Often, Honda goes well out of the box when designing its cars.
The Japanese brand is an innovator, and isn’t scared of doing things its own way. Just look at the lounge-like interior of the Honda e – complete with aquarium and HDMI port to plug in your Xbox – or the intriguing six-seat layout of the old FR-V.
One of Honda’s most famous inventions is its Magic Seats, which are much more versatile than regular rear seats that you get in most cars.
Honda Magic Seats explained
Most five-seat cars have a fixed rear seat bench. The backrest may split and fold in clever ways but, when the backrest is folded, it sits on top of the bench and creates a slope or a step that makes it hard to load really large items.
When you fold the seats forward in certain Honda models, the seat base slides forward and down too. Then, when the backrest sits on it, you’ve got a completely flat floor for easy loading – or even car camping!
That’s not even the main feature of Magic Seats, though. That’s the way the seat bases can be completely lifted up and held in place on the backrest. Picture how a cinema seat folds up to let people through, and that’s pretty similar to how Magic Seats lift up.
With the seat bases out of the way, you’ve got a vast load area that’s a lot more versatile than the main boot. You could use it for tall pot plants, a pushchair, bikes, golf clubs or a cello, for example.
How do the Magic Seats work?
To pull up Honda’s Magic Seats, simply reach under the seat base and lift it up – there’s no lever to release or anything like that. When the seat base is raised up, you latch it in place by pulling the metal leg down towards the floor.
To fold down the seats and get a completely flat floor, all you need to do is pull down the seat using the lever on top – just like in any other car.
Benefits of Honda Magic Seats
- Flip-up seat bases frees up a vast and versatile luggage space
- Lets you carry long items like bikes within the car
- Very easy to operate
- Fold-flat seats allow oversized items to be carried in the boot – there’s no step or slope to overcome
- Completely flat load area also makes Hondas great for camping in!
Which Honda cars have Magic Seats?
Honda introduced the Magic Seats on the 2001 Honda Jazz, and it’s been a fixture of every Jazz since. In the UK, the Magic Seats are also fitted to the HR-V.
The CR-V, ZR-V and Civic have fold-flat seats, but not the flip-up seat bases.
Shop used Honda cars for sale at Motorpoint, or read our in-depth Honda reviews.
