# Help Finding the Right Car (SEL Premium with 2nd Row Bench)



## Micro0637 (Dec 4, 2017)

*Change captains chair to Bench?*

We are looking to get a SEL Premium , but we want the 2nd row bench for car seats. Most dealer stocked SELP have the captains chair option though, Do you guys think it would be something we could swap out?


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Micro0637 said:


> We are looking to get a SEL Premium , but we want the 2nd row bench for car seats. Most dealer stocked SELP have the captains chair option though, Do you guys think it would be something we could swap out?


Absolutely not. Different track locations indicated by the separate floor mat setups.


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## jkueter (Feb 12, 2008)

ice4life said:


> Absolutely not. Different track locations indicated by the separate floor mat setups.


Seems like you can do it, it's just not simple swap out. You'd need the appropriate tracks (or maybe can just move the existing ones). Carpeting would probably be messed up a bit.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

jkueter said:


> Seems like you can do it, it's just not simple swap out. You'd need the appropriate tracks (or maybe can just move the existing ones). Carpeting would probably be messed up a bit.



Cars are not meant to be ripped apart like this. There are safety concerns if not done properly, and properly is at the factory. A rear seat passenger could become a projectile if the tracks came loose or if the seats came from their modded tracks for whatever reason. 

Don't go encouraging nonsense. The better option would be to order one with a bench or get on cars.com and source one.


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

We are in the same boat.

We are looking to buy this month and also want a Premium with black interior and a bench 2nd row. We have 3 dealers trying to get us one.


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## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

My advice is to shop nationwide. You will find the color/option/trim combo you want. Trust me. Taking a 1 or 2 day road trip and driving 200-1000 miles for the exact vehicle you want is much more fun and economical.. than modifying a local vehicle. Modifications can be a pain and nothing ever fits/looks/works as good as when it came from the factory floor. 

I'm not pulling this out of air either. My wife was hell bent on on captains row chairs because we have newborn twins on the way and she wants them sitting in the middle seats, rear facing towards her who will be sitting in the 3rd row while I of course drive. This is pretty much impossible to do with the standard 2nd row bench because she would have to reach over the seat while Im driving to attend to them. Took us a while but I found quite a few 2nd row option Atlas SEL and SEL Premium in the Washington, DC area. Even got a great price on it by buying from another state.

My advice is to use the VW.com website to search for inventory.. as their website is one of the few resources that will highlight options on vehicles. On the SEL/SEL Premium the only real options are R-Line package, Captains Chairs and Black wheels. So its pretty easy to find which vehicle has the 1 (or more) of those options that you want.


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## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

golfzex said:


> We are in the same boat.
> 
> We are looking to buy this month and also want a Premium with black interior and a bench 2nd row. We have 3 dealers trying to get us one.


There are 3 black Premium's in the DC area with black interior and 2nd row bench. Look here for inventory/options.. make sure to use your zip code:

http://www.vw.com/find-match/model/atlas/budget/results/sel-premium-with-4motion/


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

Daekwan said:


> There are 3 black Premium's in the DC area with black interior and 2nd row bench. Look here for inventory/options.. make sure to use your zip code:
> 
> http://www.vw.com/find-match/model/atlas/budget/results/sel-premium-with-4motion/



Using that link it doesn’t show any black interior bench Premiums, only shows 5 cars total.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

golfzex said:


> Using that link it doesn’t show any black interior bench Premiums, only shows 5 cars total.


Look more closely. I put in 20001 as the zip and found one in transit right away. Blk/blk with bench sel premium.


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## grekannon (Nov 20, 2017)

Same challenge here, I'm ready to pull the trigger on a SEL Premium but only want bench seating. I'm in Raleigh and spent most of the night so far emailing all the dealerships in the state. I'm not even picky on color exterior or interior. Just want the best price.


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

grekannon said:


> Same challenge here, I'm ready to pull the trigger on a SEL Premium but only want bench seating. I'm in Raleigh and spent most of the night so far emailing all the dealerships in the state. I'm not even picky on color exterior or interior. Just want the best price.


