JSW Back Seat

riofrio

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Location
New Haven, CT
TDI
96 Passat, 2002 Jetta Wagon
Hi all,

Sorry if this is too simple of a question, but do the rear seats in the JSW ('10, '11) fold down all the way flat? I recently test drove one and the sales guy told me that they do not, but I thought I'd post here and see if there are any simple tricks to make it happen.

I may be looking to replace my 96 Passat TDI and a JSW would be great If I could sleep in it when I take long road trips.

Thanks!
 

richard_rsp

Active member
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Location
Valdosta, GA
TDI
2010 Sportwagen TDI
Yes they do if you fold the bottom of the seats up first. I am 5' 10" and I can sleep straight with my feet at the hatch and head at the seat bottoms... its actually the primary reason we bought the JSW!

But you might choose not to fold them totally flat. I found it just as comfy to just fold the seatback down WITHOUT folding the bottom first. Gives a bit more headroom and elevates my head a bit above my feet, which i like. :)
 

riofrio

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Location
New Haven, CT
TDI
96 Passat, 2002 Jetta Wagon
Yes they do if you fold the bottom of the seats up first. I am 5' 10" and I can sleep straight with my feet at the hatch and head at the seat bottoms... its actually the primary reason we bought the JSW!

But you might choose not to fold them totally flat. I found it just as comfy to just fold the seatback down WITHOUT folding the bottom first. Gives a bit more headroom and elevates my head a bit above my feet, which i like. :)
Awesome! Thanks...
 
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richard_rsp

Active member
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Location
Valdosta, GA
TDI
2010 Sportwagen TDI
Yes. If you flip up the bottom of the seat (i believe it is hinged), you can fold the back of the seat totally flat. You may have to remove the headrest, but it is totally flat.
 

ToeBall

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2010 VW Jetta Wagon TDI
Correct, folds completely flat if you flip the bottoms against the front seats first.
 

Biffster

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Location
Gadsden, AL
TDI
2010 JSW TDI
No, all he did was recline it forward as far as it went, leaving it a an approximate 20 degree angle. Are you saying that it is supposed to fold perfectly horizontal if the seat bottom is moved first?
Yes, if you flip the seat-bottoms up the seat backs will fold down flat, making the entire cargo area nice and flat.

This will reduce front seat legroom somewhat, as you can't move the front seats all the way back and recline them at all, so if you're of larger proportions (like me) the driving position is a little cramped, but it's not that bad for anything less than extreme endurance road trips.
 

dpg

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Location
Chi-Town
TDI
2013 JSW TDI, 2010 JSW - retired
like others have said the bottoms flip up. there is a pull tab under the fronts of the rear seats to help break free the seats. You can also unclip the bottoms and pull them out and this will let you put your front seats back a little more. i was helping a friend move and needed the extra room and didnt have a need for the seat bottoms for the day :) so they stayed in the garage with the head rests
 

ToeBall

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2010 VW Jetta Wagon TDI
I just toss the head rests into the rear seat footwell when I flip the bottoms up. Most of the time I don't bother folding the back all the way flat though.
 

KraftwerkB6

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Location
Lexington Ky
TDI
2010 JSW
Head rests off, bottom seats foward, seat backs down flat = great sleeping area.
Plus my dog has more room to walk around, kinda.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
adding to the question, in the JSW, can you fully remove the rear bench and seat back like you can in a Beetle?
The bench seat is split into two pieces, but the two pieces can be removed. There are wire springs that attach the seats so that they can be folded forward. Those "springs" can be squeezed together and the seat bottoms released. I am very tall, so the driver's seat must be adjusted all the way back. In order to fold the floor flat and have the driver's seat all the way back, I have to remove the driver's side rear seat bottom so that I can have a flat floor AND have the driver's seat all the way back.

Have Fun!

Don
 

Carphuntin_god

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
On the Dark Side
TDI
2011 Golf 2-door 6-speed
Good to know, thanks :)

Too bad the new Golfs appear to have a permanently mounted bench. I don't know if you can get the back out... but I think the bench is not as easy as it is in a Beetle or JSW
 

Haribante

New member
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Location
Pittsburgh 15215, PA
TDI
2009 JSW
Having been an owner of both a 2009 (crushed by a tree) and now a 2011 JSW, I can say this..

in the '09 JSW, the seats fold flat (seat bottom tilts up and back folds down flat) without a problem - no headrest removal necessary. At the very least I cant recall them having to be removed.. but I don't know 100% that there were even headrests... I know the seats were flat 90% of the time and I don't have any headrests sitting in my garage!

In the '11 JSW, the headrests must be removed in order for the seats to fold flat. you need a tool to do this. The manual states that the screwdriver provided in the tool kit will suffice, but the blade doesn't seem to be long enough.

I'll make a post shortly about all the other differences I have found. Some of them not insignificant.
 
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