This might be a stupid question but i just assumed that the rear seat would fold down just cuz i figured nowadays all the seats in most cars do. but i didnt find anyting that would allow that.. the only thing i saw was the middle console in the rear seats opened to access the trunk. Am i just blind or do that not actually fold down? im such a noob

 

The seat does not fold down.

 

nope

 

I wonder whats Acuras decision to not allow it to fold down....

 

One of the keys in building a performance sedan like the TL is a strong structure that resists twisting. To do so Acura needed to further enforce the weaker areas of the Accord that it's based on. One of these weak areas is the trunk pass-through. So the engineers enhanced the structural rigidity of the TL by placing additional cross members in this area, blocking the pass-through and eliminating fully folding rear seats. If the cross members weren't there the TL wouldn't handle as well nor be as responsive to driver input.

It's a sacrifice to make in the name of performance, and depending on why someone buys a TL it may not be something you need.

 

I call Acura explanation total BS. TSX handles better with narrower tires and has the folding back seats.

 

its a smaller car less weight to intice twisting and its not based on an accord. the TSX has its own platform that is designed for this in mind.

 

Fold down seats are SO Soccer Mom!

 

Not if you want to fit a snowboard in the trunk.

 

^^ Thats what the Ridgeline is for!

 

I miss fold down seats. My old 2 door accord had em. Now I practically have to rent a truck to go to Ikea.

 

I mean....not if I want to fit a peice of plywood in it either...BUT....thats what they make trucks for!

 

Yup I am in the same boat, My Accord coupe had fold down seats, they came in handy when I had to move stuff.

 

I disagree that the TSX handles better. It's a smaller car and therefore "feels" more nimble, but that test data doesn't lie.......

TSX*
300 ft skidpad = .80 g
Lane change = 61.7 mph
* Car and Driver, Feb 2006

TL*
300 ft skidpad = .89 g
Lane change = 62.3 mph
* Car and Driver, March 2004

Furthermore, take into consideration that the tests above were done on the 2nd model year of the TSX and the 1st model year of the TL and there's no way in a flat out comparison test that the TSX out handles the TL.

Sure, it'd be nice if the rear seats folded down in the TL. If that's an important factor for the buyer then the buyer shouldn't choose the TL. For me it didn't matter because my wife drives an SUV and we use that for hauling things. It all comes down to making the best overall decision for your specific situation, circumstances and needs.

 

Back in the early to mid 90's I was with a friend who was looking to purchase an Integra. While looking at the Vigor (I LOVED that bodystyle) and Legend I made a comment to him about the lack of fold down seats, which was overheard by the snooty salesman.

His response (with his nose in the air) was something like "Anyone who would buy an Acura wouldn't even THINK of carrying things such as lumber or plywood. You would never put stuff like that in an Acrua"

Unfortunately it was raining out side and he drowned.

My friend did by the Integra and it was a very nice car. I proceeded to stick with Mazda back then and got a '94 626 which I JUST traded for my '07. Sure I miss the fold down seats but that's why I have a truck also.

Rick

 

Pretty sure most of the cars in the TL's class do not have fold down rear seats. The new ES 350 does not have fold down rear seats, for one.

 

as for TL's handling better than the TSX...... ahhmmm

 

its really a BS explanation regarding tightness and rigidity in the back since theres a little opening in the rear seat area, big enough to fit snowboard and no I'm not talking about that little tiny window behind the arm rest.

 

The TSX is based on the accord. Just not the accord in the US. (Its a slightly tweaked euro accord)

 

I think it is due to cost. On other cars, 40/60 fold down rear seats is an option. You can even get this option on the M5 and I think performance was one of the key design elements for that car. I think folding rear seats is a necessity when you only have one car. I actually took out the lower bolt holding the upper portion so I just unscrew the top two bolts under the headrests and the whole uppper comes off so I can carry larger items.

 

Agreed ! , you are 100%,correct!..... HONDA did this to maintainthe TL's structual rigidity and increase it's overall suspension performance hole!

 

I don't miss the 60/40 split as much as I thought i would............coming from a Accord Coupe to a TL I now have a whole back seat to use!!!!

and 2 extra doors....lol

 

Just to straight the facts - the number you provided for TL is for summer tires. Handling for all-season tires is .80-.81 (depends on tires - Michelin or Bridgstone) and other factors

 

I thought they folded down too when I bought my car.

 

I was surprised and disappointed that they didn't fold down. With my last car(s), they stayed up most of the time, but for the occasional long trip it was nice to have the ability to fold down one side or the other for a little extra storage space.

 

Actually the TL, TSX, RL, and Accord share the same platform.

Have any of you actually removed the rear seat of the TL? There's no such thing as "extra braces" or "cross members" or whatever that blocks the pass through. If you remove the rear seat itself, you'll see a wide open cutout. The cutout is of the same size as my 06 Accord's cutout. So, where did they put the extra bracing?

So.... is Acura lying through their teeth? I think not. The TL's rear seat itself acts as the extra bracing to stiffen the rear end. The seat back is bolted in 5 locations (2 on the top and 3 on the bottom) and it gives the extra flex resistance to the rear shock mounts.

 

Thanks for clarifying that. I wasn't sure exactly how Acura strengthened the rear sub-frame of the TL. It makes prefect sense. I know that often times engineers even take into consideration the added strength of the windshield and rear window when looking for ways to tighten a structure. Stronger and thicker glass is sometimes used in the same way the TL's back seat is.

Just for my own curiosity I started researching other sedans of a more sporty nature to see if they have folding rear seats. I'll post my findings here when I'm done (probably tomorrow).

 

theres been a couple of times where I wished mine would fold down

 

Another reason the TL doesn't have a pass thru back seat, it to maximize the interior space of the back seat. The TL has the largest cabin of any car in it's class. It's one of the reason I bought mine.

 

pfff who cares about snowboarders? Pass through for skis FTW!!!

 

Ummm, even if the seats did fold down the rear cabin space wouldn't change>?

 

HAHA!! good one...but i snowboard
sounds like people in the trunk and boards in the back seat with seat belts and windows down

 

The access to the rear suspension, is to remove the rear seat. When folding down the seat, they would have to put some panels there to cover the access. The seat would would have to sit closer to the front because of this.

 

It couldn't possibly make that much of a difference

 

Honda did away with the double wishbone suspension in the Civic for this exact reason. They wanted more interior space, the wishbone didn't allow for that without making the Civic as big as the Accord.

Acura not giving up the double wishbone.

 

OK, so here's a list of 21 four door sedans and if they have a standard, optional or no folding rear seat according to MSN Autos. Some of these are not TL competitors, but I think it gives us an idea of what other manufacturers are offering.

Acura TL = No
Acura TSX = Std
Audi A4 = Std
Audi A6 = Std
BMW 3 series = Opt
Chrysler 300C = Std
Honda Accord = Std
Infiniti G35 = No
Jaguar X-Type = Std
Lexus IS = No
Lexus ES = No
Lincoln MKZ = No
Mazda 6s = Std
Mercedes C-Class = Opt
Nissan Maxima = Std
Saab 9-3 = Std
Saab 9-5 = Std
Toyota Camry = Std
Volkswagen Passat = Std
Volvo S40 = Std
Volvo S60 = Std

Only 5 of these 21 don't offer folding rear seats. It's interesting that 4 of those 5 are Japanese luxury brands.