You will find one, tell each dealer your situation, let them all try and find you one, use the dealers to get the best price between them.

We got a call yesterday that our dealer found a White/Black Premium for us, probably gonna put a deposit down on it as soon as long as they have the price right.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

golfzex said:


> You will find one, tell each dealer your situation, let them all try and find you one, use the dealers to get the best price between them.
> 
> We got a call yesterday that our dealer found a White/Black Premium for us, probably gonna put a deposit down on it as soon as long as they have the price right.


I thought you wanted blk blk. Why not get the one I listed?


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

ice4life said:


> I thought you wanted blk blk. Why not get the one I listed?


Nah, fine with Grey/Black/White/Silver exterior, just must be blank interior and bench seats.


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## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

grekannon said:


> Same challenge here, I'm ready to pull the trigger on a SEL Premium but only want bench seating. I'm in Raleigh and spent most of the night so far emailing all the dealerships in the state. I'm not even picky on color exterior or interior. Just want the best price.





golfzex said:


> Nah, fine with Grey/Black/White/Silver exterior, just must be blank interior and bench seats.


Let me know if you guys are having issues finding one. Trust me, I've looked for 2nd row optioned Atlas so much I can find one literally in seconds. Just give me your zip code and desired trim level.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Daekwan said:


> Let me know if you guys are having issues finding one. Trust me, I've looked for 2nd row optioned Atlas so much I can find one literally in seconds. Just give me your zip code and desired trim level.


Pretty clear what they want if you read:

SEL.premium
Bench
Black interior
DC/md area

Have a link?


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## wooble (Oct 18, 2017)

Easy to search all dealer inventory using cargurus.com and filtering by price. Most SEL Premium models with a second row bench seat will have an MSRP of under 50k from what I saw. I had the same problem but was able to find one at a dealer about an hour’s drive away.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

wooble said:


> Easy to search all dealer inventory using cargurus.com and filtering by price. Most SEL Premium models with a second row bench seat will have an MSRP of under 50k from what I saw. I had the same problem but was able to find one at a dealer about an hour’s drive away.


I checked CarGurus, cars.com, Autotrader and did not see a single SEL premium with a bench. Enlighten me?


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## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

ice4life said:


> Pretty clear what they want if you read:
> 
> SEL.premium
> Bench
> ...


I have already posted a link above. Scroll up. For those who missed that post:

http://www.vw.com/find-match/model/atlas/budget/results/sel-premium-with-4motion/

For those people who somehow cant enter a zip code (it should prompt you immediately to enter your zip) these are the results for 20721 (aka DC/MD/VA area):

Google the VIN number posted for the dealership.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Daekwan said:


> I have already posted a link above. Scroll up. For those who missed that post:
> 
> http://www.vw.com/find-match/model/atlas/budget/results/sel-premium-with-4motion/
> 
> ...


None of those have a bench. the main reason for this thread.

btw- VIN number is redundant. It's a vehicle identification number. Not a vehicle identification number number


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

Yeah, all those posted are without the bench 2nd row.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

in the same boat as well. can't get one to save my life. have had one on order for a month now, and i can't get the salesman to give me a status update on the order other than it is on order, would love to know if it is scheduled for production and what week that is. All the bench ones i have found are gone in 2 days......


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## wooble (Oct 18, 2017)

ice4life said:


> I checked CarGurus, cars.com, Autotrader and did not see a single SEL premium with a bench. Enlighten me?


