Viano or Vito seat tracks

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Romt5962

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Messages
4
Location
Lyndhurst
Car
C class
Hi I'm new to this forum and have some questions about seats and rails etc.
I'm thinking of buying an xlwb Viano or Vito to use as part car ,part van and also as a windsurfing van to carry my kit. It is tricky at moment as not really able to visit dealers to take measurements. So hopefully someone can help.
I really only want 4 seats driver, front passenger and 2 single seats behind. Q can anyone tell me what the maximum gap could be between the seats? Are there single seats without armrests or can the arm rests be removed? Can the seats be moved to side of van? Ideally I want to slide a long board( windsurfer) up the centre of the van. The board is 3.6m long and I think it would go in length ways (?) and I need about 250mm of width between the seats. From looking at other threads it seems the seat tracks are pretty much fixed but wondering what can be done.
Thanks in advance
 
I can measure later.
Arm rests can be removed, unclip cover, one hax bolt out, pull. It will leave a hole in the seat.

If you go for long floor rails they are designed for 2 rows (additional to driver and front passenger).
Seats can be configured to face either way and on either side. so 2 seats to the n/s , or o/s,facing forward or facing each other might suit you.
On the exlwb a 2.4m sheet plus a bit can fit. You could slide a surf board between the front seats and get the extra length needed, I think.

There is a lot of info here and t'other place. The info would be invaluable when you start to look.
 
Thanks very helpful especially about putting them on side. I guess the gap down centre is quite wide then. Appreciate your help.
 
I tried a link but it didn't work, maybe later.
 
Hi, I have had a few Vitos, and the rear seat fixings and seating combinations are probably not going to suit your requirements. Where as the Viano has the sliding rail option and is a lot more flexible in the seating configuration.
 
If you can get a Vito Dualiner with 'comfort' rear seating you get two units (a double plus a single), rather than a 3-seat bench. These are separately removeable - we run ours with just the double there, which leaves a big gap on one side which might well work for you. The rear seats have individual backrests which recline or fold forward (flat), and the base units can then be flipped forward. It's pretty versatile but as mentioned you can't move the rear seats fore/aft like you can (I think) in a Viano. The outer two seats have armrests, but these simply unbolt if you don't want them. Picture of ours (we have caging in the back for dogs):

vito-05.jpg
 
That picture shows exactly why I don’t think the Vito is going to be suitable for the OP.
To be able to carry a 3.6m board he will have to carry it right through the middle and into the space between the driver and passenger seats. The Vito rear seats will have to be totally removed
 
That picture shows exactly why I don’t think the Vito is going to be suitable for the OP.
To be able to carry a 3.6m board he will have to carry it right through the middle and into the space between the driver and passenger seats. The Vito rear seats will have to be totally removed

Good point but actually I don't think you'd get a 3.6m board in at all. The Extra Long is officially 2897 mm from the tailgate to the back of the front seats ... I just looked at mine and I don't think there's another 70 cm between there and the centre console. I suspect roof bars would be the only option.
 
Thanks for all the comments.
Agree I think bench seats don't look an option. Would really appreciate the dimension right up to the underside of the dash. It does look like it may not be possible.Hmmm maybe back to drawing board
 
Taken from a 639 Viano Ex long.
Expect the same for a Vito, although a little extra length might be gained by removing or working the tailgate inner trim.

Between seats with arm rests removed 203mm
There would be significantly more space allowed if both seat were to one side.

From inside of tailgate to back of gear change surround 3.5m
 
Thanks I think I will have to go back to having long board on roof. Shame as at 15 kgs above head height it can be a pain in a strong wind!!! The rest of the kit will fit in a lwb so probably more choice of vans. Much appreciate your help.
 
The rest of the kit will fit in a lwb so probably more choice of vans.

To be accurate, the Compact and Long both have the same wheelbase ... it's only the Extra Long that is LWB. The sizes are now called L1 / L2 / L3 on the current version, probably to reduce confusion!
 
These look just like the rear seats in my 2011 dualiner....I've not yet had much time to explore the fixings as only received the van on Monday! I am exploring options, I need 3 seats but want to keep my comfy 1+1 driver/passenger set up (chairs are comfy and not sure I'm keen on the hassle and cost to convert to a bench seat) I have a 2+1 rear set up, so my questions are can I use just the 1 on its own? Are they fairly straight forward to remove? thanks in advance for advice!
 
You can't use the rear single seat on its own - it only has one 'foot' and the other side locks onto the double unit. As an aside with only one seat fitted in the back it would no longer qualify as a 'dual purpose vehicle', so normal (lower) panel van maximum speeds would apply on national speed limit roads.

The units are fairly easy to remove although the double is pretty heavy. You can fold the backrests flat and then flip the seats forward, which is often enough for getting bulky things in without removing them. The backrests recline individually as well (the kids used to sleep in the back of ours when driving to/from Germany overnight).
 
Thank you, that is really helpful to know. Keeping the double in then might be they way forward as I don't really want to spend over £1500 on a rock and roll bed just yet so this would be the next best (and cheapest option) thanks for your reply, much appreciated for a Vito newbie! I am so happy to be back driving a MB...I regrettably sold my c180 that I had for about 6 years and bought a ford focus 😝 only had it 6 months and swapped it for a Vito!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom