Hooniverse Asks- What Car Has The Most Flexible Interior?
Flexibility is an important aspect of both relationships and automotive interiors, the most adept at either often being the most successful. In getting along with other people, it’s often helpful to be less than rigid when faced with the situation where someone might not share for views on, say politics, or personal hygiene. When it comes to cars, who doesn’t enjoy the shock and awe of the discovery of a well designed cup holder, or an under-seat storage place for your gun?
But flexible car interiors are about much more than just a place to put your latte or your lupara, it’s about convenience. After all, how cool would it be to camp out in your car – even if the economy didn’t make that your only option? And what about transporting excessively long things like Yao Ming or Pi to the seven hundredth decimal place? Having seats that fold down in those instances can be of benefit, don’t you think?
So, we’re all in agreement that being flexible is good, and in cars it’s great, but what car is, in your mind, the most flexible one of all?
Image source: [porscheperfect.com]
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The Honda Element actually has a really well thought out interior. The only problem with it is that it it's a Honda Element.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/rg3lR.jpg">
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/pMYKf.jpg">
Only problem is you've never driven/ridden/used one? Make ti a five-speed and you've actually got a fun vehicle that can get 25mpg on the highway.
The Honda Element, hands down, has the most flexible interior, relative to the size and capacities of the vehicle. Sure an Econoline (never gonna be an E-series, sorry ford) can haul more, and a Focus is going to get better mileage, but I've driven my Element over 130k and camped in it on several extended trips. Air mattress, screens on the windows presto – mini-RV.
Take the rear seats out entirely, and you've got far more room than you'd think possible. Only hindrance is the pitiful load capacity.
Every. Single. Time. a new person climbs into the Element, the *first* thing they say is "wow, I didn't realize this had so much room!"
Why yes, good sir, in working for a car dealership I have driven, ridden and used one! There is something that happens mentally when you're car's best assets couldn't be used to describe any of the various qualities of kitchen appliances. While I think it is a decent crossover it still ends up being a crossover. If my vehicle design is inspired by the two box movement, I want it to be able to play in the mud.
I meant no offense, they just aren't for me.
My BIL has one. Versatile but far from sexy. Loses points on versatility for the lack of a fifth seat.
Yeah, I was surprised the first time I sat in one to see there's no seat in the middle. It makes no sense, especially when the CR-V can have three across.
Sorry my good man…I am quite defensive about the Elements…who would have thought a box on wheels would inspire such passion! All in good fun my friend!
I have a love of box on wheels. My first car was a lifted XJ and I'm thinking my next one might be a slightly rounder V70R. Hard to find one in a stick though.
With one notable exception, every box on wheels I've owned has been used to tow a car trailer, so I've never considered a crossover.
I guess you could say they're out of my Element.
[youtube BO-QRfW4sTw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO-QRfW4sTw youtube]
Pretty nice Westfalia-type top
too bad the operation is in California and I am in Florida
25 mpg on the highway is nothing to brag about for a four-cylinder cute-ute.
Has there ever been a car that screamed more for a front bench seat?
The Element was what I was going to suggest as well. Any car/van can be improved with Westfaliazation or of Starcraftified. the element has it right out of the box.
I actually like the utilitarian Element…although the gray plastic fenders can look waaaay out of sync with the wrong color body. Orange, for instance.
When they first came out, someone in our town had repainted the fenders to match that orange body color. It looked so good that I was surprised Honda didn't start doing the same thing sooner.
Companies really need to understand that if they want a black fender treatment, a little bit of paint goes a long way in the look of it. It doesn't fade and get all shitty in a couple years, which is also a plus.
Hey…..I had a 2005 Sunset Orange Element until July of this year….. Loved that thing, we named it Elton… remodeled by house using that little ute. I could fit 2x4x8 inside of it with the hatch closed. Hauled drywall too, although I had to leave the hatch open to get than home. Really loved the tailgate too, was great for sitting on while camping. We even put a roof top tent on ours. Dogs slept in the car while we slept on top of the car. It is a great little car.
