I don't know if this is normal or not but when I fold down my rear seats there is a metal triangular shaped panel in the middle with the ski hatch going through it and on either side of that is hard trunk liner material covering small openings. Is this the 70/30 fold down seat or is something freakishly wrong with my car? Both seats have the release and latch mechanisms and my option list says fold down rear seats but this is useless!
Anybody have the same thing?
Thanks.

 

common for the STR I think its to make the STR more rigid, silly idea in my opinion

 

You have the STR. The "R" comes with a special stiffening panel bolted in the fold down area. It can be removed and then you will have the full fold down seats. The cables are hidden for the "R" and my window sticker does mention fold down rear seats? How did you mount the release cables?? They are usually hidden?? This brace is supposed to help make the "R" stiffer and handle better than the standard S Type. Here are some pictures that might help. Yes your car is normal!!
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Yep, That's it!! The release cables are just dangling in the upper corners of the trunk. Just glad to see that it's normal. I never tried to use them anyway and would rather have the support. I was just curious and checked them out.
Hey thanks a lot guy's

 

I was hoping yours were attached and I could finally find a bracket or some way to hold the cables like on the regular S Types. The cables in my 2005 were buried behind the trunk lining and it was quite a chore to dig them out! I don’t think I would have found them except someone mentioned it on the forum.
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Mine were out when I got the car. Since the fold down seats are virtually useless as is I might hide mine or maybe we can find some of the brackets on jag graveyard.

 

That solves a mystery. When I needed to fold down the rear seats, it took me forever to find the release cables because they were tuckind behind the carpeting at the front / sides of the trunk. And mine has that metal panel too.

 

Aaaahhhh finally found this thread after soo much searching around. Thanks guys for the helpful info on how to fold those darn seats.

 

I removed the metal plate in my car and posted pictures of it on my website:
Jaguar-Jungle: Unofficial Jaguar help repository

 

This should be in the Stickies! Good stuff bro! So do you drive around without the metal plate in, and do you notice any difference without it on?

Thanks!

 

HAHAHA, I thought the same thing i was scratching my head saying WTF. Imagine I am used to my old 01' s type folding down, go figure when I bought the car I had to go to Ikea thinking the freaking box will fit do to my folding rear seats!!!!.....WWRRONNGGG!!!! I was mad and ended up having the box slanted inside my car from the passenger side to the rear drivers side separating my girlfriend on the passenger.

 

It's only been about 2 weeks since I removed it, but I've already driven across Ohio a few times and haven't noticed anything (other than needing my front tires balanced). Soon as the weather dries up a bit I'll have a little fun in the big empty lot near me and see if it feels any different under more extreme driving conditions.

As for my website, I put it together last month and always looking for things to add to it. Most of it comes from here, but it's easier for me to use my site for reference material than having to search the forums all over again.

 

Jaguar state the braces were added to improve rigidity, which is commonly needed in performance cars I understand. Since it has various negatives they really would not have done it if it wasn't needed, would they?

BTW, any Brits: don't remove the bracing without informing your insurer! (Which of course wouldn't stop a criminal or civil prosecution in the hopefully unlikely situation where it was deemed to have reduced safety.)

For the non-Brits: we are required by law to have insurance (to cover other drivers/pedestrians/etc) and the insurer can revoke it, including retrospectively and without refunding the premium, if you failed to tell them something (even if it would not have mattered - yes, it really is that unfair).