# Second Row Bench or Captain Chairs?



## gsw1 (Jun 13, 2003)

I am torn between this option. I can see many pros & cons for each, but I wanted some feedback from others before I purchase. Did anyone choose the Captains Chairs but now wishes they selected the Bench Seat? Vice versa?


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes.


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## buickman_86 (Nov 28, 2016)

We got captains chairs and very happy about it. A friend of mine has a bench and regrets not getting the captains seats. 

I love it for the gap between the kids and gives them a place to put a few of there things like back back and don’t have to hold it in there lap. 


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## chisai88 (Jan 10, 2003)

the car feels so much bigger with the captains chairs. It is what I wanted, and glad I did it. My sister got the bench seat, and when I was in her car, it certainly seemed more cramped. Obv, if you think you need the extra seat.... Also, 2 kids here, and the separation was our main reason.


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## Form Ocean (Feb 6, 2000)

A bench seat obviously provides for more passenger capacity, but Captain chairs are best for passenger comfort. It creates de facto "personal space" and the center aisle is useful for a parent to get back to the 3rd row quickly to assist a younger child without disrupting anyone occupying the captain chairs. A bench might be desirable if you don't have kids but have a small dog along that likes to move from window to window or be up-front-and-center with the front-seat peeps. Finally, I have frequently carried 10-foot lumber (from windshield to rear hatch) and a 2nd row bench is helpful in supporting extra-long boards.


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## gsw1 (Jun 13, 2003)

Form Ocean said:


> A bench seat obviously provides for more passenger capacity, but Captain chairs are best for passenger comfort. It creates de facto "personal space" and the center aisle is useful for a parent to get back to the 3rd row quickly to assist a younger child without disrupting anyone occupying the captain chairs. A bench might be desirable if you don't have kids but have a small dog along that likes to move from window to window or be up-front-and-center with the front-seat peeps. Finally, I have frequently carried 10-foot lumber (from windshield to rear hatch) and a 2nd row bench is helpful in supporting extra-long boards.


All good points. Kind of where I was heading. The only other question I would have is if it is noisier with the Captain Chairs because of the space between? With the bench it would seem like there would be more sound-deadening.


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## 94107gsw (Nov 30, 2015)

Are you coming from a GSW? We just traded our 2016 GSW for a 2019 SEL-P with captains chairs last month. the atlas sounds 20DBs quieter than our old GSW as it is. I had done a 1000 mile road trip the week before with the GSW and a 400 mi road trip the week after with the Atlas and I couldn't believe the difference.


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## buickman_86 (Nov 28, 2016)

gsw1 said:


> All good points. Kind of where I was heading. The only other question I would have is if it is noisier with the Captain Chairs because of the space between? With the bench it would seem like there would be more sound-deadening.


I traded in a Range Rover with 36k miles and the the out sel premium is quieter than our premium Rover was.


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## Veedubin02 (Mar 26, 2002)

We went with captains chairs, 2 small children so back seat access is easier. The only thing I dont like it not being able to completely close off the cargo space with the 3rd row down. Its not major though, just wish there was an easy way to fill the space between the captains chairs.


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## Tim K (Jan 31, 2001)

The bench was never a consideration. The separation is critical to family and world peace. Plus, with 3 kids, the space between means nobody has to move to let someone in and out of the back row. We had a Sienna Minivan prior to the Atlas and we never used the middle jump seat in the 2nd row. We just were on vacation in a rented Nissan Armada with the bench. Having the kids fight over who was sitting where, who had to get in first, waiting for them to move and replace the seat....ugh. I can't imagine ever wanting a bench in a 3 row vehicle. Unless you regularly need to transport 7 people instead of 6 I would go captains chairs.


