TheSamba.com :: View topic - New EV Bus announced this morning

Sat Jul 12, 2025 9:13 am

VW should have consulted Boeing for seating efficiency. They could’ve designed that area to be a 4 seater :twisted:

Sat Jul 12, 2025 9:24 am

KTPhil wrote: From the article:

"...all the vehicles shipped to the U.S. were recalled in April because the third-row seats were too broad, allowing three passengers to squeeze into a space with only two seat belts. Sales were suspended for two months while Volkswagen fit plastic parts to narrow the row..."

How stupid can you get? What hairbrained law makes you remove usable space like this? Any bench seat designed for adults will allow you to squeeze in twice as many if they are children. So maybe we should just produce single-seat vehicles?

Dammit, we need to fire our legislatures and department heads that allow this nonsense.

Rather than reduce seat width, why not add a middle belt, easy peasy!

Fat folks wont appreciate the new restricted width seat.

The 914 had an optional middle lap belt for anyone that cared to sit on the pad on top of the storage tray.

This belt is kind of funny, the user's legs need to be jammed to the right and share the passenger foot well with the others legs.
I have used with with three adults, certainly crammed in.

Note the center storage tray lid/ pad is not shown in this photo, it is VERY narrow!!!

here is photograph showing the center pad which serves as the middle seat, this 914 however does not have that seatbelt....

Sat Jul 12, 2025 9:44 am

EverettB wrote: The rear seat:

This CLEARLY looks like 2 seats.

If someone wants to sit on the middle hump with no seat belt, I don't see how that's the problem of VW. Let stupid people do stupid things.

I looked it up and found a discussion about it and the area is so wide that the seat itself should have been a 3-seat layout with 3 belts according to US regulations... or been a different layout with one of those drink trays or whatever in the center so it wasn't a "seat".
So VW messed up by not following the laws in the USA.

Ah....good picture. I think what some of the stupid people in the regulatory arena are missing.....is that while it "looks" wide enough to seat 3....it has a pair of fold up armrests in the center (probably with drink holders) ....which is what you would find and want in a vehicle that at least pretends to be for weekend getaways and comfort.

Probably an easier thing to do would be to pin the armrests down/deployed so no one can seat a 3rd person there.

Ray

Sat Jul 12, 2025 10:25 am

raygreenwood wrote: EverettB wrote: The rear seat:

This CLEARLY looks like 2 seats.

If someone wants to sit on the middle hump with no seat belt, I don't see how that's the problem of VW. Let stupid people do stupid things.

I looked it up and found a discussion about it and the area is so wide that the seat itself should have been a 3-seat layout with 3 belts according to US regulations... or been a different layout with one of those drink trays or whatever in the center so it wasn't a "seat".
So VW messed up by not following the laws in the USA.

Ah....good picture. I think what some of the stupid people in the regulatory arena are missing.....is that while it "looks" wide enough to seat 3....it has a pair of fold up armrests in the center (probably with drink holders) ....which is what you would find and want in a vehicle that at least pretends to be for weekend getaways and comfort.

Probably an easier thing to do would be to pin the armrests down/deployed so no one can seat a 3rd person there.

Ray

So pin the arm rest down thus making it impossible to slide across the seats, thus nessecitating entry and exit from each side for each passenger. Thus making a safety issue when parked along side a street.

Sat Jul 12, 2025 11:49 am

zerotofifty wrote: raygreenwood wrote: EverettB wrote: The rear seat:

This CLEARLY looks like 2 seats.

If someone wants to sit on the middle hump with no seat belt, I don't see how that's the problem of VW. Let stupid people do stupid things.

I looked it up and found a discussion about it and the area is so wide that the seat itself should have been a 3-seat layout with 3 belts according to US regulations... or been a different layout with one of those drink trays or whatever in the center so it wasn't a "seat".
So VW messed up by not following the laws in the USA.

Ah....good picture. I think what some of the stupid people in the regulatory arena are missing.....is that while it "looks" wide enough to seat 3....it has a pair of fold up armrests in the center (probably with drink holders) ....which is what you would find and want in a vehicle that at least pretends to be for weekend getaways and comfort.

Probably an easier thing to do would be to pin the armrests down/deployed so no one can seat a 3rd person there.

Ray

So pin the arm rest down thus making it impossible to slide across the seats, thus nessecitating entry and exit from each side for each passenger. Thus making a safety issue when parked along side a street.

Just look at the picture. To get out either side you need to tilt the front seat forward anyway. Tons of room to get out.

And, even if you don't pin the armrest. It should have been dead easy for VW to look whatever yahoo propagated the "three seat" issue...dead in the eye and say "see the armrests?...why would anyone put seatbelts in front of an armrest?" :wink:

Ray

Sun Jul 13, 2025 12:40 am

Who.Me? wrote: Designed for the obesity epidemic.

so in reality a seat for one person and their snacks :lol:

Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:47 am

finster wrote: Who.Me? wrote: Designed for the obesity epidemic.

so in reality a seat for one person and their snacks :lol:

They should put an ozempic shot holder in there. :wink:

Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:54 am

zerotofifty wrote: finster wrote: Who.Me? wrote: Designed for the obesity epidemic.

so in reality a seat for one person and their snacks :lol:

They should put an ozempic shot holder in there. :wink:

But then you won't want the snacks

Sun Jul 13, 2025 7:04 am

What's ozempic?

