5th Seat

[Jonesad]

Hello, first time post but been looking at an MP for a while now.

I'm thinking of buying but if I do it would need to be an every day car which is part of the appeal of the MP. That being the case I think it will be necessary for me to have the option of carrying 5 people and would therefore need the 5th seat. Can the 5th seat be retro fitted or does it need to be a factory option. I'd read that the floor needs an additional strip for the 5th seat.

Also, I presume with the 5th seat in, the rear seats need to be all the way back, thus limiting the amount of boot space.

Look forward to hearing views of others and if anyone else has the 5th seat.

Many thanks

 

[RFT]

I don't have a 5th seat, but I can tell you that your MP must be built with a third rail and that it's not an aftermarket option. However, someone did suggest that you could buy a second 2-seater bench. I don't think you need to put the rear bench all the way back, it's a long beast.

 

[Roy C]

I went for the 5th seat option and there is indeed an extra middle rail in the floor. I took the seat out soon after I got it and haven’t used it yet because it was a “just in case” option. The single seat is heavy, I reckon a double bench will be heavier still, so it might be a pain if you’re regularly lifting it in and out. You also have to reposition the floor stoppers with the special tool so be prepared for a bit of faffing around with that as well.

 

[Jonesad]

Thanks both for your helpful responses. Regarding taking the seat out and putting it back in, is this a 5-10 minute one man job or a bit more of an undertaking?

 

[Roy C]

I think if you do it regularly then the lifting the 5th seat in and out will be more like a 5 minute, one man job. Getting the seat out and in is not too difficult and if you know exactly where the stoppers need to be moved to that’s a quick job. I don’t think my wife would be able to do it easily just because of the weight of the seat so it depends on the physical strength of who will be doing this.

 

[Jonesad]

Thanks Roy. I'd probably leave it in most of the time and just take it out if we were going on a trip.