I'd think a fullsize van would be the most flexible. Haul 14 kids to the soccer match, get home, pull the last three rows of seats and take your motorcycles to the track with a couple of buddies, then camp out in the van.
Or build a bed in the back and shag carpet on the walls and "free candy" signs on the outside.
Or slide the side door open, put a freezer in the back, and sell ice cream to the neighbors' kids.
Or pack your engine hoist, head out to the self-serve junkyard and grab all the Studebaker parts you can find.
Gotta be careful with full size vans though. They flip like a mo.
That's why you have the track vehicles – so you can drive the van like my grandma. Problem solved.
What, and run into shit all the time? That's terrible advice! Have you ever seen an old women driving a very large van? I'm pretty sure WWII started when they let Hitler's grandma take control of a tank and she ended up running over shit in Poland.
My grandma's DD is a stickshift E36 Convertible, and she's been known to take the wheel of their 40-foot motor home on long trips. She's a pretty good driver – well above the median, as far as old ladies go.
But I lol'd, so you get a thumbs-up.
I guess I should have read the "…my Grandmother" part with more emphasis. See, my one grandmother was 5' on a good day and a lead foot, so not a good choice for van duties, plus she's dead so that doesn't help. The other one is dead too, but she probably could have handled a van if she wanted to. She was the speaks 7 languages, was a concert pianist and opera singer, would have been Olympic swimmer if not for WWII and survived through the concentration camps as a political dissident Polish types. She did have pretty bad arthritis though… maybe she couldn't handle a van… hmm
Why, the 2012 Ford Raptor's interior, of course.
<img src="http://image.4wheeloffroad.com/f/off-road-news/2012-ford-f-150-svt-raptor/38836290/2012-ford-f-150-svt-raptor.jpg" width=550>
To match the flexibility of the frame, of course
Ford Flex is flexible.
<img src="http://tavishighlander.com/media/images/2009-ford-flex-hotrod-interior.jpg"width="500"/>
Is that engine cradle welded/bolted to the floor? Otherwise, try not to slam on the brakes.
Isn't that going to be kind of loud and hot inside with the engine open in the back like that?
WHAT? I can't hear you!
/sweating
I THINK THERE'S AN EXHAUST LEAK, I'M GETTING LIGHTHEADED!
Nice of Ford to consider the space needs for the spare engine.
Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow N' Go. Some or all of the seats stash away to create a flat load floor large enough to carry plywood. With the seats up, you've got huge hidden stowage compartments in front of the middle row.
Yeah, just don't leave your windows down in a rainstorm and get the middle row seats all wet and then decide the best course of action is to hide it when you return it to rental place so that it gets all mildewy. The guy who cleans it up might want to stab you… or so I've heard.
I put the seats down, blow up an air mattress and go to sleep at LeMons races in my parent's 2008 "Fiat" Town & Country. It holds my 6'4" frame quite well. Just watch out for the remote start when you lay on your keys. It'll scare the hell outta you at 2am.
My in-laws have a Ford Flex. I know, it's already there in the name, but I quite like the fact that you can flatten out not only the 2nd and 3rd row seats, but the front passenger one as well to accommodate even really long Yao Mings.
From Wikipedia-
The Aztek was able to carry within its interior the standard 4 feet by 8 feet sheet of plywood, a common and useful task most of its SUV competitors were unable to perform. The Aztek was also available with two rear cargo area options, a pull-out cargo tray that held up to 400 pounds that rolled on built-in wheels when removed from the vehicle, or a versatile cargo net system that held up to 200 pounds and could be configured a claimed 22 different ways. In support of the Aztek's intended role as an accoutrement for a youthful, active lifestyle it offered a number of novel options/accessories, such as a center console that doubled as a removable cooler and a tent/inflatable mattress package that, along with a built-in air compressor, allowed the Aztek to double as a camper. Extending this image was a seat-back mounted backpack, and a number of specialty racks for bicycles, canoes, snowboards and other such objects. An optional 10 speaker Pioneer stereo system provided a set of controls located within the rear quarters of the vehicle for tail-gate parties as well as an unusual 2-piece tailgate with built-in cupholders and contoured seating area for added comfort."
