Is there any advantage not having a seat in the back? One can always place a suitcase on it…why pay extra for a bench? I always thought the back seats were there for insurance purposes anyway, and for little people.
IMO, historically-speaking, benches are "cool" - means the car is for adult(s), no kids. Backseats for toddlers and "little people"… nice, but not really a jet set image.
Californias with rear seats have fold down shelves that provide a flat surface for placing luggage, so really, best of both worlds. Also, I can fit two 20" international size roller board carry-ons side by side in the trunk (they vary in size by manufacturer, but my Ducati-themed Tumis fit).
Ahh. Just ran into this issue yesterday. I have back seats in my '10. I needed to transport something long and I thought I could pop down the seats to slide the object through from the trunk. I tried pulling on these leather tabs to bring the seat down & no good. I pulled manual and only found a small reference to a latch that I could not figure out how to use or even if I had the ability. I gave up and did something else. So ques: Did I do it wrong or does my car possibly not have this option?
To lower the shelves, you first need to pull on the grey plastic latches inside the trunk. They are not very obvious and unmarked. I don't have a pic handy but I seem to recall instructions in the owners manual showing their location. Once those latches are pulled, you can pull down the shelves by the leather tabs inside the passenger compartment. I don't know if once that is done, you can pass long things through the trunk, as my access is blocked by my aftermarket amp and sub.
No obvious tabs in the trunk. The pic in the manual shows a latch mechanism but I did not see it in mine when I looked unless it was hidden behind these from fitted decorative covers that needed to be removed first, idk. Anyway I solved my problem by reclining the front passenger seat all the way and transporting the item that way. Thx
