Why doesnt ford strike back with a bench seat!!

[Road_Warrior]

Bring back the coupe, panel van and GTHO while you're at it. In fact, make that coupe a GTHO and everyone will buy one and you'll sell 655,000 of them per year.

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

3 grown guys across the front seat knocking knees? Not unless your good mates....

Hello sailor.

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by Chopped

And cover the seat in vinyl so that you can slide from one side to the other in the corners.

Who would have the advantage at the drive ins on the first date? Have you tried to put the moves on a girl with a console in the middle. Easier to jump the teller at a bank.

The ef/el was just plain unergonomic at the drive ins with that handbrake placement.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Bring back the coupe, panel van and GTHO while you're at it. In fact, make that coupe a GTHO and everyone will buy one and you'll sell 655,000 of them per year.



Hello sailor.

Actually was thinking back to the 70s... tight stubbies, singlets and thongs (the footwear kind) lol

[Nikked]

How about a twinturbosupercharged DI V8, coupe panelvan GTHO with V8 supercar aerokit and gearbox....


And a bench seat.

[gtxb67]

great idea - maybe also put a dickie seat in the boot. great for summer cruising

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

In the good old days people had larger families and having mum and dad in the front seat along with at least one child in the middle and 2 or 3 in the back was almost normal.

However since its now illegal to have kids under a certain age in the front seat of a car, its pretty pointless!

3 grown guys across the front seat knocking knees? Not unless your good mates....

Research by Toyota shows a massive increase of people with kids from more than one marriage meaning there has been a big increase in families with more than 3 kids, hence the explosion of SUV sales.

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Research by Toyota shows a massive increase of people with kids from more than one marriage meaning there has been a big increase in families with more than 3 kids, hence the explosion of SUV sales.

Surely there is more than a few families with 6 people in them. Straight off the bat falcon is out, bring the benchseat back. Driving alone, left leg up on the seat and right doing the pedalling, 6 on the tree. Id buy one.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Surely there is more than a few families with 6 people in them. Straight off the bat falcon is out, bring the benchseat back. Driving alone, left leg up on the seat and right doing the pedalling, 6 on the tree. Id buy one.

You do realise that they only sell NEW ones.

In almost every case the reason why an option has been dropped was that very few people bought it.

[nstg8a]

and who wants to be all crammed up wih six people in a car really desinged for 4? just buy a suv/people mover and be comfortable.

[galaxy xr8]

I think alot of people are either making really stupid comment's or havn't read what one person has said allready about a main drawback of having a bench seat available on new vehicles.
The fact that it is illegal to have a child in the front seat, and as most 6/7 seat vehicles are purchased by those that require the use of 7 seat's are for children as a majority.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

I think alot of people are either making really stupid comment's or havn't read what one person has said allready about a main drawback of having a bench seat available on new vehicles.
The fact that it is illegal to have a child in the front seat, and as most 6/7 seat vehicles are purchased by those that require the use of 7 seat's are for children as a majority.

It's not illegal at all, when bench seat was cancelled Australia's birth rate was at a low. Since then Because of the baby bonus and other factors Australia has one of the highest birth rates in the developed world. In fact more babies are born now than the boom of the sixties.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by Brazen

It's not illegal at all, when bench seat was cancelled Australia's birth rate was at a low. Since then Because of the baby bonus and other factors Australia has one of the highest birth rates in the developed world. In fact more babies are born now than the boom of the sixties.

Straight from Vic road's website,

If a vehicle has two or more rows of seats, children aged under 4 years must not travel in the front seat.

If all rear seats are being used by children under 7 years of age, children aged 4 years to under 7 years may travel in the front seat, provided they travel in a booster seat.

My point is that anyone wanting 7 seat's or needing it will be doing so for children or the majority will be anyway and an SUV is far more appropriate in doing so, thus why a bench seat is not a option.

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

It's extremely hard trying to get opposite lock with your left arm around your girlfriend!!

Says you!!!

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by .FoMoCo.

Maybe they could market the bench seat as part of a 'retro' pack;

Wall to wall vinyl
Push button AM only radio
Skinny steering wheel
6 on the tree
15 inch steel wheels
Rear drum brakes

Hmmm...

crank start, Carburetor with manual choke, a dizzy, chrome bumpers, steel hub caps, white walls..... think we could be on to something here??????

[flooded one]

and i thought of a name for it the RF (retro ford) Falcon

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

3 grown guys across the front seat knocking knees? Not unless your good mates....

It's worse when it's a manual and the gear stick is between the middle guys legs.
Gets to the point where the guy in the middle is responsible for gear changes.