Conversion vans!
<img src="http://www.happyvans.com/images/van_interior2.jpg">
If you can't make dinner in it, it's not the most flexible.
You can basically make it whatever you want.
<img src="http://crcarlot.com/pictures/1987gmcbus.JPG" width="500">
Oh, you said car. NVM.
Minivans in general get my vote – it's amazing how much interior flexibility has improved since the '95 Caravan we had growing up. With all the seats up in our MPV, you can fit two rows of groceries, or enough suitcases for a week-long trip for 6, if you pack reasonably lightly. 6 adults is possible in reasonable comfort, 7 in a real pinch. The middle seats are captains chairs, and the passenger-side seat slides left and right to allow for easier access to the back. Then, when you need to haul, the rear seats fold flat into the floor, making a set of wheels/tires easy. Pull all the seats out, and you could almost buy a Snap-On Franchise.
I know everyone derides them as mom-mobiles, but they really are the best way to haul a lot of people and gear, while getting decent gas mileage and a good ride.
Minivans are definitely awesome. The only problem with the Pentastars (Grand Caravan, Town&Country, Routan) is that the seats aren't made for adults in the middle and back. They would be awesome if they offered support and knee room for someone over 5'5" and 150 lbs. The Sedonas do a very good job of this but lack in versatility, unfortunately.
That's why I like our Mazda. The captain's chairs in the middle are just about as comfortable as the ones up front. The rear bench isn't great, but it's about as good as the backseat in many small cars, and is not in regular use, so I'd let that slide.
I just wish they had pentastar features in the Mazdas, unless they do now and I wasn't aware of it. I guess I was trying to compare it with the Sedona that is also very good in the middle and rather acceptable in the rear, but doesn't have the added bonuses of the chryslers.
Which features are those? The newest ChryCo van I've driven is a 2000, so they must have made some significant improvements in the last 11 years.
The entire interior can fold flat on the captains chair models, if you would like to forgo that and want captains chairs you can have the seats turn around and a table in the middle. There are large pockets that can be used for storage when your seats are up, and there is quite a lot of space in the last row because they have a pocket cut out for when you fold that row down. I know the newest Sedonas have middle windows that roll down, but this is also a pretty nice feature that I don't know if the Mazdas have. Everything is still removable if you prefer. The infotainment set ups are rather decent for chrysler products and the vans aren't anemic. The Volkswagen's seats are a little more bolstered all around which is nice, and it has some Volkswagen touches but the captains chairs don't fold down which is a bit of a drag. I've had quite a bit of experience with them from working at a rental place and the features may not sound very significant, but they are nice when you have them.
Middle windows that roll down: check. Everything else, not so much.
You're right on the money about the Chrysler's inferior rear seating. I've said it before, but I had the supreme displeasure of riding from Michigan to Tennessee and back in the third row of a 2005 (I think) T&C, and it was torture. I'm a hair over 6 feet and 160 lbs; there was insufficient legroom, the seat is very thinly padded, and the bottom is set at an angle to numb your legs. Not to mention that riding in the back of that van, with a shitty driver at the wheel, amplifies the already substantial body roll. Perhaps the seats need to be thin in order for the Stow 'N Go to work?
What kills me is that I daily drive a 1997 base model Dodge Caravan, and it's like a couch on wheels: seats 7 in relative comfort, or pull out the middle seat and seat 5 in absolute comfort, with all the legroom in the world.
That's easy:
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3563752378_dcee40bd5c.jpg" width="450">
It's a funeral car AND an ambulance!