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## Savvv (Apr 22, 2009)

I was in the same boat and wanted captains chairs for reasons stated above and ended up with a bench, and am happy I did. We have 3 kids, and were able to take 1 car places with my in-laws as opposed to both of us driving and needing to pay for parking, etc. My 5 year old daughter has no problem operating the seat flip levers to get into the back. Plus technically I can leave my boys in their seats and flip the bench forward without hurting them :laugh:


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## Justin7983 (Nov 18, 2008)

Bench. I have 3 kids all in car seats and my wife chauffeurs her nieces and nephews around so the extra seat was a must have. 


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## hotrodz (Aug 5, 2019)

We had searched high and low for a while for a White SEL R line with the Shetland interior. Low and behold a dealer about an hour away from us got two identical ones in on the same truck, one bench and one captains chairs. Originally we were hell bent on the captains chairs because it feels like a much more premium experience inside and more room etc. Then we got to thinking about it and went with the bench. We have two big labs, and being able to completely close off the back with the seats down was nice for us. Also, we have a 4 month old baby, and if we are traveling somewhere, it's nice for my wife to be able to hop in the back seat and sit right next to the car seat in the middle seat of the bench to be able to attend to the baby. 

Not sure if you have dogs or babies, but it is something we didn't think of initially and then glad we went with the bench seat. I am sure down the road if and when we have more kids, we will probably want captains chairs for "world peace" as stated above haha


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## SunDevilDrake (Mar 21, 2009)

We have a family of 5. We went with a bench for the extra seating and the ability to fold down the rear seats for extra cargo space and still have seating for 5. In our opinion, the only advantage to Captain's chairs was that it's easier for passengers to get in and out. 


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## diesel_sipper (Feb 22, 2018)

After having a 15 durango r/t with the second row captains chairs, the appearance was not worth the lack of utility. It seemed like we always needed the 7th seat or the ability to lay something in the second row. Went with the bench on the atlas.


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## Sue Esponte (Jan 2, 2002)

I think the answer depends on a lot of subjective variables.

What's important to one person might not matter at all to another. Some people buy SUVs because they need them to carry more people. Some could care less about the extra people space and just need the cargo volume. Some just prefer driving a bigger car and find all of the other benefits as nice conveniences. Your reasons might be completely different. There's no right or wrong reason.

So, when it comes to answering the question of whether to get a bench vs. captains chairs, I think you're going to find tons of compelling reasons in both directions. Some will resonate more with you based on your wants and needs. You just need to go with what makes the most sense for your lifestyle.

For us, bench seats were a no-brainer for my wife's daily drive. She likes a larger car for carpooling and for use with her business. If it was my primary car, I could have gone either way. I prefer smaller cars and rarely have passengers (other than family). In fact, I probably would have ended up with a Premium (which only comes with captains chairs).

Anyway, here's why we opted for a bench seat in our Atlas:

- If you need an SUV to accommodate "more people" then captains chairs cut down the number of people you can accommodate from 7 to 6. The Honda Pilot carries 8. A large sedan accommodates 5 and yet you've got a much bigger vehicle that can only accommodate a whopping 1 more.

- It's certainly easier to get to the 3rd row if you've got captains chairs for the 2nd row; especially if you're an adult. Little kids will climb over, under and in between the seats like they're part of an obstacle course. BUT, it really isn't that hard to get to the 3rd row; even for adults. The 2nd row splits and the seats roll up and out of the way very easily.

- If you have a bench seat, you can throw 3 people into the 2nd row without even needing the 3rd row and, let's face it, no adult really wants to go to the third row unless they really have to.

- If you have a bench seat and 2 younger kids, on a long trip both kids can lie down. It sounds crazy but, we drove from CT to FL last year and our kids (11 and 13) each had their own row in our Pilot. If you have 3 or more kids, just leave them home. Kidding.

- If you have captains chairs and 3 little kids who need help getting into their seats, you're going to need to get your adult butt into the 3rd row to help your 3rd kid, whereas you can put all 3 into the 2nd row if you have a bench.

