Rear buckets or bench??

[SeattleBobb]

I am currently looking at picking up a new 2012 or 2013 Yukon Denali. I have twins and a 90 lbs dog and have outgrown my Grand Cherokee. I do love the new Grand Cherokee's by the way, but I need a bigger vehicle that is capable of hauling the family and pulling my boat. Therefore, I am leaning towards a Yukon Denali.

My dilemma is the rear seating. I like the concept of the buckets and how easy it is to access the third row, but I hate that you basically lose one adult seat. The majority of the time I will have the third row out because I need the space for stuff and for the dog (Bernese Mountain Dog). With the two buckets and no third row in place, this large SUV turns into a four seater. The problem is almost every 2012 left has the buckets and I will have to order a 2013 with the bench.

So, my question is: What are the opinions of other owners about losing a seating position with bucket seats? And How do you deal with trying to haul around 5 adults without the third row? I know you can't compare the vehicles equally, but I think all SUV's could learn a lot from studying the seat configuration options of the Land Rover LR4. The rear bench is essentially three separate seats that you can fold independently. It's genius.

 

[njracer]

We have two boys (3 and 5), 2 dogs (a large GSD and big mutt) and In-Laws. So when it came time to replace the 2001 Z71 Tahoe, the Suburban was at the top of my list and I wanted it with the 2nd row buckets (mostly for the kids). Even with the 3rd row in place, there is enough room for 6 full size adults and the dogs.

 

[mattjones]

I am currently looking at picking up a new 2012 or 2013 Yukon Denali. I have twins and a 90 lbs dog and have outgrown my Grand Cherokee. I do love the new Grand Cherokee's by the way, but I need a bigger vehicle that is capable of hauling the family and pulling my boat. Therefore, I am leaning towards a Yukon Denali.

My dilemma is the rear seating. I like the concept of the buckets and how easy it is to access the third row, but I hate that you basically lose one adult seat. The majority of the time I will have the third row out because I need the space for stuff and for the dog (Bernese Mountain Dog). With the two buckets and no third row in place, this large SUV turns into a four seater. The problem is almost every 2012 left has the buckets and I will have to order a 2013 with the bench.

So, my question is: What are the opinions of other owners about losing a seating position with bucket seats? And How do you deal with trying to haul around 5 adults without the third row? I know you can't compare the vehicles equally, but I think all SUV's could learn a lot from studying the seat configuration options of the Land Rover LR4. The rear bench is essentially three separate seats that you can fold independently. It's genius.

I've got an '08 Tahoe with buckets and I love them. With the rear seats out, it is just a 4 seater though. One thing to remember is that you don't have to take the whole third row out; you can just take one half of it out if you'd like. A few weekends ago I gave four friends a ride to a football game and only took one of the third row seats out. I still had room for the ******** boards, foldable table, etc. for tailgating. If you only take out one of the third row seats you'll have room for 5 adults and a Bernese.

Great dog, btw. We had to put down Buster, a Bernese/Newfoundland mix, a few weeks ago.

 

[TinyTot2]

So, my question is: What are the opinions of other owners about losing a seating position with bucket seats? And How do you deal with trying to haul around 5 adults without the third row? .

I'd either go with the Suburban / Yukon XL or get 3rd row buckets so you can remove just one of the seats.

 

[SeattleBobb]

Thanks for the responses so far. It's a tough choice. Right now I think I might actually be leaning towards the bench seat. My thought process is that we might end up having another kid while we still have the Yukon, so we could put all three kids on the bench seat and be able to remove the third row to do things like go camping where we would need the extra cargo room. My in-laws have an Escalade with a bench and have really liked it. I really wish they sold a removable seat that could go between the buckets. That would be ideal and then they would not have to offer the two options anymore.

A dealership near me has located a couple brand new 2012 Yukon Denali's with a bench seat in the rear that they could transfer over. They are offering a pretty good deal and 0.9% for 60 months. Now my other problem is color. I am leaning towards either the Steel Grey or Quicksilver.

 

[mattjones]

I'd either go with the Suburban / Yukon XL or get 3rd row buckets so you can remove just one of the seats.

I honestly can't believe I didn't even think of that. Yeah, go with the Suburban or Yukon XL Denali with bucket seats. You get all of the cargo room you'd have if you removed the third row in a regular Denali, and you get to have 7 seats in it. Win-win.

And from what I remember about shopping for my Tahoe, the Suburbans seemed to be about the same price as the Tahoes. If that's the case, I assume it would be the same with Denalis versus Denali XLs.

Also, my rear seat is a split bench. I don't have to remove the entire third row, I can just take out one half if I'd like. I always assumed all the Tahoes/Yukons were like that.

 

[CarToons]

In Cali the XLs and ESVs are noticeably cheaper if your looking used. Especially near big city's where parking is more difficult. Also I noticed with the refinery fires that all the Escalades and Denali's dropped in price quite a bit as gas went up.

Kinda seemed like Tahoes and Yukonsheld value better, I'm assuming that the computer shutting off cylinders at crushing speeds helps the gas mileage enough that people wanted those more as gas is above $5 a gal now.

 

[yooks11]

In your situation, I would recommend going with an XL with buckets. As you know, the buckets provide easy access to the third row and sometimes allow for handy storage within an arms reach. In your case, this could be beneficial for items for your children. You'll be getting a larger trunk without compromising seating.

As mattjones said, it's a win-win.

Good luck!

 

[ajb1205]

When we bought our 05 Yukon, we wanted a second row bench...with three kids under the age of 6 we thought we would need the extra room. Fast forward about 2 years...yes, the bench was nice for those times you want remove the 3rd row (camping, trips to the city, etc), however, with 2 still being in car seats, the only way for my oldest to get in and out of the 3rd row seat was to go through the rear (super pain to have to open the close the rear especially it not being power). We now drive a 08 Tahoe LTZ with the second row captains...have never, ever once regretted it. For those times we need extra room, we just pull out the one half of the 3rd row and off we go. Best of all, we are not constantly opening and closing the rear hatch (even though it is power this time...of course). Just my $0.02.

 

[Intimidator3]

I was recently in the same position you are in. I have 2 year old twins and the TBSS just wasn't cutting it anymore. A suburban with buckets was the best option, but we decided against it for a few reasons. However, when we priced them, they were only $2000 more than a Tahoe with my supplier pricing. So, I looked EVERYWHERE for a 2011 Tahoe ltz with a bench. It was October, so it was impossible to find one and wound up with captains. I planned on just buying a bench but after we started using the captains, we realized we didn't need the bench. Haven't regretted it at all. I think the bench would actually be a bigger pain in the ass.