Just curious... Anyone ever used them for people?

Let's face it. They are comically small.

Oh, I do have a serious question and why bother with doing another thread. The S button, can I engage and disenengage it while driving or do I have to be stopped?

Thanks!

 

We use the backseats for our kids (10 and 6). They are small, but there are smaller.

As far as I know, the S button can be used anytime. I keep it on.

 

Thanks!

I just got my car this last Friday. Last night was the first time I actually played with the S switch. In town there are so many stoplights and traffic and such I usually have it off. I turned it on for I95 last night. Egads!!!!!!! I generally drive like the proverbial little old lady who takes her car out to only go to church and the grocery store. That being said, I had a serious amount of fun last night. There really was a noticeable difference in acceleration.

 

A.c., I never have tried to use the backseat for anyone but my dog.

I have a 98 too. The biggest impact I've seen is at say 35mph. Cruise along, then push the accelerator to the floor. Huge difference seen there between Sport on or off.

John

 

The backseat is perfect for my dog. I love that there is no room for her to slip from the seats to the floor if I hit the brakes too hard. I have to pick up a dog seat cover and a harness for her before she takes a ride with me though.

Agree on the acceleration. It's amazing going from a Scion, to a Ford something, to a Kia, to another Kia, to a Taurus, to the XK8. What a difference!

 

I use the back seat for a 2 and 6 year old. Car seats are difficult to fit back there based on size. If you are going to carry a small child I have found a decent alternative using a safety restraint vest. I reviewed it recently in this thread:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...y-seat-180564/

Congrats on the purchase! I'm sure you will make plenty of good memories in the XK.

 

We used ours for our youngest, Cincy to Nashville trip, sure he sat sideways for that type of trip but with a short wife, moving seat up, my kid being of avg height he fit behind her for around town drives more or less till he hit 12 years old.

 

I see you've already discovered the Palm Beach/Broward thread in the US/Lower Atlantic forum. Local car shows/events get posted there, usually by me

Welcome!

 

In brief ...............

Yes - kids can be fitted into the back seats although it helps if they have been to contortionist training classes since birth.

The "S" button should remain 'on' - the only difference (apart from the effects you have already experienced) you might notice with it 'off' is a very small improvement in fuel economy. Frankly, with a 4 litre engine , that's a bit like a very obese person trying to decide whether to eat 9 doughnuts or 10 !!

 

Our backseats are favorites for furkids:
Notice the grin on Sammy in the backseat!

The S button can be used any time you need amusement. I enjoy applying it during rush hour until I reach cruising speed on US19. If the traffic is bunching up and changing speeds I just leave it on.

I also make frequent use of the J-shift to downshift as needed.

 

The back "seat" is clearly designed for a small double amputee. Or a couple bags of groceries.

 

i only keep the S button engaged on the freeways and wide open roads. it's FUN! anything slower than 40 mph seems a waste with it.

 

 

I guess I'm different, I use the Sport button around town, better accerlation. No sport on the highway allows shift into 6 th sooner.

 

The nice part about the back seats, is that my insurance considers it a 4-seater! My annual premium is almost exactly the same as it was for my '97 XJ6.

And I'm the same as Jandreu. If I'm expecting to be on the highway for a while, I take it out of sport mode,

 

^^ That is the primary reason why the back seats are present in these cars - it helps to keep the insurance rates lower for the consumer....

The only time my wife's 2006 XK8's back seat has ever been occupied by a human was when I removed both front seats to do some serious carpet cleaning shortly after we purchased the car in February 2012. I sat in the back seat and took the car for a quick spin up and down the road. At 6-feet-7, I had much more legroom and was much more comfortable while driving from the back seat. But I can only do this with the top down since there would be zero headroom with the top up....

I also did this with a 1982 Fiat Spider convertible my wife had more than 30 years ago. The neighbors always got a kick out of watching me driving around from the back seat. That car was so small that I could not even fold myself into it unless I removed the front seats first....

 

Ha, now that is a funny image, Jon. I'm at just over 6' and fit okay in the front seat. An extra seven inches and I might just have those front seats out for good.

Interestingly enough, the insurance premium on my 06 XK is slightly lower than on my 04 XJ.

 

I always leave the Sport mode engaged, I have 5 gears then lol. I don't drive much highway, 95% of my routes are backroads.

My now passed 5lb cat would sit back there and sniff the air. She was blind but loved the variety of smells driving around top down .

 

When I had my Fiat 124 Spider a friend put four adults in his one night when they went out, sober I hoped. I also carried four big adults in my 1973 240Z once, for a short distance. I also did a historical research on the Model A Ford. In the early days a college kid carried 8 friends and himself in a coupe with a rumble seat to the swimming hole each weekend. Five in the front seat and four in the rumble seat.