TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
2015 Chevrolet Volt Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Comment
2014
The original Chevrolet Volt's cramped rear seat could only hold two people. In the second-generation Volt the hump for the battery pack has been lowered to permit a third person to straddle it. But they'd better be small, and even then they won't be comfortable. This fifth spot could be the least comfortable seating position in any four-door car. It's best considered for short-term emergency use.
Even the Volt's outboard rear seat passengers better not be tall. The Volt's roof line sweeps dramatically downward, while the hatch extends unusually far forward. To squeeze rear seat passengers within this oddly configured space, Chevrolet has positioned the seat cushion very low and has located the rear passengers' heads beneath the hatch glass. The roof's rear cross-member produces an odd bulge in the headliner ahead of said heads. As is, both rear head room and rear knee room are in short supply and it is easy to bump one's noggin while getting into the rear seat.
Adding insult to injury, the Volt's rear seat feels even tighter than it is because the rear side windows are small and the front seats largely block the view foward. Claustrophobes better sit up front. One somewhat bright spot: the Volt's rear seat cushion angles sharply upward to provide more thigh support than you'll find in the typical compact car (or the Prius) despite the seat's ultra-low butt pocket.
The Prius's official interior dimensions might not differ much from the Volt's, but its rear seat passengers enjoy much more rear knee room (if slightly less rear headroom) and feel like they have far more room.
see full Chevrolet Volt review
What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
Rear seat is adequate, but it is difficult to install or remove a child seat. The cushion is too firm to make this easy.
see full Chevrolet Volt review
2014
4dr Hatch 149-horsepower Electric + Gas CVT FWD
The car is only a four seter so there is no room if you have five people and with the front seats back all the way it is a little tight.
see full Chevrolet Volt review
TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2021 Toyota Highlander
2021 Toyota Highlander Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Comment
With each redesign (for 2008, 2014, and 2020) Toyota has enlarged the Highlander, yet the crossover's third-row seat remains uncomforably low and tight. For adults to be even passably comfortable in the way-back the second row must be slid forward, rendering legroom there also marginal. Some three-row crossovers have much roomier and more comfortable third-row seats.
But if you want to be able to squeeze in eight people, Highlanders with a second-row bench can do this. Because they have significantly narrower third-row seats, the Ford Explorer and Kia Sorento cannot fit three people back there even in a pinch, so in hybrid form the former has a maximum capacity of seven people and the latter only six. (The Sorento PHEV will be able to seat seven.) This noted, if you want your adult passengers to have plenty of room, the practical capacity of each is four people.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2021 Toyota Highlander
2021 Toyota Highlander Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2020
4dr SUV 295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
The 3rd row seating is just not for adults at all, and I'm not certain that children would be easy to fit back there as well. I'm not sure what Toyota was thinking, even making the 2020 longer didn't make any difference at all. My one complaint is it is just TOO SMALL!
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