What compact SUV has seats that fold down fully flat?

July 12, 2015 9:34 AM

I'm car shopping. It's an ordeal. Trying to do as much internet research before torturing myself by walking into a car lot. My requirements include a used AWD or 4WD in a small, compact SUV (2010 or newer) but here's the snowflakey thing that is hard to check out online: I want the rear seats to be able to fold down completely so that there is no gap between the driver's seat and the rear seats to make maximum use of storage.
posted by HeyAllie to Travel & Transportation (27 answers total)

Best answer: My 2012 Ford Escape's rear seats fold down completely flat.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:38 AM on July 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

here's the snowflakey thing that is hard to check out online: I want the rear seats to be able to fold down completely so that there is no gap between the driver's seat and the rear seats to make maximum use of storage.

I've never seen anything that does this as well as a honda fit, which is only FWD until now (I have a 2013). The 2016 line has a crossover version that is AWD (the HR-V) and has the same seat folding mechanics, but obviously you won't be finding this used. I'm pretty sure they are just available, so maybe worth seeing in person. I guess a used honda element would be something along similar lines, but they weren't particularly compact (made until 2011).
posted by advil at 9:47 AM on July 12, 2015

The Honda Element has seats that remove completely. There are some good pictures on this vwvortex forum thread. They can also fold against the wall or fold semi-flat.

This also puts them in huge demand for people that do sports / home repair and they're discontinued, so you won't find many deals. Also there are quite a few tradeoffs (suicide doors, road noise, blind spots). But people tend to love them.
posted by meowzilla at 9:49 AM on July 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Not an SUV but taller than regular car: Suburu Outback.
Plus it comes in straight-6 (or whatever it's called) instead of V-6 engine so it has a better center of gravity ... Or so the guy at dealership told me.
posted by Neekee at 9:53 AM on July 12, 2015

I second the Honda Element. Fantastic car.
posted by banjonaut at 10:00 AM on July 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

so that there is no gap between the driver's seat and the rear seats

I'm not sure this is possible anymore for safety reasons. The various shock-absorbing properties of the front seats won't function properly with something pressed against them from behind. Also, if the rear seats have headrests (also mandatory I think) they don't go all the way across, making gaps.

My '91 Cherokee came real close except for a small gap where the front console was, you might see if maybe the recent-model Grand Cherokee or Patriot (which is the reboot of the Cherokee) do.

I will say that I can put boxes all the way to the back of the front seats in my Prius with the seats down; the gap isn't that big, with the front seats slid all the way back and the rear headrests popped up a couple notches. But I wouldn't call the surface completely flat, if that's significant - the actual back deck is completely flat, but where the seats are folded down it's probably about a 10-degree angle. It's never stopped me from bring home a table or storing boxes, but it's not a completely smooth slide in and out. (Prius isn't AWD but I assume if my very modular car can do it, so can others.)

You may be better off with a van with removable seats if you need a truly flat surface. That gives you another several square feet of storage as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:03 AM on July 12, 2015

Best answer: My 2015 escape comes close... there's about a 3 inch gap between the top of the rear seat and the back of the front seat when folded. The headrests fold downward as the seat goes down to allow for this.
posted by HuronBob at 10:10 AM on July 12, 2015

I came here to say what ImproviseOrDie said - my 2012 Ford Escape AWD ~390 miles a tank SUV does this. I LOVE my Escape.
posted by mibo at 10:33 AM on July 12, 2015

Best answer: I'm not sure this is possible anymore for safety reasons. The various shock-absorbing properties of the front seats won't function properly with something pressed against them from behind. Also, if the rear seats have headrests (also mandatory I think) they don't go all the way across, making gaps.

To elaborate on my earlier comment about my 2012 Ford Escape's seats folding completely flat:

The back seats do have headrests. You remove them for folding down. Before you can fold them down, however, you fold the bottom half of the seat upward so that it's vertical, and it stands directly behind the front seats. Then the tops of the back seats fold down flat up against that, like so. That is completely flat.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 10:37 AM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Honda Element is amazing for this. They fold flat, fold up, and can be removed entirely.
posted by zug at 10:48 AM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

I want to second the HRV option if it can fit in your budget new. The fit and HRV have gloriously well thought out cargo systems that will make you smile every time you have to put something weird in there.
posted by ftm at 10:54 AM on July 12, 2015

Response by poster: Note: I live in the mountains, so high clearance and the AWD or 4WD is important.
posted by HeyAllie at 11:02 AM on July 12, 2015

I have an AWD 2007 Honda Element and while the seats fold, they take up a lot of room once they are down. Removing them completely does give you an empty box with a lot of cargo room. Taking the seats out is not a quick- and-easy one-person job. Plus you need a place to store them. The seats are heavy and awkward to maneuver out. Once they are out, mine tend to stay out for a while, which has inconveniences of its own. (And getting them back in? I have taken mine to the dealer to get them in correctly.) Likewise folding up the seats; not a one person job. You also have massive blind spots with the seats folded up. That said, I love my Element and get offers about once a week from people who want to buy it.
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 11:11 AM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Volvo XC70's rear seats fold fully flat, and it has a pretty big cargo space.
posted by monotreme at 11:44 AM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