[Luke Plaizier]

If only the Ute's column shift/dash handbrake didn't remove the steering column adjustability, or the centre seatbelt didn't require that it be bolted to the ute rear firewall - we'd all be doing bench-seat conversions to our FPV GT's.....


Lukeyson

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Says you!!!

Ok, I'll rephrase that. It WAS extremely hard to do....

Or are you saying that you have no trouble doing it

Originally Posted by wildrider

crank start, Carburetor with manual choke, a dizzy, chrome bumpers, steel hub caps, white walls..... think we could be on to something here??????

Not forgetting the Dog with the bobbing head in the back window, Foxtails on the aerial and junk hanging from the mirror.

[Chopped]

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by Chopped

image

My dream has come true.. But where is the 6 on the tree?

Great thread.

[aussie muscle]

Top gear were reviewing a six seater (one of those pretend 4wd things) i didn't pay attention to what it was (as tg was a repeat), so there are manufacturers offering bench seats.

[naddis01]

You don't remember what it was? Are you sure it wasn't 2+2+2 rather than 3+3?

[washoutbeach]

Originally Posted by foxtrot3

Hi. As much as I would like a six seat falcon wagon the big problem ford would have is a safe and suitable seat belt for the centre front seat. With a lap/sash belt now being the normal minimum requirement there is no top anchor point that works with a second row of seats. As for other cars in the ford range to carry 6 people the terry is a 5 + 2 little ones and with the back seat up not enough cargo space, We had the same amount of room in a camera wagon with a dickie seat as a 7 seat territory. The solution for us was a Kia carnival. Cheers MD

If the solution for you was a Kia Carnival..thats weird.

To admit same publicly, thats a cry for help if ever I heard one!

Just one more strap across the chest and were all done.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by foxtrot3

Hi. As much as I would like a six seat falcon wagon the big problem ford would have is a safe and suitable seat belt for the centre front seat. With a lap/sash belt now being the normal minimum requirement there is no top anchor point that works with a second row of seats.

Ummm, they’d just do it same as it is done for the centre position in the back seat of all the wagon models out there…
Problem is all the design and compliance costs, ANCAP, Euro V, etc, etc, for what would be a very low volume option.
In the days when your only alternative was a “people mover” based on commercial vans (aka “Coffin on Wheels”) 6-seater Fords were a viable alternative. We owned two (and always fitted a harness to the centre position.) Then they started making decent dicky seats, so our next car was an EF wagon with an extra bench in the back. Nowadays an SUV or decent people mover is a better option.

[JG34JA]

Hang about, hasn't all the R&D already been done to have a bench seat base ute? Agree that with XR at 45% of model mix, you'd be mad not to offer it as an option on XR.

Love to see bench seat and wagon as options, not gonna happen: my new car choice will have to have a massive waste of space between driver and passenger, 'cos that's what people want (apparently).

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by JG34JA

Hang about, hasn't all the R&D already been done to have a bench seat base ute? Agree that with XR at 45% of model mix, you'd be mad not to offer it as an option on XR.

Love to see bench seat and wagon as options, not gonna happen: my new car choice will have to have a massive waste of space between driver and passenger, 'cos that's what people want (apparently).

isnt it a "temporary" centre seat though?
Technically a glorified arm rest.

[4.0i OHC]

I quite liked what they did with the XH 3 seater manual utes/vans. I'd love to see a comeback; a centre console makes sense in narrower cars, but not in cars as wide as a Falcon. The FG's centre console is the worst yet in terms of taking up space.

[4.0i OHC]

Originally Posted by MethodX

isnt it a "temporary" centre seat though?
Technically a glorified arm rest.

No? It's as much of a 'temporary' seat as the rear centre seat is on sedans. You also get no compromises in the two outboard seats; it's not a true 'bench' seat in that respect.

As well as this, to all you naysayers harping on about airbags, the Falcon front passenger airbag covers the centre seat position (regardless of whether there actually is a passenger seated there). This has been the case since EF2.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

Top gear were reviewing a six seater (one of those pretend 4wd things) i didn't pay attention to what it was (as tg was a repeat), so there are manufacturers offering bench seats.

Originally Posted by naddis01

You don't remember what it was? Are you sure it wasn't 2+2+2 rather than 3+3?

definitely 3x3, and hammond was banging on about it not working because he had two children (three in front and one alone in the back seat).

[naddis01]

3 rows of 2 seats (2+2+2) or 2 rows of 3 seats (3+3. in other words 2 bench seats).