Suburban: Bench or captains' chairs?

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
We're thinking about a Suburban (again :rolleyes:). We had initially thought we'd do captains chairs in the second row, but now I'm wondering if a bench would make more sense.

This wouldn't be our everyday vehicle for the most past, but would be used for trips. Eventually we expect that we'll be traveling quite a bit, so while it won't be our "all the time" car, it will be an "a lot of the time" car.

Currently I have DS1 in a booster. DD and DS2 are RF.

If we got captains chairs, DS1 would go in the third row. I don't love it back there. He looked a bit squished, but he also didn't complain (we only went on a short test-drive though). Having him back there means he woks have to duck under a rear-facing seat to get in and out of the car. However, in another year or so, DD will be FF, and then he won't have to duck anymore, so it would be temporary.

Having the bench means DS1 could still sit in the third row if he wants, although there wouldn't be open space in front of him. It also means we could put him in the second row and utilize the extra space in back for gear and whatnot. But then I have to load someone in the middle by reaching over another seat, and that's kinda a PITA.

So... What would you do?
 
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Dorothy

New member
I would probably prefer the middle bench. It seems like it would give you more flexibility. :)

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TXDani

Senior Community Member
My response will probably be long. :)

I had a bench 7 passenger SUV when I had three kids and now that I have captains chairs it is eons better..if I had known how much better I would have switched cars years sooner. If you are going to have two ff'ing seats in a year and plan on keeping the car after that point I would definitely go with captains chairs. The only time it is going to be easier to have a bench is when you have two rf'ers and really the bench in the Burban is so wide that having one in the center might not be all that easy...what is harder a kid climbing under seats or you trying to get around his seat to put a kid in the center? Kids like climbing...momma not so much. :)

When I had the bench there were (many) times I didn't want to do three across and putting one in the third row meant they had to climb over the seats or climb in through the rear hatch (which I hated). I didn't like leaving the flip forward seat empty because a) I still have two kids right next to each other and b) it was a pain in the rear. With the captains chairs I have my two "at home kids" (not in school full time) in each captains seat and my older two in the back. When loading up I just take the baby to his side and put him in while all the other kids load in the other door and get in their respective spots. When you do want to tumble forward the captains chair you can do it with the push of a button so it is very easy and opens up A lOT of room for an adult to climb in and get around in the third row.

Having had both I will be having captains chairs from here on out (unless I end up with a 5th kid because then I would need the extra seating position) I also think cars look nicer with captains chairs...a weird hang up of mine. ;)

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canadiangie

New member
I went bench because I have three kids and don't want to *have* to use my 3rd row all the time. The girls are fine side by side, so that's not an issue. I'm really fortunate that they get along. Maybe because even when there was just two of them I kept them sbs so I could load from one side. Running boards are your friend for reaching to the middle, I suppose. I'm 5'4" and manage fine.

I'm not familiar with how the Sub's 2nd row '40' portion slides/tumbles forward. In my experience this actually makes quite a difference. My current SUV the '40' tilts forward a bit and then slides on the track. This is a one-step process requiring one finger, and about 3 seconds. If it wasn't convenient like that I don't think I'd be ok with it. Some SUVs really suck in terms of 3rd row access.

I think there are pros and cons to each. :)
 

canadiangie

New member
Yeah in your case it's a tough decision. The vehicle I chose only offers a bench so it was easy. At one point a Yukon/Tahoe was on the list and I was really torn about bench or captains.

I swear what works for you depends on how your brain works. It's not that one way is better than the other. It's more about what you perceive as easier.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Yeah. We haven't looked at them in a while, so I guess doing that again is the next logical step. I think we need to look long and hard at whether we'll have enough cargo space with the third row up, for one. That alone might be the determining factor.
 

NVMBR02

New member
Yeah. We haven't looked at them in a while, so I guess doing that again is the next logical step. I think we need to look long and hard at whether we'll have enough cargo space with the third row up, for one. That alone might be the determining factor.

This was a major factor for us. We ended up with a Pilot that only had the bench anyway but we looked at several vehicles that had captains chairs as an option. In the end, we decided we would need a bench anyway because we would sometimes need the third row down for cargo room. So far it has only happened on a trip to the airport and a trip to Costco but I needed to know we could do it when we needed to. Since the Suburban offers a lot more cargo space over something like the Pilot you may have enough rom with the third row up.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I don't know how much you pack but we had enough cargo room for six people for a road trip. We had two weeks worth of clothes, diapers, a full sized stroller, a pack n play, a bunch of Christmas presents plus extra bags for each person to keep "road clothes" (clothes and stuff needed at hotel stays along the way). We have only needed to flip a seat forward (they are 50/50 split) once or twice after a huge Costco trip when I forgot to take out my Bob and we had a big Dyson one instance and a box with two fans the other. Seriously the cargo area is huge and often surprises me.

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LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Well, we run out of room pretty quickly in our truck bed, but we can't pack UP in the truck like we would be able to with a Suburban. We might need to get bikes back there at some point. And generators. Plus kid stuff. Yeah, I need to go look.
 

zactayaus

Well-known member
I have a bench in mine and my friend has captains chairs in hers. I'd choose bench hands down and she's constantly saying how she wished she'd went with the bench every time she sees mine.
 
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An Aurora

Senior Community Member
We were only considering the ones with a bench because otherwise it's so darn hard to get 5 seats in it.

With only 3 kids, I would probably get the capt's chair model and stow or remove one for everyday use, with 2 kids in the 3rd row and the baby in the 2nd row.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
The 3rd row seatbelts are short- as in, go into locking mode when an average sized adult attempts to buckle. Whenever we ride with my sister, ds is perpetually complaining about his. Of course, hers is a 2007, so maybe they've fixed that.

We're thinking of different vehicle and I really want one that can do 3 across the second row. That way ds can ride in the back if he wants for day to day, but we can do 3 across for trips when we might need the cargo space.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
Omg yes the seatbelts SUCK!!!! They are always locking on my booster kids. My 5 year old cant use his ProSport in the third row because it locks every time. Big big big flaw.

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Jillybeans5

Active member
We have captains chairs, which I would love if I didn't have 5 kids. It is really hard to squeeze 5 into only 5 seats with the width of the 3rd row bench. That said I would prefer the 2nd row bench. If I had fewer children and no plans for ever having more than 4 I would want captain's chairs.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Well, we went and looked again today. The third row definitely had locking latchplates (second row had switchable retractors).

We pretty much decided that we need the extra cargo room, so a bench would make more sense.

Then we realized that if we're not going to use a third row, maybe we shouldn't bother having one, LOL. So now we're looking at smaller trucks. (Smaller as in less ginormous than our current one.)

We haven't ruled out the Suburban completely though.
 

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