The 2015 Subaru Outback definitely has rear seats that fold flat. 8.7" ground clearance. Very capable vehicle for under $30k.
posted by belau at 1:33 PM on July 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

My 2010 Kia soul does this and has all wheel drive
posted by peppermind at 2:46 PM on July 12, 2015

My (older) CR-V's seats fold down flat the way you request. Check out if he newer ones do.
posted by EastCoastBias at 3:26 PM on July 12, 2015

A friend of mine has recently purchased the Honda HRV. As others have mentioned, there's no way you will get a used one. I have driven it myself, and really want one as my next car. For me it is the perfect combination of great cargo space, all wheel drive, and not being too huge.
posted by instead of three wishes at 4:59 PM on July 12, 2015

I have a Nissan Rogue. It's a cross-over, AWD and the back seats fold down nearly flat.
I've had it for about 5 years and it's been a great car.
posted by plinth at 6:21 PM on July 12, 2015

Best answer: My RAV 4 does this, I love it. I believe, but am not sure, that it has AWD.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:36 PM on July 12, 2015

I'd also look at a Mazda CX-5.
It's a little more sporty than others mentioned above, would be fun on mountain roads.
As for cargo there's 65 cubic ft with seats folded.
The seats fold flat with the simple pull of a lever.
I'd get the optional larger engine that get similar good economy as the base engine.

The Honda HRV seems nice, too.
posted by artdrectr at 1:29 AM on July 13, 2015

Best answer: RAV4 rear seats fold relatively flat. As with many folding seats there is no lip, but there is a slight angle. Until a couple of years ago, it was available with a V6. I loved my SO's 2008. I was probably more sad than her when it was totaled some months back, since it's freaking impossible to find one with the V6 and leather around here. (They are more common farther west) CX-5s are nice, but are less practical for bulky cargo because of the shape of the rear. Same goes for newer (post-2006, IIRC) CR-Vs. The RAV and Escape were the best in that regard in the late 00s. The Element would probably also work, but the RAV4 is the best driving of the bunch, IMO. (In more recent years I'd take the Escape or the CX-5)

Just be sure to something post-2008 so it will have the button to turn traction control off. There is a sequence of brake presses and parking brake lifting you can use to turn it off when the car is first started on the older ones, but that's annoying. The reason you want this is that there are occasionally situations where the traction control will cut power due to excessive wheel spin and leave you stuck even though the 4wd system is perfectly capable of moving the car. It lacks a locking front/rear differential like you'd find in a Subaru, but the software will apply enough braking to a slipping wheel to route power to a wheel that isn't slipping.

One of the really nice things about the RAV that was missing in those year CR-Vs (and Escapes, IIRC) was a lever in the back to fold the rear seats. No need to go up front and mess with stuff there, just open the back and pull the handle(s) next to the back door.
posted by wierdo at 9:13 AM on July 13, 2015

Best answer: Oh, one other thing the RAV4 has that most of its competitors lack is a locking center diff, so you can force it into 4wd at low speeds if need be. It's an electronically actuated clutch that can only do a 60/40 split, so it's again not as good as a Subaru in some ways, but it will get you unstuck as long as traction control is cooperating or disabled.

The Toyota is the most all-around reliable of the lot, but Subarus these days have a pretty bulletproof powertrain, as does the CR-V, with the Escape close behind. The CX-5 is decent, but a little worse. Both it and the Escape are best with the turbocharged engine, which I don't like for reliability, but will be OK if you are religious about on time oil changes.
posted by wierdo at 9:20 AM on July 13, 2015

Response by poster: Ended up with a 2012 RAV4! AWD with only 25,000 miles, clean Carfax report.
posted by HeyAllie at 8:05 AM on July 20, 2015

If it hasn't yet hit 36 months since its original sale date you can get a factory 60 month/100k mile extended warranty for less than $1000, by the way. We did that with our 2008 and it paid for itself between the cost of a couple of wheel bearing replacements and the loaners it paid for while it was being serviced for those.

0% 12 month financing, too. I got mine from a dealer in Vermont who participated on rav4world.

At the time there was a dealer in Kansas doing them for a bit less, but they were difficult to get ahold of.
posted by wierdo at 11:37 AM on July 24, 2015

I know it's late but in case anyone references this, my Pontiac Vibe has seats like this and it is just a fantastic car. Apparently it's really a Toyota Matrix body that Pontiac slapped their brand on. So all the Toyota, quality stuff. They've finally been discontinued and I don't know what I'm gonna do when the time comes to get a new car. Why did all the car makers discontinue all the good cars?! My husband has a Honda Element and we love that car too, and it too has been discontinued. What gives?!
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:32 PM on January 25, 2016

Re Vibe: after restructuring, GM has discontinued manufacturing all Pontiac cars.
You can still buy a similar toyota matrix.

Re Element: sales bottomed out and were cannibalizing sales of the CRV, a higher price point (and higher mpg) vehicle.

PS Cars keep getting better, not worse.
posted by artdrectr at 9:50 PM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]