order the option).
mikeolan says:
10:22 AM, 07/ 2/09
@blueguydotcom
Sounds like BS to me if there's a $500.00 option to have them fold.
chowt8 says:
10:52 AM, 07/ 2/09
I discovered not long ago that the rear seats in my mom's 2008 Infiniti g37 S coupe do fold down and I was impressed.
blueguydotcom says:
12:01 AM, 07/ 3/09
mikeolan, sounds like? The e46 sedan without folding seats had the stiffest chassis of any e46 (including the e46 M3 - which has fold downs and no cross beam supports).
BMW claims this isn't so for the e92 v. e90 but no numbers have been released for the e90 with and without fold downs.