Some of these don't have the color combinations like some of the posters in this thread wanted, but there are definitely SEL Premium models without the captain's chairs out there (there are more than the ones listed below). Ones that have an MSRP of about $50,100 or under are the ones one would want to look into.

https://www.schworervolkswagen.com/...ncoln-ne-id-20325260?compareAction=addVehicle
http://www.balisevolkswagenri.com/n...n-Atlas--503ef63c0a0e0a1743487e6b98c3d749.htm
https://www.westsidevw.com/new/Volkswagen/2018-Volkswagen-Atlas-0960dda10a0e0ae84925708c84e37fd3.htm
https://www.burnsvillevw.com/new/Vo...en-Atlas-e920eddc0a0e0a1748743f96a320873c.htm
https://www.burnsvillevw.com/new/Vo...en-Atlas-dd18b7c10a0e0aea1346d1143438655a.htm
https://www.vwking.com/new-Gaithersburg-2018-Volkswagen-Atlas-36L+V6+SEL+Premium-1V2NR2CA7JC520626
https://www.burnsvillevw.com/new/Vo...en-Atlas-e7709f610a0e0a6b4da50c2af1f507fe.htm
https://www.lindsayvolkswagen.com/i...motion-awd-4d-sport-utility-1v2nr2ca1jc545392
https://www.burnsvillevw.com/new/Vo...en-Atlas-2c0e51d30a0e0ae778da996f9f5f7222.htm


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

wooble said:


> Some of these don't have the color combinations like some of the posters in this thread wanted, but there are definitely SEL Premium models without the captain's chairs out there (there are more than the ones listed below). Ones that have an MSRP of about $50,100 or under are the ones one would want to look into.
> 
> https://www.schworervolkswagen.com/...ncoln-ne-id-20325260?compareAction=addVehicle
> http://www.balisevolkswagenri.com/n...n-Atlas--503ef63c0a0e0a1743487e6b98c3d749.htm
> ...


BRAVO sir very good work here. Just look closely at some of these. This blk blk selp with bench has a dealer plate and has 1600 miles-Probably a demo.

https://www.schworervolkswagen.com/...ncoln-ne-id-20325260?compareAction=addVehicle


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## wooble (Oct 18, 2017)

ice4life said:


> BRAVO sir very good work here. Just look closely at some of these. This blk blk selp with bench has a dealer plate and has 1600 miles-Probably a demo.
> 
> https://www.schworervolkswagen.com/...ncoln-ne-id-20325260?compareAction=addVehicle


Thanks. That one has the Golden Oak interior (which is my personal preference and what I happen to own), but there are indeed ones with black interiors on that list


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

wooble said:


> Thanks. That one has the Golden Oak interior (which is my personal preference and what I happen to own), but there are indeed ones with black interiors on that list


shoot sorry yeah i meant blk/brn. But still good work!


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## brian81 (Apr 19, 2007)

wooble said:


> Easy to search all dealer inventory using cargurus.com and filtering by price. Most SEL Premium models with a second row bench seat will have an MSRP of under 50k from what I saw. I had the same problem but was able to find one at a dealer about an hour’s drive away.





ice4life said:


> I checked CarGurus, cars.com, Autotrader and did not see a single SEL premium with a bench. Enlighten me?


The problem with using vw.com's find a match is it will search "inventory" for all shipped vehicles. If a dealer goes to the VW Hub internal website, they can see that most of the SEL Premiums are tagged as sold orders. How do I know this? I work at a dealership and have a half-dozen customers with deposits on cars that have not been built yet - one going back to June. Two other factors are that most dealers automatically have cars placed in their inventory electronically (as soon as they leave port) posted on their website. This is why I got 20 calls when an Alltrack SE manual with brown interior was shipped - a car the customer waited four months for. Also, outside sites like cars.com and car gurus usually don't have links to sold units; that I can't explain.

