Vauxhall Combo Life: Can you make front seats fully recline?

[DIYNotIan]

Hi

I'm looking for a new car and one of the potentials is a Combo Life. It ticks all the boxes except for one thing.... The front seats only recline part way (maybe around 45 degree angle at the lowest?). We often go away for short breaks in the car and sleep in the front, with the seats fully reclined. So without that we'd have to rule this model out.

Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done to the seats to allow them to fully recline?

The same is also true of the Citroen Berlingo, which is based on the same platform. So would probably also be true for the Peugeot Rifter, which again is based on the same platform.

Many thanks

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I don't know of any "normal" car with seats that go fully down. There generally isn't enough room for 1 thing

 

[Burnerman]

As above, but some front seats can fold flat.....the Nissan NV 200 for example, but you couldn’t sleep on it!
John

 

[Brigadier]

My old Avensis seats reclined almost flat.

So do the ones in my current car (Kia EV6).

Due to the headrest shape and position in both though, I couldn't begin to believe that anyone could sleep like that.

IMO and if you insist on sleeping in the car, you'd be better off putting the rear seats down and sleeping there - through to the boot - and putting your luggage in a roofbox.

 

[Avocet]

Hi

I'm looking for a new car and one of the potentials is a Combo Life. It ticks all the boxes except for one thing.... The front seats only recline part way (maybe around 45 degree angle at the lowest?). We often go away for short breaks in the car and sleep in the front, with the seats fully reclined. So without that we'd have to rule this model out.

Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done to the seats to allow them to fully recline?

The same is also true of the Citroen Berlingo, which is based on the same platform. So would probably also be true for the Peugeot Rifter, which again is based on the same platform.

Many thanks

Sorry I can't help, but it is absolutely true that the Combo, Berlingo, Rifter (and a Toyota - the model name of which escapes me!) are all the same car, so they will all suffer the same problem. What limits the travel? Does the back of the backrest hit the next row of seats, or is it something in the recline mechanism itself?

 

[DIYNotIan]

Many thanks for the replies.

No, there is nothing behind restricting the travel/recline. So guessing it must be something in the recline mechanism itself.

I've got a couple of photos now showing just how small the amount of recline is. The driver's seat is at maximum recline.

I know it wouldn't suit many people sleeping in the front of car, but I'm/we're happy with it. In fact, the two of us - and our dog - lived in an estate for three months and loved pretty much every minute of it!

 

[Avocet]

Ah, that's a tough gig! I'm not sure there's anything can be done about that. I did (many years ago) run a Citroen DS, whose front seats would recline so that the backrests were flush with the leading edge of the rear seat cushion (it was before the days of head restraints!), and because there was no transmission tunnel in a DS, they met in the middle of the car anyway, so you ended up with a remarkably comfortable double bed!

I take it a mattress in the back isn't an option? I've seen that done by folk who do camping conversions on some taller MPVs and 4x4s. Very popular with the old Mk1 Land Rover Freelander. A wooden platform with a mattress on it, covering the whole of the area above the (folded) rear seats, and then luggage and camping equipment in drawers underneath it.

 

[DIYNotIan]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, a conversion of sorts for the back is likely on the cards as well. But because we're used to sleeping in the front it would be good to have that option as well. We can then choose which would be most appropriate according to the trip (where we're going, how long for, if we're picking something up while away, etc).

Cheers

 

[RandomGrinch]

I've got a couple of photos now showing just how small the amount of recline is. The driver's seat is at maximum recline.

I don't know if it's much help, but I know that the front passenger seat of some Berlingo can fold fully forwards (the arm rest is removed first)...

 

[Brigadier]

Park on an upslope?.........