Rubberized seat back, wow, that is better

[JackBoston]

When I saw people complain that the back of the seat was fabric not rubberized, I said to myself, we've got way too much time on our hands.

But I just bought a new Highlander (cuz we needed a car, will give to wife when Bronco arrives in 2028) and the third row seat back is rubberized and it is MUCH BETTER. The back of the second row is fabric, oh well. I can now totally see how/why people want rubberized seat back, hoping Ford/aftermarket provides solution.

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[Badmommallama]

When I saw people complain that the back of the seat was fabric not rubberized, I said to myself, we've got way too much time on our hands.

But I just bought a new Highlander (cuz we needed a car, will give to wife when Bronco arrives in 2028) and the third row seat back is rubberized and it is MUCH BETTER. The back of the second row is fabric, oh well. I can now totally see how/why people want rubberized seat back, hoping Ford/aftermarket provides solution.

That's nice, I have seen that as an option on several brands, not a dealbreaker for me, will possibly look for those aftermarket since I am getting a 2dr and seats will be down often.

 

[Shotsy]

Yeah - didn't make sense to me, especially with the Badlands. I'll wait to see what the aftermarket offers or if Ford updates it for MY22.

 

[Will2497]

A back row that folds fully flat??
Ford:

 

[CaseyH]

I know some people who just cut a piece of black marine carpet and put it over the entire back area on other vehicles. When it gets dirty, they pull it out, hose it off and pop it back in when it is dry.

 

[JaxGtc]

When I saw people complain that the back of the seat was fabric not rubberized, I said to myself, we've got way too much time on our hands.

But I just bought a new Highlander (cuz we needed a car, will give to wife when Bronco arrives in 2028) and the third row seat back is rubberized and it is MUCH BETTER. The back of the second row is fabric, oh well. I can now totally see how/why people want rubberized seat back, hoping Ford/aftermarket provides solution.

You will put 300,000 miles on that Highlander, amazing quality.

 

[JackBoston]

A back row that folds fully flat??
Ford:

To be fair, there is a slight slope to it.

And my whole garage smells like a new car (not complaining).

 

[bytheway]

That's a cargo liner, not the actual seatbacks. My wife's Hyundai Palisade has something similar.

https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota__...--Black-Cargo-Tray/69527363/PT9244814020.html

 

[Will2497]

To be fair, there is a slight slope to it.

And my whole garage smells like a new car (not complaining).

Still less than the Bronco, and probably better for having a more even load.

Btw, I'm an engineer at a factory in Illinois that makes the door panels, some body framing, and fuel inlets for the Highlanders. Hope you enjoy it

 

[JackBoston]

That's a cargo liner, not the actual seatbacks. My wife's Hyundai Palisade has something similar.

https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota__...--Black-Cargo-Tray/69527363/PT9244814020.html

Distinction without a difference.

 

[Oceannomad]

Yeah unfortunately carpet and this fella don’t get along

 

[indio22]

A back row that folds fully flat??
Ford:

Highlander is a unibody vehicle though, and without the same off-road performance design constraints of the new Bronco. Highlander doesn't even have 4low? Probably easier to make flat folding seats and other accoutrements in a Highlander vehicle class.

 

[Daktari]

Highlander is a unibody vehicle though, and without the same off-road performance design constraints of the new Bronco. Highlander doesn't even have 4low? Probably easier to make flat folding seats and other accoutrements in a Highlander vehicle class.

it probably has the spare underneath somewhere there, so it's easy to make the seats fold flat. I'm happy that Ford gives us those extra inches of cargo space instead of somehow lifting the floor. Aftermarket or some wood and tools will make for a full flat area easily, with some room for stuff underneath. I plan to sleep in mine on short trips, so I'll either buy or build some platform that I can take out and gain the full cargo space back.

 

[indio22]

it probably has the spare underneath somewhere there, so it's easy to make the seats fold flat. I'm happy that Ford gives us those extra inches of cargo space instead of somehow lifting the floor. Aftermarket or some wood and tools will make for a full flat area easily, with some room for stuff underneath. I plan to sleep in mine on short trips, so I'll either buy or build some platform that I can take out and gain the full cargo space back.

And without having to work around a ladder frame underneath (Highlander underbody image below), it's generally easier to form the unibody so as to accommodate things like folding seats, lower step in heights and other features. Especially if the vehicle also doesn't have the need for more rugged drivetrain components and supporting structures.

I wouldn't mind on the new Bronco, to have fully folding seats flat into the floor like my mini-van. But that's why it's a mini-van, and not a body on ladder frame vehicle I can bash off-road.

 

[BroncoBilly17]

You will put 300,000 miles on that Highlander, amazing quality.

LOL. To the grocery store and back maybe. 5 years in the engineering department of Toyota, and still amazed at the misconception people have on their vehicles. It's a company that convinced people that it was the floor mat that pinned the accelerator pedal, and not a defect

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