I’m back in a mirage!

[Mark]

While I agree with you, when a sedan has a pass through / fold down seats, there is a certain test that has to be passed. I can't remember for sure but it was called an "Intrusion" test if I remember. A couple size wood blocks are placed in the trunk in certain positions (representing various anything that could be in a trunk) and a frontal collision test is performed. Those blocks cannot bust open the fold down seats, and are only allowed to displace the rear seats by so much. Very easy to fail that test. Lots of high speed cameras and "gauging" looking at these seats for the tests.

For an OEM it means the rear seats get much more expensive to beef up that structure. Hence the likely reason it is not done on a G4. Coming from a former seat design engineer for Toyota. The testing is somewhat expensive, however they can be tied in with other frontal collision testing that's going to be done anyway. So the testing expense would not be the primary reason to forgo this feature. The development cost and ongoing extra beef would be the reason(s).


7milesout

My rear seats in my hatchback have been folded down for most of this year. I think they would fail this block test.

[7milesout]

I'm not 100% certain (because I never did seat design on a hatch), but I don't believe the intrusion test is applicable to a hatch. I would have to believe that even if the seats held, the blocks would fly over and clobber the passengers anyway.

Lesson: Don't be rear-ending cars in front of you when you're carrying anvils and butcher knives in the hatch area.

[Dirk Diggler]

My rear seats in my hatchback have been folded down for most of this year. I think they would fail this block test.

Mine too.