In your situation bench.

If you have three kids and they need access to the third row (or if you carpool regularly) the captain's seats make it easier to access that third row and they make it easier for kids to talk.

OP here. These cars aren’t that big - not like Tahoe or something. We are talking Pilot, MDX, Ascent. We do occasionally have extra kids but not enough to sway captains vs bench. All the benches split and adjust separately. I was actually leaning bench because we could squeeze an extra person in the middle row even if the third row was folded down/had cargo. I was just curious what others preferred. My minivan can do either - the middle middle seat removes to create captains chairs. I think new MDX does this too.

We have a 60/40 split bench. So best of both worlds: kids can adjust leg space/recline individually, but we can also stuff another kid in the middle or drop the whole row down to carry big cargo when needed.

Agree with a PP: if you’re going to get a big honkin’ vehicle, get seating options that maximize its potential.

Anonymous wrote:We are coming from an old minivan. Many of the SUV's we are looking at have an option for captain's chairs or bench seating. All also have the fold/slide feature to get into the rear.

Since we only have two kids and honestly don't carpool that much, which seating option do you prefer and why?

In a SUV? Bench. Why a big vehicle if you dontcaroool? Are they more fuel efficient than a large sedan?

Definitely captains seats, but bench seating is often cheaper. Just go with your budget. Some cars have big dividers between the bench seats to make them more separate.

Captain. More comfortable.

We are coming from an old minivan. Many of the SUV's we are looking at have an option for captain's chairs or bench seating. All also have the fold/slide feature to get into the rear.

Since we only have two kids and honestly don't carpool that much, which seating option do you prefer and why?