The SEL Premium in both the Atlas and Tiguan are virtually unobtainable in some markets due to low production volume. Discussions I've heard focus on availability of the digital dashboard (remember, the US is small potatoes for VAG) and the fact that the SE/ SE w/Tech / SEL are the volume sellers. The DC area has very high market penetration for VW, so they seem to get more than their share of cars. It may also have something to do with the VAG offices in Herndon being close by. This market has huge discounts as well, so if you find a car there I would not play dealers against each other on price (at least on an SEL Premium) for long, as someone may scoop the car out from under you.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

brian81 said:


> The problem with using vw.com's find a match is it will search "inventory" for all shipped vehicles. If a dealer goes to the VW Hub internal website, they can see that most of the SEL Premiums are tagged as sold orders. How do I know this? I work at a dealership and have a half-dozen customers with deposits on cars that have not been built yet - one going back to June. Two other factors are that most dealers automatically have cars placed in their inventory electronically (as soon as they leave port) posted on their website. This is why I got 20 calls when an Alltrack SE manual with brown interior was shipped - a car the customer waited four months for. Also, outside sites like cars.com and car gurus usually don't have links to sold units; that I can't explain.
> 
> The SEL Premium in both the Atlas and Tiguan are virtually unobtainable in some markets due to low production volume. Discussions I've heard focus on availability of the digital dashboard (remember, the US is small potatoes for VAG) and the fact that the SE/ SE w/Tech / SEL are the volume sellers. The DC area has very high market penetration for VW, so they seem to get more than their share of cars. It may also have something to do with the VAG offices in Herndon being close by. This market has huge discounts as well, so if you find a car there I would not play dealers against each other on price (at least on an SEL Premium) for long, as someone may scoop the car out from under you.


This is good intel from a dealer view. Thank you!

My digital cockpit has been a nightmare, and that could also have something to do with the low volume. They have been using me as a test subject each time it breaks.


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## wooble (Oct 18, 2017)

ice4life said:


> This is good intel from a dealer view. Thank you!
> 
> My digital cockpit has been a nightmare, and that could also have something to do with the low volume. They have been using me as a test subject each time it breaks.


I’m very unhappy with the digital cockpit’s strange flickering/pixelation issue with the map display. I am guessing that would require significant effort to fix, but it needs to be fixed.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

wooble said:


> I’m very unhappy with the digital cockpit’s strange flickering/pixelation issue with the map display. I am guessing that would require significant effort to fix, but it needs to be fixed.


That's what mine is in for right now. I sat with the foreman to show him so I wouldn't get a bs "couldn't relplicate the problem" response. He did say it was not right.

I am somewhat concerned that replacing it will not fix the problem which is most likely the pairing to the under powered processor of the discover media head unit versus the actual cockpit hardware.

My hypothesis is somewhat further solidified by the fact that in Europe the new Polo has an altered digital cockpit linked to the discover media. I bet the updated cockpit has been altered to process better.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

i got a call from my dealer, they said i am looking at another 3-5 months (been on order for over a month already) for us to get a SEL Premium with 2nd row bench. I called VWOA and they confirmed that they are not producing 2nd row benches at this time, they will start them again sometime in January......


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

zedbyers said:


> i got a call from my dealer, they said i am looking at another 3-5 months (been on order for over a month already) for us to get a SEL Premium with 2nd row bench. I called VWOA and they confirmed that they are not producing 2nd row benches at this time, they will start them again sometime in January......


I call bs. Since my car is in for the cockpit and it is "indefinitely backordered" I think it is a cockpit issue on SEL premium models and they are stalling. Typical vw.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

ice4life said:


> I call bs. Since my car is in for the cockpit and it is "indefinitely backordered" I think it is a cockpit issue on SEL premium models and they are stalling. Typical vw.


since i have placed my order they have gotten in 3 with capt chairs, and other near by dealers are getting them in as well, but all with 2nd row capt. chair. so not sure this is the case as they must still be building them, just not my way.

my biggest concern is we are trading in a 2014 Q7 TDI and the market is going to be flooded with with TDIs, which will drive the price down on our trade. how much? who knows.....


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

zedbyers said:


> since i have placed my order they have gotten in 3 with capt chairs, and other near by dealers are getting them in as well, but all with 2nd row capt. chair. so not sure this is the case as they must still be building them, just not my way.
> 
> my biggest concern is we are trading in a 2014 Q7 TDI and the market is going to be flooded with with TDIs, which will drive the price down on our trade. how much? who knows.....


