is it possable to have rear facing seats in a mpv

devizes18193

Not sure how to put this but i'm after either a mpv with a rear facing seats or modifying one some how .
I drive a kia seddona which is very large buy my youngest 16 and 6ft has very bad autism and when he has a meltdown is epic in proportion and is a problem when full his sister and brother get hurt . so space is the key . Im currently looking at minibuses but my wife asked it was possible to make the last row of the kia face backwards .This would stop other passengers being hurt and be less hassle then a minibus .
So has anybody tried this or know of a mpv with rear facing seats .

thanks

sarahg1969

You can turn the seats round in the Mercedes Viano and in the Toyota Previa/Lucida/Estima/Emina, I believe.

forgotmyname

How about an ex police van with the cell cage in the back?

OK seriously, Are you sure a rear facing seat will cure the problem?

Whats to stop him reaching around or taking his belt off?

One thing to be careful of, Rear facing seats can make some people more prone to be travel sick.

Lithian

The early ford galaxy might be an option, some mounting points had plastic bits in them to stop you putting the seat backwards but it should be do-able to change these. You'd have to use the middle seat from the 2nd row in the 3rd row here so at least you get a lap belt, the 3 point belts are mounted to the pillars so will be useless with a reversed seat.

Another thought is the Mercedes E class estate, it was the default big family car before mpvs happened. I remember reading recently that they still have a 7 seat option in the latest model, a reverse bench folds up out of the boot floor and gives you proper seat belts.

devizes18193

thanks all much appreciated.food for thought .

In the 5 years we have had the kia the youngest has trashed the plastc support of the middle row of seats which meant i had to get that reinforced and although he is classed as disabled motorblity when asked if he did the same damage to a contract hire car would i be responsible for the car seatr they said yes .This made the contract hire too expensive .Thats why we are looking to buy another car , so the damage is not an issue or at least as bad a one .
the meltdowns when the happen are epic but not regular but have no obvious triggers etc

Lum

It's certainly possible / legal to have a rear facing seat. Unfortunately the only vehicle I can think of that had one wouldn't be much use to you, though it would certainly protect the interior!

One thing you definitely don't want to do is buy a normal estate car and stick an extra seat in the back. This is because the load area is likely to also be a crumple zone designed to protect the occupants, so you don't want an occupant in there!

It's also worth thinking about whether travelling facing backwards might cause further distress to your child and thus make it more likely to trigger an event.

The disability&dosh forum might be a better place to post this. I know there are people there who have autistic children and knowledge of adapted vehicles.

edit: Actually, just thought of an option that could work, though you probably wont like it. You can buy second hand hackney cabs. They have rear facing seats and the interiors are designed to withstand abuse from drunk people.

dibuzz

We had a Kia Sedona (Y reg, around 2001 I think)
The 2 single seats were reversible, my kids loved travelling backwards but I'm not sure if they are still set out the same, it was driver and passenger then the 2 reversible seats then the 3 seat bench at the back.

vax2002

Making sure he has an appropriate escort with him at all times may be a safer option, you are in a ton and a half of metal moving at speeds up to 70mph.
It only takes one distraction and you can wipe out a whole family, or possibly two....

verityboo

Volvo estates used to have a 7 seat option with 2 rear facing in the boot before 7 seat MPV's became common. The 900 series and V70's had the option as this car on ebay shows.

Mercedes offered a similar option on their estates at the time but most have rusted away by now! One problem might be that they are not as big as normal seats. Altering a car to make the seats rear facing might be a nightmare regarding insurance?

Premier_2

Don't even think about attempting to modify a car yourself regarding seating positions ... not if you value the life of those you allow to sit there.

Lum

Ahh yes, the old Volvos would be good. The only crumple zone on a 900 series Volvo is the other person's car you hit, so it's fine to have seats in the load area

They're a bit thirsty mind.