It’s rare for a compact SUV to have a third row of seats, and there’s a good reason for that: Very few people can actually fit into such a small space. And sure, there are kids, obviously, but they often require some sort of child restraint that won’t fit there.
In other words, the use case is as small as the chairs themselves. So it’s no surprise that there are only two three-row compact SUVs: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan and Mitsubishi Outlander 2022. While I have yet to witness the Tiguan, the photo above is the result of fitting a 6-foot-3 auto modifier into the Outlander’s third row of seats. It is not beautiful. And that is with the middle row pushed forward. Also note that it’s not just a legroom issue – headroom is terrible too.
Obviously, this is an extreme and ridiculous experiment. Ultimately, the need for a third row of seats almost certainly allows the Outlander to have more cargo space than average (and the Nissan Rogue in regards to mechanics) even if its presence might well be the reason. because it doesn’t have as many seats like CR-V, RAV4 and Tucson (more coming soon check baggage). It’s basically a bonus feature, and if you can actually use it, great!
It’s also exponentially better than the original Outlander’s third row. In particular, the second-generation model has a surprisingly slim design that will creak into the 1980s let alone the late 2000s. It consists of a mesh cloth that is pulled over a ring of tubular steel. It’s more like a beach chair than something that belongs in a moving vehicle.
Here are two of my period videos of showing it off in a 2010 Outlander. First, I raise the seat, showing how hard it is to do and how rickety it is. The second video shows the bottom of the mesh chair.
Video 1:
Video 2:
