# family question



## Veedubmafia2.0 (Apr 5, 2020)

Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I went with the bench. You pay more for the captains seats and essentially lose a seat. Captains chair seat 6, bench seats 7. I also find access to the third row with the bench is still easy to access. I also like how the bench physically separates the storage area from the cabin area. If the third row is down, there’s no barrier keep things from rolling between the seats from the cargo area. Hope this helps!


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## Veedubmafia2.0 (Apr 5, 2020)

Mrprice said:


> I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I went with the bench. You pay more for the captains seats and essentially lose a seat. Captains chair seat 6, bench seats 7. I also find access to the third row with the bench is still easy to access. I also like how the bench physically separates the storage area from the cabin area. If the third row is down, there’s no barrier keep things from rolling between the seats from the cargo area. Hope this helps!


Yes it does i didnt think about stuff rolling up from the back, is it still easy to access with car seats in the second row without removing the car seats ?


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

Sort of. If the car seats are attached using the latch system it’s still super easy. The whole seat including the car seat move and tilt forward allowing full access into the back. However, if the car seats are attached with the seat belt, the seat cannot tilt forward because the belt is locked to hold the seat. That is, unless I’m missing something.

Right now, I have one car seat with the latch system and one with seat belts so I just have people get in back on the latch side. We really don’t take passengers in the third row often. We’re also not far from a booster for the older one and at that point he’ll use a seat belt like normal.


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## T1GONE (Jan 23, 2020)

I debated going with bench seats and captain chairs. But when I actually saw it in person the car interior looks more spacious with the captain chairs. I have a 1 year and 5 year old. Plus since they are both in car seats I figured the middle seat would be useless since it’s would be tight in the middle. So captain chairs was what I got. Plus when our youngest gets cranky wife jumps in the 3rd row ands keeps her distracted through the open space.


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

Lol…funny you say that. My wife went the entire way from STL to Gulf Shores in between the two car seats on the bench to keep the kids entertained/occupied. Left way more room for all of our crap not having the third row up. It’s really crazy how much space is lost with the third row in use. Out of curiosity, do you keep the third row up or down most of the time?


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## Alpinweiss2 (Jan 9, 2017)

An advantage of the second row bench seat, is that when all seats are folded, the load floor is completely flat. With the second row captain's chairs, the load floor is uneven, and has a gap between the two second row seats.

🍺


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## mtbsteve (Dec 6, 2011)

Bench is fine, we all grew up with that configuration and it worked. 
I prefer the captains chairs mainly because we only have 2 kids so being able to stack extra bags for a trip, snacks and a small cooler/cooler bag in between the seats and on the floor (along with 2 small dogs on some trips), to be way more useful to me than having the extra seat space. We typically have a 5th person with us but that is for shorter trips generally where we are carrying 5 people (and maybe a hockey bag or two) and when she joins us for a week away this summer I will just throw the ski box on top for additional space. The space behind the 3rd row is about as big as it gets in this class and one of the main features we looked at before going with the Atlas.


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## iYell2Much (12 mo ago)

I am on my third 3-row SUV (Pathfinder, Ascent now Atlas) and used to review cars as my kids grew up (now 12 + 14). I always preferred the bench for car seats. The flat bench makes installing them easier and is safer vs any bolstering on a captains chair. The advantage of captain's seats is when you have 3 kids or carpool a lot, and they can just hop in and out of the third row without having to move the second row forward. Also, if you have dogs they often like to go between the passthrough as well. But simply on the car seat, young kid question I would definitely say bench.


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## VR6God18 (Jan 13, 2005)

We have 3 kids and a dog. Bench seat is the best on the Atlas. My son either hops in the third row through the back or we just incline the second row seat forward and he can get in easily that way, even with a car seat attached.