Sun Jul 13, 2025 7:46 am

raygreenwood wrote: EverettB wrote: The rear seat:

This CLEARLY looks like 2 seats.

If someone wants to sit on the middle hump with no seat belt, I don't see how that's the problem of VW. Let stupid people do stupid things.

I looked it up and found a discussion about it and the area is so wide that the seat itself should have been a 3-seat layout with 3 belts according to US regulations... or been a different layout with one of those drink trays or whatever in the center so it wasn't a "seat".
So VW messed up by not following the laws in the USA.

Ah....good picture. I think what some of the stupid people in the regulatory arena are missing.....is that while it "looks" wide enough to seat 3....it has a pair of fold up armrests in the center (probably with drink holders) ....which is what you would find and want in a vehicle that at least pretends to be for weekend getaways and comfort.

Probably an easier thing to do would be to pin the armrests down/deployed so no one can seat a 3rd person there.

Ray

I don't see any armrests in the center of the rear seat. Are they hiding?

Sun Jul 13, 2025 11:25 am

You would be right Q-Dog

Sun Jul 13, 2025 10:12 pm

Q-Dog wrote: raygreenwood wrote: EverettB wrote: The rear seat:

This CLEARLY looks like 2 seats.

If someone wants to sit on the middle hump with no seat belt, I don't see how that's the problem of VW. Let stupid people do stupid things.

I looked it up and found a discussion about it and the area is so wide that the seat itself should have been a 3-seat layout with 3 belts according to US regulations... or been a different layout with one of those drink trays or whatever in the center so it wasn't a "seat".
So VW messed up by not following the laws in the USA.

Ah....good picture. I think what some of the stupid people in the regulatory arena are missing.....is that while it "looks" wide enough to seat 3....it has a pair of fold up armrests in the center (probably with drink holders) ....which is what you would find and want in a vehicle that at least pretends to be for weekend getaways and comfort.

Probably an easier thing to do would be to pin the armrests down/deployed so no one can seat a 3rd person there.

Ray

I don't see any armrests in the center of the rear seat. Are they hiding?

I think he mistook the seat hinges in the center for arm rests.

The seats fold down and I'm guessing part of why there are only 2 seats is that VW wanted a 50/50 arrangement instead the 60/40 (estimate) like I've seen on other SUVs.

Mon Jul 14, 2025 9:31 am

It's amazing we kids survived without the nanny state to save us.

Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:22 am

That rear seat size is common for "7 passenger" SUVs.

My 2005 Ford Freestar Minvan had a rear fold away seat that was slightly wider. You could fit two adults (under 6' & 210 pounds) or 3 kids (under ~13 years old) as it came with seat belts for 3.

My RHD 1993 Nissan Prairie that I had in Japan was classified as a "7 Passenger" Minivan and the 3rd row/rear seats were similar to the ID Buzz configuration. We could fit 3 elementary school kids, 2 child seats, 2 small adults, or 1 visiting full sized Canadian family member in that rear seat. :)

Mon Jul 14, 2025 1:11 pm

Shonandb wrote: That rear seat size is common for "7 passenger" SUVs.

My 2005 Ford Freestar Minvan had a rear fold away seat that was slightly wider. You could fit two adults (under 6' & 210 pounds) or 3 kids (under ~13 years old) as it came with seat belts for 3.

My RHD 1993 Nissan Prairie that I had in Japan was classified as a "7 Passenger" Minivan and the 3rd row/rear seats were similar to the ID Buzz configuration. We could fit 3 elementary school kids, 2 child seats, 2 small adults, or 1 visiting full sized Canadian family member. :)

I'm struggling to visualise. Can you give me the measurements in bananas? Failing that, I'll take ping pong balls.

Tue Jul 15, 2025 12:54 am

KTPhil wrote: It's amazing we kids survived without the nanny state to save us.

My life expectancy at birth was 68

It’s 93 now.

That’s a slight abuse of statistics but the difference is not all due to the bathtub.

Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:30 am

Abscate wrote: KTPhil wrote: It's amazing we kids survived without the nanny state to save us.

My life expectancy at birth was 68

It’s 93 now.

That’s a slight abuse of statistics but the difference is not all due to the bathtub.

I think that I must be part cat as I should have died a number of times over the years. I need to count them up as I'm nearing number 9 though....

Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:05 pm

Ahh yes. My dad’s 64 Mercury had a breezeway back window. My sister grabbed me from falling off the trunk lid when I was a little kid (4). Still surviving. Thankfully kids didn’t have smart phones or Nintendo switch back then or I might not be here. Then again if I had a computer in my hand and technology 24/7 I’d know not to crawl out the back window. TikTok has educated many kids not to crawl out of a Mercury back window. Kids are so smart these days :x
No telling what might happen with all that VW Buzz rear seat room.

Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:27 pm

Xevin wrote: No telling what might happen with all that VW Buzz rear seat room.

It's a shame the suburbs built over all the good old hilltop makeout spots.

Tue Jul 15, 2025 9:02 pm

airschooled wrote: Xevin wrote: No telling what might happen with all that VW Buzz rear seat room.

It's a shame the suburbs built over all the good old hilltop makeout spots.

Yup, parents no longer gave the keys to the DeSoto for the kids to watch the submarine races with your partner :wink: