depressed about back seat

[jkh]

It is almost time to retire the old '97. Been looking at 3rd and 4th gen's but can't get past the stupid back seat. Why in the world does Dodge make such a perfect truck only comfortable for 4 people? I have three kids and there is no way one of them could ride for any length of time on that middle seat with a cup holder at their feet. I could go with a mega cab but then I lose the 8' bed, and I don't want to give that up.

I just can't figure out the engineering on that seat. I never thought I would give up the cummins, but I have a feeling I am going to end up going GM because of the comfort of the interior. Has anyone replaced the back seat with a different one that actually seats 3 people COMFORTABLY?

 

[Shadrach]

Your 2 choices would then be a 2010 or newer Ram Crew Cab or a Chuvy or Ferd with a Cummins in it. I don't like the rear seat in mine either. Don't forget the engineers don't ride in the back. David

 

[jkh]

Even the crew cab have that stupid center section in the back seat. It dips in along the front edge and is just a raised pad for sitting on and the back juts forward too. looks like your sitting on a temporary seat instead of contoured in around your butt and your back like the left and right side seats.

 

[jgillott]

We have well over 400K combined on my signature trucks with tens of thousands of those traveling with 5 in the cab. Though I will agree with you that the 3rd gen quads are lacking in leg room and you sit rather upright, I wouldn't give up on the Dodge because of it. My daughter rides in the rear center all the time and the cup holders never come in to play.

The 4th gen Crew Cabs are very comfortable in my opinion. Again, the center cup holders haven't been an issue with us. I've ridden in the back of our 2010 quite a bit on trips to catch some sleep and I don't have any complaints.

 

[basilry]

Mega cab with a long bed conversion? Not that expensive of an upgrade. Wish I would have done that but at the time the megas just came out.

 

[seafish]

Mega cab with a long bed conversion? Not that expensive of an upgrade. Wish I would have done that but at the time the megas just came out.

Definitely the best of all the choices!!

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Try out a 2013 crew cab; the back seat will probably be fine. If you can't stand the fold down cup holder, get the Tradesman model.

 

[Shadrach]

Anyone got any ideas on ho to make the back seat in an 03-09 Quad Cab more comfortable? David

 

[jkh]

It's not the leg room that's the problem. I think that would be fine. But that stupid center section. Why didn't they contour that like the two ends? It just doesn't look like it was meant to be sat on. You look at the GM's and the seat has three distinct seating areas, the Dodge just looks like they gave up on the middle and through a pad in there to take up the space.

 

[JBallou]

Or a set of different mounting points for the seat? In other words rock the bottom of the seat forward, causing there to be a lean to the back of the seat. It seems to me that with a little lean to the seat it would be much more comfortable. Kinda slouch like. But for every inch it moves forward that also takes valuable knee room away.

As I type this I'm planning to look into it tomorrow on my day off. I do know that there is no room at the top of the back to angle backwards, there is some sort of slide in bracket that holds the upper seat section for when the lower bottom is flipped up.

 

[JBallou]

The contour to the bottom of the seat is change able with an upholstery person to get rid of the curve in it for the cup holders.