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## bboshart (Aug 6, 2012)

iYell2Much said:


> I am on my third 3-row SUV (Pathfinder, Ascent now Atlas) and used to review cars as my kids grew up (now 12 + 14). I always preferred the bench for car seats. *The flat bench makes installing them easier and is safer vs any bolstering on a captains chair*. The advantage of captain's seats is when you have 3 kids or carpool a lot, and they can just hop in and out of the third row without having to move the second row forward. Also, if you have dogs they often like to go between the passthrough as well. But simply on the car seat, young kid question I would definitely say bench.


There is almost zero bolstering on the captains chairs. They are the same design and as flat as the bench and just as safe to put a car seat on. I just want to make sure OP doesn't get the wrong idea.

EDIT: since I'm here, I'll add some more anecdotal info for OP. My Atlas lives it's life as a four-seater: captain's chairs and third seat always folded. I'm never hauling more than three people and a dog. It's nice to be able to put things on the floor between the seats when going on a longer trip.


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## iYell2Much (12 mo ago)

bboshart said:


> There is almost zero bolstering on the captains chairs. They are the same design and as flat as the bench and just as safe to put a car seat on. I just want to make sure OP doesn't get the wrong idea.


Ah looking now, surprised they are that flat! Thanks for adding.


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## bboshart (Aug 6, 2012)

iYell2Much said:


> Ah looking now, surprised they are that flat! Thanks for adding.


Yeah, you'd think they would have more bolstering being separate seats, but since the only one riding back there was a kid in a car seat, for me, it was an ok choice.


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## mtbsteve (Dec 6, 2011)

There isn't much bolstering in the front seats either. I am surprised at how many prefer the bench although I know this discussion is a very small sample, from enthusiasts of the Atlas, but in reality you will rarely find a bench seat model in the wild. Well, maybe not entirely true, but at least on the SEL and SEL-P that is the case. Can confirm that the third row and two captains chairs fold nice and flat. The only issue you will find is that space between the captains chairs is a pain and things fall into it, guessing the bench seat has an advantage in that regard. That is an issue with any 3 row with captains chairs that I have seen, not unique to the Atlas.


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## Veedubmafia2.0 (Apr 5, 2020)

iYell2Much said:


> I am on my third 3-row SUV (Pathfinder, Ascent now Atlas) and used to review cars as my kids grew up (now 12 + 14). I always preferred the bench for car seats. The flat bench makes installing them easier and is safer vs any bolstering on a captains chair. The advantage of captain's seats is when you have 3 kids or carpool a lot, and they can just hop in and out of the third row without having to move the second row forward. Also, if you have dogs they often like to go between the passthrough as well. But simply on the car seat, young kid question I would definitely say bench.


She also looking at the ascent I swayed her to atlas , well swayed herself after test driving the atlas.


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## Peel Box (Oct 19, 2004)

Do you want nice things for your kids? Of course. Get the Captains chairs. The kids will dig them more as they get older, plus it'll give them their own space in the back.


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Peel Box said:


> Do you want nice things for your kids? Of course. Get the Captains chairs. The kids will dig them more as they get older, plus it'll give them their own space in the back.


I have the 2nd row bench and it is easy to get into the 3rd row, but my daughter told me my next Atlas I need Captain’s chairs and heated seats like my mother-in-law’s new Tahoe . Kids these days! They like comfort unlike the thrill of standing up in the front row bench seat with just a parent’s arm to hold you in place during braking. 

*My next Atlas will have that if I don’t end up getting the ID Buzz. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## T1GONE (Jan 23, 2020)

Mrprice said:


> Lol…funny you say that. My wife went the entire way from STL to Gulf Shores in between the two car seats on the bench to keep the kids entertained/occupied. Left way more room for all of our crap not having the third row up. It’s really crazy how much space is lost with the third row in use. Out of curiosity, do you keep the third row up or down most of the time?


I usually keep the third row up. And whenever I need to store more things I just bring the seats down. Our stroller fits in the small space with the 3rd row up. Glad to hear that there was enough space in the middle between two car seats to fit comfortably. However I did like the more open space with the captain chairs.