Oh, wait, my mistake. I thought you wanted the car with the most Flxible interior.
You could have posted a Bus, too.
True, but PowerTryp already posted a Blue Bird above. Besides, the question did ask for a car and this is a fine looking specimen.
That's not what I was expecting from you. I figured we'd be seeing something French with enough flexible cargo space to hold your sack lunch or an extra shoe.
Well, there is this….
<img src="http://frogsmoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Citroen-001-500×294.jpg" width="400">
Thank you. I feel better now that order has been restored to the Hooniverse.
<img src="http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/h-van_back.jpg">
You rang?
I appreciate that (especially what looks like lawn chair seats), although you shouldn't be expected to do mdharell's work for him.
Don't worry, I'm an H Van admirer in my own right. The things I would do for it's lovely corrugated steel.
Why would you need a Flxible interior for hauling stiffs?
LOL!
That Buick is awesome.
I gotta give props to the Kaiser Vagabond/Special.
[EDIT: Of course, when I think about it, it's actually LESS flexible than a plain ol' wagon. Or the Ford Flex that's already been mentioned.]
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/kaiser-vagabond.jpg">
<img src="http://oldcarandtruckads.com/Kaiser/51-09.jpg" width="500">
Nice props, though.
I'd be afraid to sleep like that, waiting for the hinges to fail and send that lump of steel towards my head.
The bears will get ya before that hinge fails. There's even a bear step
It's like some sort of bear vending machine.
Chrysler had a similar idea with the Desoto Suburban.
<img src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2009/06/1947_Desoto_Custom_Suburban.jpg" width="500"/>
<img src="http://www.foundationpc.com/brochure/73dartad.jpg" width=500>
Larger version here: <a href="http://www.foundationpc.com/brochure/73dartad.jpg” target=”_blank”>http://www.foundationpc.com/brochure/73dartad.jpg
Nice try Dodge, but that ad doesn't really make sense. You've got three couples taking possessive positions next to their Darts, and then you've got Fred, Susie and the kids over on the left, who apparently arrived on a magic carpet. Now, I like the Dart, but between a Dodge and a flying carpet, I'll take the carpet, thanks.
This has plenty of room, but it's not exactly inconspicuous:
<img src="IMAGE URL" width="600">
<img src="http://www.tensionnot.com/pictures/images/Car/Free-Candy-Van.jpg">
Late 80's Nissan Pulsar. It's a car! Remove the hatch, it's a truck! Remove the T-tops too, it's a convertible! Install the 'sportback' and it's a wagon!
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5172862583_509c84b1e5.jpg" width="500" height="229" alt="Nissan Pulsar NX Sportbak">
The backseat of a Volkswagon…?
<img src="http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200612/2006-volkswagen-jetta-37_460x0w.jpg">
… Does it suck AND blow?
There's a squeeze and bang in the middle.
Isn't the backseat of a Volkwagen supposed to be a really uncomfortable place?
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Mazda_Bongo_Friendee_005.JPG" width=500>
Literally!
I can actually watch the floorboards flex.
Well, the part that isn't already full of holes…
<img src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/261730_10150230348029495_36766739494_7510087_6482446_n.jpg" width="600" >
Are you ever going to take that engine back out, or is that for roadside emergency swapping, like a spare tire?
Half spare-parts, half Slacktivism.
I've already stolen a valve from it, which I was going to post about… but again Slacktivism.
The VW Westfalia
[youtube X8BZGfMWPrU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8BZGfMWPrU youtube]
What no Aztek?
The Aztek could have been great if only stuck to the looks of the concept vehicle
what they ended up with was a big slab sided turd on wheels with the occasional tent clingon
But the concept vehicle was also ugly, for mostly the same reasons.
<img src="http://www.leblogauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pontiac_aztek_concept.jpg">
Who penned the Aztec, maybe the same English guy who designed Ssangyong Actyon?