This is as of last week. So anything that was in transit didn't count. If yours wasn't built yet then this still could be the case. Having said all that why are you worried about the tdi- didn't you get a guaranteed buy back? I did with the touareg.


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

ice4life said:


> This is as of last week. So anything that was in transit didn't count. If yours wasn't built yet then this still could be the case. Having said all that why are you worried about the tdi- didn't you get a guaranteed buy back? I did with the touareg.


Same here, we are having our Treg bought back on the 21st, I've had my final locked in offer from VW since September. That number will not change because of changes in the supply/demand and market value.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

golfzex said:


> Same here, we are having our Treg bought back on the 21st, I've had my final locked in offer from VW since September. That number will not change because of changes in the supply/demand and market value.


Maybe he bought used after the dates specified and wasn't eligible.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

[HR][/HR]


ice4life said:


> This is as of last week. So anything that was in transit didn't count. If yours wasn't built yet then this still could be the case. Having said all that why are you worried about the tdi- didn't you get a guaranteed buy back? I did with the touareg.


they aren’t buying everything back. mine is a gen 2.1 (MY2014) and the gen 2 vehicles aren’t being bought back. the VW dealer now has 2 2016 Tregs on their lot that are new but being sold at a discount.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

zedbyers said:


> [HR][/HR]
> 
> they aren’t buying everything back. mine is a gen 2.1 (MY2014) and the gen 2 vehicles aren’t being bought back. the VW dealer now has 2 2016 Tregs on their lot that are new but being sold at a discount.


You're right. I forgot about gen 1/2 and stand corrected.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

ice4life said:


> You're right. I forgot about gen 1/2 and stand corrected.


probably a moot point anyway, as they made us what feels like a good offer to buy some capt. chairs. will likely pull trigger on it. vehicle was produced last month FWIW.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

zedbyers said:


> probably a moot point anyway, as they made us what feels like a good offer to buy some capt. chairs. will likely pull trigger on it. vehicle was produced last month FWIW.


Back in the day the q7 had buckets. Always liked the setup but it went away


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

ice4life said:


> Back in the day the q7 had buckets. Always liked the setup but it went away


that is a nice set up, certainly better than the Atlas. will have to do some aftermarket shopping to find something to fill the space as we pulled the trigger on a pair of capt. seats.....


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

My local dealer was able to find a White/Black Premium with the bench in VA (I'm in MD). They are having it transferred for me to buy the same day we drop off the Treg.


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## Micro0637 (Dec 4, 2017)

So VWVortex never notified me about these responses.. Glad to see we weren't the only ones who wanted the bench seat options. 


We decided to wait a bit longer and hope more SEL-P get on dealer lots.


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

Got super lucky and got a Black on Black with bench seat and the black wheel package 











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## atlas titan (Dec 15, 2017)

*No more bench seating available?*

I am in the market for sel premium with bench seating, one of the dealer that got back to me said new sel premium trims will not offer bench seating anymore. Can anyone confirm this? I some what not believing that VW will not offer bench anymore.


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## Drive by (Mar 13, 2017)

VW.ca build site still shows that as a $625 option so I'd have to assume that bench is the default. Assuming of course the web site is actually correct :banghead:


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

atlas titan said:


> I am in the market for sel premium with bench seating, one of the dealer that got back to me said new sel premium trims will not offer bench seating anymore. Can anyone confirm this? I some what not believing that VW will not offer bench anymore.


I think the dealer is telling you he doesn't have what you want and wants to sell you what he has.


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## fotchpd (Feb 19, 2004)

I never put anything past VW, but to brag one of the largest VWs built that seats 7... So if you have a large family and want all the options we offer... too bad you have to buy the lower cheaper models with less options to fit your family :screwy: ...


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

We had a very hard time finding a Premium with the bench seats, but they are out there and we did find one.

Keep looking.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

It could be that only the sel prem is not offering the bench anymore because the take rate was so low. (ironically because vw didn't really build a lot of them). There is no way se/setech/sel models are coming standard with buckets. It takes a seat away and costs more. Wouldn't happen.