I guess, to me, the only real benefits to the captains chairs are ease of accessing the 3rd row (if you're an adult -- most kids don't care. It's not like you're throwing them into the backseat of a 911) and aesthetics. Reasonable people may completely disagree with me. As I said earlier, everyone has their own needs and wants. Good luck with our decision!

-Eric


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

If you ski or snowboard, with the captains chair, you can stick the skis/board in between the seats. Bench isn't a 40/20/40 design

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## pheenomz4774 (Jun 14, 2018)

BsickPassat said:


> If you ski or snowboard, with the captains chair, you can stick the skis/board in between the seats. Bench isn't a 40/20/40 design
> 
> Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk


Alternative option. If you have the bench, you can fold the 2nd and 3rd rows on one side only to fit the ski's, and still have available seating for 5 people. Depending on how the 3rd row folds, with Captain's Chairs you'd be limited to 4.


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

pheenomz4774 said:


> Alternative option. If you have the bench, you can fold the 2nd and 3rd rows on one side only to fit the ski's, and still have available seating for 5 people. Depending on how the 3rd row folds, with Captain's Chairs you'd be limited to 4.


Fine if the boards and skis are short, but if you have a tall skiier in the group, that means long skis and if in a hard case, makes it even longer, folding down the 40 side in the second row may not be long enough to accommodate, so you have to fold the 60 side (iirc driver side) so it can hang over the center console if needed, so that drops you down to four anyway, and the 3rd row passenger will have a little less comfort.

Yes you can use a ski rack to put it up top, but since the VR6 4motion doesn't get great mileage to begin with, a ski rack with skis only makes it worse.

I have a skiier that is 6'5" in the ski club...that I occasionally drive. He has a Q3 which hangs over his windshield and if he needs to open the hatch, he has to open the ski rack and shift things forward... So he has long skis. Too long for my Yakima Skybox 16 (perfect for my snowboard though)

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## SteveVWcary (Aug 11, 2019)

Great thread. As a new VW Salesperson.. This question or shall I say choice..has come up a lot from prospective buyers. 
Seems the majority of folks do favor the Captains Chair option. But from reading here, there are positives to the traditional bench. 

Me? I have 2 kids and if I was buying one.. I'd opt for the Capt Chairs. They are very comfortable and recline. Plus I like the floor space and easy access to rear area.


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## Js2018vw (Feb 12, 2019)

*Captain Chairs are awesome*



gsw1 said:


> I am torn between this option. I can see many pros & cons for each, but I wanted some feedback from others before I purchase. Did anyone choose the Captains Chairs but now wishes they selected the Bench Seat? Vice versa?


I ordered my Atlas Rline with Captains chairs instead of the bench center seat and do not miss it one bit. We also only have 2 kiddos so it just made more sense for our family. It is also WAY more comfortable to sit in the Captains seats in the middle as you have the capability of reclining and moving the seats back and forth. Definitely love the 2 separate chairs for our situation. Hope this helps.


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## Js2018vw (Feb 12, 2019)

*Captains Chairs all the way*



SteveVWcary said:


> Great thread. As a new VW Salesperson.. This question or shall I say choice..has come up a lot from prospective buyers.
> Seems the majority of folks do favor the Captains Chair option. But from reading here, there are positives to the traditional bench.
> 
> Me? I have 2 kids and if I was buying one.. I'd opt for the Capt Chairs. They are very comfortable and recline. Plus I like the floor space and easy access to rear area.[/QUOTE
> ...


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## macaddict (Oct 12, 2014)

Have 2 kids (7 & 10) and even though we really wanted the captain chairs we had a moment of enlightenment and opted for the bench for these reasons:

* we like going camping and putting the 3 row down allows us to put all our camping gear behind the 2nd row and still have space to bring a friend camping with us which we couldn’t do with our previous car. 

* our kids are starting to do sports and it is great to carpool to/from practices. The more kids you can stuff in, the better

* when family comes to visit and we want to go somewhere, we can all fit in one car and reduce our carbon footprint by only needing to take 1 car


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