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## Tim K (Jan 31, 2001)

In the name of peace we didn't consider anything that had a 2nd row bench. The DMZ between the captains chairs in the 2nd row is an absolute necessity in my family. There must be separation between the kids and no border crossings or else war will break out.


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## Alpinweiss2 (Jan 9, 2017)

Tim K said:


> In the name of peace we didn't consider anything that had a 2nd row bench. The DMZ between the captains chairs in the 2nd row is an absolute necessity in my family. There must be separation between the kids and no border crossings or else war will break out.


Couldn't you use barbed wire as a substitute?  









🍺


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## Senior Member (Jul 2, 2016)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


If the kids get along bench, otherwise captains.


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## Veedubmafia2.0 (Apr 5, 2020)

Senior Member said:


> If the kids get along bench, otherwise captains.


Yeah I think we are going go with captains


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## greggmischenko (Mar 21, 2011)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids





mtbsteve said:


> Bench is fine, we all grew up with that configuration and it worked.
> I prefer the captains chairs mainly because we only have 2 kids so being able to stack extra bags for a trip, snacks and a small cooler/cooler bag in between the seats and on the floor (along with 2 small dogs on some trips), to be way more useful to me than having the extra seat space. We typically have a 5th person with us but that is for shorter trips generally where we are carrying 5 people (and maybe a hockey bag or two) and when she joins us for a week away this summer I will just throw the ski box on top for additional space. The space behind the 3rd row is about as big as it gets in this class and one of the main features we looked at before going with the Atlas.


Another vote for captain's chairs for exactly this reason - we take my car with captain's chairs on all our family trips and the extra space between the rear seats has been great for extra bag storage, or a cooler bag, or snacks/toys/books for our two kids since we don't do ipads/tablets (our son is almost 4 years old and daughter is 8 months). For our family of four, we would never use the middle seat if we had a bench so the added space from having captain's chairs has been a nice bonus.

When we do have 4 adults in the car with the 2 kids, it's also been nice being able to have people access the 3rd row without having to move the 2nd row seats - they can climb in and go right between the seats in the 2nd row.


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## mtbsteve (Dec 6, 2011)

greggmischenko said:


> Another vote for captain's chairs for exactly this reason - we take my car with captain's chairs on all our family trips and the extra space between the rear seats has been great for extra bag storage, or a cooler bag, or snacks/toys/books for our two kids since we don't do ipads/tablets (our son is almost 4 years old and daughter is 8 months). For our family of four, we would never use the middle seat if we had a bench so the added space from having captain's chairs has been a nice bonus.
> 
> When we do have 4 adults in the car with the 2 kids, it's also been nice being able to have people access the 3rd row without having to move the 2nd row seats - they can climb in and go right between the seats in the 2nd row.


Agreed. No matter how easy they make it to access the third row by sliding/tilting the 2nd row seats, even with car seats attached which is basically an Atlas exclusive, no one ever does. They just climb through the obvious opening in the middle.


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## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

greggmischenko said:


> it's also been nice being able to have people access the 3rd row without having to move the 2nd row seats - they can climb in and go right between the seats in the 2nd row.





mtbsteve said:


> Agreed. No matter how easy they make it to access the third row by sliding/tilting the 2nd row seats, even with car seats attached which is basically an Atlas exclusive, no one ever does. They just climb through the obvious opening in the middle.


^^THIS

I thought I always wanted a bench seat, but then when you realize you would have to move the seat EVERY time just to get access to the 3rd row....it'd get old/annoying (if you have kids/people sitting back there all the time).

And if you have kids, they may or may not be able to do that themselves.
Versus them just opening the door & climbing thru the middle, with captain chairs, which is way easier.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

Have you tried to get in the way back with a bench? I don't understand why people get benches...


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## Senior Member (Jul 2, 2016)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Yeah I think we are going go with captains


It makes the inside seem a lot spacious.