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## Atlas123 (Sep 18, 2017)

I think dealers assume premium buyers want bucket seats and are ordering them all that way. I would be shocked if they are removing the option. 

I really wanted a bench seat SEL Premium and had a heckuva time finding one for this reason. 

Maybe if it were 2-2-3. But a six seater almost defeats the purpose of the three row.


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## zedbyers (Aug 2, 2003)

i called VW about this a few weeks back and was told that the line is not producing them at that time, and that production would resume sometime in January.


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

zedbyers said:


> i called VW about this a few weeks back and was told that the line is not producing them at that time, and that production would resume sometime in January.


Wow, this seems crazy to me. Taking the seventh seat away is a big deal to a lot of buyers. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

golfzex said:


> ....Taking the seventh seat away is a big deal to a lot of buyers. .....


Well obviously not enough of them to need to produce more right now.....


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Can't order 20" black mejorada rims either..

"Also, in regards to your request for the 20" black mejorada rims, I have begun to review that request. In doing so, I have been advised that, at this time, they are not available for order. I have engaged my Field Operations Manager to assist me with moving forward."

Supplier issues?


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

ice4life said:


> Can't order 20" black mejorada rims either......Supplier issues?


They would contract based on expected take rate. A new supply can't materialize out of think air.


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## atlas7 (May 29, 2017)

ice4life said:


> Can't order 20" black mejorada rims either..
> 
> "Also, in regards to your request for the 20" black mejorada rims, I have begun to review that request. In doing so, I have been advised that, at this time, they are not available for order. I have engaged my Field Operations Manager to assist me with moving forward."
> 
> Supplier issues?


Gosh, if they are NOT available any more they must have increased in value a lot!!!:biggrinsanta:


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

atlas7 said:


> Gosh, if they are NOT available any more they must have increased in value a lot!!!:biggrinsanta:


I didn't say anymore. "At this time." I imagine with the holidays and supplier issues they are having a hell of a time getting parts.


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## ebTDI (Dec 2, 2013)

Former '13 Passat TDI owner here. Time to replace the wife's Subaru, and have a VW back in the family.

Went and test drove an SEL Premium today (loved it), but come to find out VW isn't currently making any of them with bench seats in the 2nd row. They all have the optional captain's chairs. Surely not news to a lot of people.

Is there anyone on here with access to dealer inventories in the DC area, or within say 200 miles? Most sources (cars.com, dealer websites) prove inconclusive unless there are actual photos of the car that show the 2nd row. Really looking for Blue or Grey, but White and Black are ok as well. Other options aren't important as most are dealer add-ons.

Any help is greatly appreciated, and if we just have to wait, then so be it. But if someone can fine a Blue one with bench seat, I'm all over it. 

Thanks!


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## mdsAtlas1* (Feb 17, 2018)

ebTDI said:


> Former '13 Passat TDI owner here. Time to replace the wife's Subaru, and have a VW back in the family.
> 
> Went and test drove an SEL Premium today (loved it), but come to find out VW isn't currently making any of them with bench seats in the 2nd row. They all have the optional captain's chairs. Surely not news to a lot of people.
> 
> ...


Had to special order my blue to get a bench seat...


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## ebTDI (Dec 2, 2013)

That's exactly what we did. 

Should be here in the beginning of May.


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## mdsAtlas1* (Feb 17, 2018)

Ordered mine with bench also


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## borutha (Feb 19, 2018)

*SEL Premium order*

I just put deposit on SEL Premium with bench a week agao and still waiting for a dealer to provide ETA.
Have yo ureceived tour delivery date? Did dealer send you any proof that an order is in process?


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## ebTDI (Dec 2, 2013)

borutha said:


> I just put deposit on SEL Premium with bench a week agao and still waiting for a dealer to provide ETA.
> Have yo ureceived tour delivery date? Did dealer send you any proof that an order is in process?


