I love the Land Rover Defender for many reasons, the current generation Defender 90 is on my “must buy when I have extra money” list. But one of the reasons I like it so much is that you can get it with a bench seat in the front. It’s not just good; It is also extremely practical as you can seat up to six people in a two-door truck. Older automakers like Chevy, Ford and General Motors also offer models with front bench seats – but what about the new kids on the block?
As it turns out, they’re on board with front-bench seats, too. REO IndustriesThe Texas startup promising to bring back the “affordable American truck” plans to equip its boxy, gas-powered, body-on-frame model with a front bench. And similarly, in an even more specific segment, smart is want to equip Its future #2 model with a bench. The rationale is that this makes the cabin feel “more spacious” while providing greater versatility for cargo or passengers.
Scout Motors, VW’s electric venture that has enjoyed a rollercoaster trajectory so far, is bringing back the bench in both its upcoming models, the Terra and Traveller. However, it looks like we’ll have to wait until “sometime in 2028” to see these in person.
If you just have a bench seat vehicle and don’t want to wait for REO, don’t want/can’t buy a Smart, and don’t mind waiting until 2028 for the Scout, you can buy a Chevy Tahoe/Suburban today, as well as the Silverado (1500 and HD), Ram (1500 and HD), and the Ford F-150. You can also buy a pre-owned Defender because, sadly, JLR stopped offering a bench seat in the US about two or three years ago.
If you really think about it, the front bench makes much more sense than two separate seats. You can still easily build a folding center armrest/console into the backrest, giving customers the option of storage or a jump seat. Now, I’m sure some automotive designer or engineer is probably scolding me right now because what I find simple is probably the opposite of what they think, but hey, whatever.
There are only a few models available on the market with front bench seats, I wouldn’t exactly say they’re making a comeback – but I’d definitely say we’re headed in the right direction.
If it was an option would you choose beach front?
