Captains chairs look good, allow access to the 3rd row and keep your kids separated. But a bench seat is brilliant when you really need it: You can fit three kids—or kids car seats—across and it’s easier to get them in and out of the car.
Wouldn’t it be great if family cars offered the best of both worlds? Removable seats for a bench that seats 3 when you want and captains chairs when you don’t?
These are the four vehicles—2 minivans and 2 SUVs—with removable center row middle seats, plus two bonus options with flexible seating that are almost as good.
This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Honda Odyssey Minivan: The Most Flexible Seating In Family Cars
Honda really set itself apart with the Odyssey, offering the ultimate answer for buyers and families who want truly flexible seating options. A few years ago the company came up with the Magic Slide center row: Seats slide forward and back, and when you remove the middle seat, they can slide side to side.
The Honda Odyssey’s Removable Seats Offers Dozens of Seating Options
This gives families the luxury of position the middle seat close to the front seat, to remove the middle seat and leave the outboard spot open for 3rd row access, to push one seat forward and the other back, and that’s just to start. Center row seats can accommodate 3rd row legroom, or cargo space, or can be pushed all the way back so passengers can stretch out. Third row seats stow in the floor—one or both—for even more flexibility and flat floor space when you need it.
Oh, and that removable middle seat? It fits in the cargo well.
Read: Battle of the Minivans: Chrysler Pacifica vs. Honda Odyssey
Kia Carnival Minivan: Second Row Seating Is Designed to Feel Luxe
Kia walks the line between making the Carnival feel a bit more sophisticated than your average minivan but also, making the seating incredibly flexible. Center row seats move independently so they can be positioned forward and back quite a bit, and the middle seat in all but the top model is removable, so you can create captains chairs when you want and a bench when you need it.
The top of the line model offers reclining center row seats with extendable footrests. These are luxurious but they do make the 3rd row hard to reach.
The Center Seat in the Kia Carnival Does Triple Duty
In addition to being removable, the center row middle seat slides waaaaaay back; it can move almost all the way back to the 3rd row. This is actually great for drivers who need to load something large between the front seats, such as a wheel chair or hockey bags. Or, it can simply fold flat to create a center arm rest and cup holder between the center row seats.
Honda Pilot Also Offers a Removable Seat in the Center Row
Honda took a bit of magic from the Odyssey and brought it to the Pilot with a removable center row middle seat. This creates center row captains chairs when you want them and a bench when you need it, and the center row outboard seats are still movable forward and back.
The Honda Pilot’s Interior Is Huge AND Flexible
While the flexibility of PIlot’s seats adds a huge bonus, keep in mind that unlike they Odyssey, they are not movable side to side. Also, not all models offer the bench seat; some, such as the TrailSport come only with captains chairs. Last, once the center seat is removed it needs to be stowed; it can fit in the under-floor compartment in the cargo area.
Acura MDX Adds the Luxury of Choice
Acura, the luxury arm of Honda, saw the brilliance of a removable middle seat and added it to the 3-row MDX SUV. Like the Pilot, it can pop out to create captains chairs. It’s actually sort of shocking that Honda is among the only carmakers to offer this option because it’s just so good.
The Interior of the Acura MDX Feels Even More Luxe With Captains Chairs
As a luxury SUV the Acura MDX is designed to feel clubby: loftier leather seating, soft surfaces, cushy carpets. All that stuff takes up space and the interior of the MDX, and though built on the same frame as the Pilot, it has ab out 20 fewer cubic feet of space and seats 7 passengers while the pilot seats 8. This makes the removable middle seat all the more brilliant: captains chairs give the cabin an open feel, but you can add an extra passenger when you really need to. Isn’t that a nice luxury?
Also Consider the Ford Expedition
While the Ford Expedition doesn’t have removable middle seats—yet—it does have a very flexible center row with all 3 seats moving forward and back independently. This is great for positioning kids car seats or allowing some second row passengers to stretch out while still giving 3rd row passengers leg room.
The Expedition also has a new “gear tunnel” that can be created by folding both the center row and 3rd row middle seats flat. Stow surf boards, fishing rods or hockey bags or, simply create barriers between bickering kiddos.
Also Consider the VW ID. Buzz
VW took a very considered approach to the seating in the new ID. Buzz EV. With the need to store the battery pack under the cabin, engineers had to figure out how to configure seats fully within the cabin and still create a flat floor and flexible seating.
The result are 3rd row seats that can be fully removed, a rear cargo area bin that, when 3rd and center row seats are folded, creates a fully flat floor, and a choice between center row captains chairs and a bench. The dual motor AWD models come with captains chairs standard, but single motor buyers can upgrade to captains chairs for $695. Last, the ID. Buzz has two removable center consoles—one between the front seats and between center row captains chairs—for even more flexible storage space.
It’s nice to see Honda sticking to its ingenuity of flexible seating, and other brands following along. No one should have to choose between captains chairs and a bench seat, really, especially when we can all use both at some point in our car ownership journey.