Funny, because I had a similar experience. I pushed for a few days, "hey, I gave you money, but I have nothing on my end." My sales guy eventually sent me the doc that had the information, most importantly being the commission number. Keep asking until you get it.

You won't get a date, but you should get an estimated month. Probably June at this point.


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## borutha (Feb 19, 2018)

ebTDI said:


> Funny, because I had a similar experience. I pushed for a few days, "hey, I gave you money, but I have nothing on my end." My sales guy eventually sent me the doc that had the information, most importantly being the commission number. Keep asking until you get it.
> 
> You won't get a date, but you should get an estimated month. Probably June at this point.


Just got date from my dealer; production start week 17 and delivery mid/end of May


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## Liza5783 (Nov 2, 2017)

*DC Premiums*

none in DC but i'm showing 9 in Virginia


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## bmt134 (Mar 27, 2018)

*Looking to purchase Atlas SEL Premium with 2nd row Bench seating...hard to find?*

I perused Volkswagen dealerships in 150 mile radius of me and can only find 3 SEL Premiums with 2nd row bench seating. Every other ones have the optional captain's chair instead. Is there reason why this option is so limited?


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## kain2thebrain (Mar 25, 2018)

Honestly I think they're flying off lots, or the opposite, they don't sell well. Had a hell of a time trying to find an SEL 4Motion with less than 2000 miles on it.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## Liza5783 (Nov 2, 2017)

*We have one available*

The Dealership I work at in Seattle has a platinum grey on Black Atlas SEL Premium with the bench seats available.


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## atlas titan (Dec 15, 2017)

i wanted the bench seating as well, however it was like everyone mention hard to find. after reading about bench vs captain chair advantages and cons, i settle for cap chair as there wasnt much bad things about it. I hope in the future someone will come out with a center seating addon where you can attach in the middle and become a seat.


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## wooble (Oct 18, 2017)

I’m guessing most of what’s being produced is with the captains chairs options based on some sort of market research. Rightly or wrongly, it seems like many manufacturers of competing models put only captains chairs in the highest trim levels (e.g., Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and I think the upcoming Subaru Ascent) because they figure that the buyers of the top-of-the-line models want the more “premium” or “luxury” feature over the more “mainstream” bench seats.

In any event, the SEL Premium models with bench seat in the second row are rarer, but they’re out there. I used CarGurus to find mine. It allowed me to cast the widest net possible, though I ended up finding one locally. When the configuration isn’t listed online, use the MSRP to weed out the inventory equipped with captains chairs. Any bench seat SEL Premium will generally have an MSRP of about $50,500 or less. Anything under that almost certainly has the bench seat. Any more than that and it most likely will have the captains chairs. It seems like some “options” are actually mandatory, including floor mats, CarGo blocks, and/or the roadside assistance kit.


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## onsiteaudio (Mar 13, 2018)

Just curious do the capains chairs fold flat for cargo like the bench? If so is there a big gap between the folded middle row?

-Ken


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## ebTDI (Dec 2, 2013)

onsiteaudio said:


> Just curious do the capains chairs fold flat for cargo like the bench? If so is there a big gap between the folded middle row?
> 
> -Ken


Yes, and yes. That's a big reason we wanted the bench. Also, if the captain's chairs are up, but the 3rd row is down, then your cargo can make its way into the seating area.


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## onsiteaudio (Mar 13, 2018)

Good info thank you. We have 3 kids and the benches were a must. But because of the rampant availability of the upgraded captains models i was wondering if i somehow goofed. I do depend on the cargo when 3rd row is down and for me the slide thru of cargo etc would make me nuts.


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## sayemthree (Mar 2, 2006)

Micro0637 said:


> We are looking to get a SEL Premium , but we want the 2nd row bench for car seats. Most dealer stocked SELP have the captains chair option though, Do you guys think it would be something we could swap out?



there is one on the lot at Pasadena VW. blue with Shetland. I think there were only three in all of So cal from san diago to Palm springs


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