<img src="http://www.enzorentacar.com/uploads/cars/ssangyong-actyon-5507.jpg">
The 1967-68 Chrysler Imperial Coupe with the Mobile Director option.
The passenger seat rotated 180deg and a table could be fitted. The best picture has to be the formal candle light dinner in the '67 ad.
<img src="http://www.oldcaradvertising.com/Chrysler%20&%20Imperial/1967%20Chrysler/1967%20Imperial%20Ad-05.jpg" width="600/">
OK, I'll mention the pachyderm in the room. Although it is much derided, the PT Cruiser has a pretty flexible interior for its size.
I still don't want one, though.
That's alright, it makes it easier for me to fulfill my dream of owning one!
(OK, I don't like it that much. But the PT Cruiser is on my short list of readily available, inexpensive and multi-purposed cars to buy in a vehicular emergency, like if my 4×4 pickup gets totaled in the winter or if my commute suddenly gets an hour added to it from a change in which customer's site I'm working at.)
The L300 Delica is definitely up there, especially considering the factory add-ons
<img src="http://www.comoxvalleydelica.com/tidepages/set_0/bit_13/delica07.jpg" width=500>
Don't forget Bedroom Furniture
<img src="http://www.comoxvalleydelica.com/tidepages/set_0/bit_13/delica09.jpg" width=500>
And curtains:
<img src="http://www.comoxvalleydelica.com/tidepages/set_0/bit_16/delica14.jpg" width=500>
See the rest at:
<a href="http://www.comoxvalleydelica.com/show3s/Delica_Options” target=”_blank”>http://www.comoxvalleydelica.com/show3s/Delica_Options
I present to you, the Falcon 'Overniter'
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3817291114_3c01252203.jpg" width="500">
"As a weekend playmate it offers the driving comfort of a Falcon 500 Utility plus the advantages of an easy-to-mount luxury motel room"
"…specifically designed to blend with the weight distribution of the Falcon utility"
or perhaps a Holden Sandman Panelvan, preferably optioned with the "van tail tent"
<img src="http://gallery.oldholden.com/d/112317-3/image01-2_001.jpg" width="500">
"There is a little gypsy in all of us. And nobody knows it better than the escape artist at GMH."
I cannot, for the life of me, imagine what it'd be like to take a corner in that thing at any speed over about 10 miles per hour.
Or drive it in a crosswind…or try to back out of a parking space…or change lanes…or…
Seriously? Then you wouldn't want to drive this…
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/chevpanel.JPG" width="500">
I was referring to the Falcon ute with the humongous camper laughably stuck on the back, not whatever's in the second photo you posted (which just shows up as a red x for some reason).
Boring but…my vote goes to the GMC/Chevrolet/Holden Suburban/Yukon XL
It is quite comfortable with many people/dogs/crap inside the car. I've been a few hundred miles myself and many others I know have been much further. It's really not too bad in there. However it's also good for this
<img src="http://thescraphouse.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2010-07-17-16-07-29.jpg" width="600">
<img src="http://thescraphouse.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2010-07-18-20-29-01.jpg" width="600">
And it may not look like it but you can also fit a golf cart into the back as long as you remove the roof. Amazing.
Yet seemingly 99.9% of them on the road never carry anything more than a botoxed suburban mommy, her iPhone, her Venti Starbucks cup, and her yoga mat.
At least here in SoCal.
My first car, the '64.5 Plymouth Barracuda! Back seat folds down flat, and so does the forward
trunk wall. 4.75ft wide front/3.25 wide at back. All under 14.4sq ft of glass!
Good for …uhmm…all sorts of things!
Fun is fun, but the answer is the Honda Fit.
Flip up the seat bottom in the rear seat, and you have created what was known as "the beer hole".
Our '09 Jetta wagon also holds disorienting amounts of junk. A 7,000 miles Western loop was done with the rear seat bottoms removed and left behind. Added lots of storage space for assorted loose items.