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## paddyarizona (Jul 23, 2019)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


If you want your wife out of the way, bench is better - stick her between the kids 

All jokes aside, I have a 2019 Atlas, and when I bought it my kids were 5 and 8. When I went for the test drive, I brought both car seats (Diono Monterey XT). The bench is nice and wide - with the two car seats in, my wife could easily sit between them. The kids like having the bench as a place to put their books, tablets, etc. Also, as pointed out by someone else, with the way the 2nd row pivots forward, you can easily access the 3rd row even with car seats installed. _I can't imagine anyone would prefer to access the 3rd row by climbing in between the captains chairs over just pivoting the 2nd row seats forward and going in at the door._ I'm very happy I went with the bench option - one more seat that can be sat in.

My advice, go with the bench.


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## somd (Feb 2, 2017)

Bench seat here and mainly because we have 3 kids. When we go on trips we have 3 kids on the bench and have the back seats folded down for all the gear. Captains would have eaten up a chunk with the third kid in the 3rd row. Though captains allow for heated seats and bench does not. I have a car heated blanket that I lay across the bench and is enough to keep the kids from their first world problem complaints. 😆


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## Ramprat9 (Aug 2, 2021)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


Well with 2 kids Id suggest the captain seats ... that way they have their own space and not fight . Ive had both but no kids .


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

somd said:


> Bench seat here and mainly because we have 3 kids. When we go on trips we have 3 kids on the bench and have the back seats folded down for all the gear. Captains would have eaten up a chunk with the third kid in the 3rd row. Though captains allow for heated seats and bench does not. I have a car heated blanket that I lay across the bench and is enough to keep the kids from their first world problem complaints. 😆


I have an SEL-P with the bench and it does have heated seats on the bench.


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## Btiddy (May 7, 2021)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


I’ve got kids, so I always go with the bench seat over the captain chairs. The bench is a must. All three kids fit comfortably in the second row bench and there’s room in the rear for the dog crate and luggage for a Tahoe trip. Trust me, you don’t want the wasted space between the captain’s chairs.


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## Tim K (Jan 31, 2001)

paddyarizona said:


> _I can't imagine anyone would prefer to access the 3rd row by climbing in between the captains chairs over just pivoting the 2nd row seats forward and going in at the door._


In 2 1/2yrs of ownership I can say that none of my kids have EVER folded the 2nd row captains chairs forward to access the 3rd row. I don't even think the idea has crossed their minds. I think maybe it is because they grew up with a minivan with captains chairs and always went in through the middle.


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## Ramprat9 (Aug 2, 2021)

Mrprice said:


> I have an SEL-P with the bench and it does have heated seats on the bench.


My cross sport also has heated rear seats lol


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## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

If we're talking about young kids (and car seats)......what good are heated seats? lol


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

If you get the captain's chairs.... you can get a cargo area protector. Reduces the chance of a dog from climbing through the gap.

bought it from Amazon
Untitled by thisistan, on Flickr

Untitled by thisistan, on Flickr


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

Veedubmafia2.0 said:


> Do you with families prefer the captain seats for the second row or bench ? looking to get atlas for wife and 2 kids


I just purchased a 2022 Atlas SE 3.6 4Motion w/ Tech. It has the 3 passenger bench seating. We have 3 daughters age 2,8 &16. The girls get along great most of the time, so having the 3 Musketeers sit nicely next to each other is the ideal situation (97% of the time). When one of them feels she needs distance, there's the 3rd row seating. I love the normal 3 seat bench 2nd row.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

Tim K said:


> In 2 1/2yrs of ownership I can say that none of my kids have EVER folded the 2nd row captains chairs forward to access the 3rd row. I don't even think the idea has crossed their minds. I think maybe it is because they grew up with a minivan with captains chairs and always went in through the middle.


Agree. I can't imaging having a bench. YES, everyone goes in-between the captains and it is a hell of allot easier than fooling with the bench. The space between them is not lost. You can put things like bags on the floor there. You STILL have the entire back for storage. The empty middle is also great for transporting longer items and you can slide them between the captains.


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