After using the more traditional low-backed seats for a few years now, and using faster roads more often, I thought it would probably be safer to have head-rests to lower the possibility of whiplash in the even of an accident. Not that a Series is a showcase of safety devices, but the low-backed seats always worried me slightly. And so, have now installed a set of Exmoor Trim Extreme Mk.II seats, plus an Exmoor Trim Series/Defender Cubby Box to take up the space of the middle seat.
The seats took a couple of months to arrive from the UK. The seats are virtually the same colour as the previous reproduction 'elephant hide' seats, even if they look a little darker in the photos here.The new covering has a very nice texture, and altogether look and feel a little too luxurious for a Series, but they are very comfortable. And having cup holders is great. :)
Before:
After:
Like so many after-market items that don't seem completely thought through, the seats are nice but the bottom seat cushions come with nothing to attach them to the seat box.
The seat cushions have, on the underside, wooden slats that I think are supposed to stop the cushions sliding from side to side, but those slats are much too narrow for the space between the seat rails. New slats were cut and installed, and although the seats are just sitting on the seat rails, at least now they don't slide from side to side. Had to do this for the previous low-backed seats, too.
At the rear, the old seat cushions managed to slide back and wedge themselves pretty solidly between the seat rail uprights, but the new seat cushions slide further back, plus the underside bends upwards at the rear for some reason, and so the cushion ends up sitting on the seat box flange. This further rear position is still acceptable as far as seating comfort goes, and in fact I prefer it, but I'll still look for something to perhaps brace the seats further forward just a little.
The seat backs are comfortable and easy to install, and the lumbar support is definitely there. I do wish plugs had been provided for the unused bolt holes provided for those with Light Weight Series and Defender attachment points.
The Cubby is a little better in terms of kit-provided installation, with four hard plastic feet and some bolts, but not much. The instructions would seem to indicate that the Defender is what they were aiming for. The provided feet didn't seem adequate to me, and so they weren't used.
The Cubby mount was made using a particle-board base with appropriate supports that sits firmly on the middle seat rails and does not move. The Cubby is bolted onto this base, using the pre-drilled holes.
To stop the Cubby sliding forward, two 'hooks' were made and attached to the rear of the Cubby box, these then going behind the seat box flange to hold onto it from behind. At the forward end, it was nice to be able to use the original leather strap from the centre seat, that goes over the pin on the forward side of the seat box.
A conventient thing about this overall installation arrangement is that the center seat can be re-installed at any time. In fact, the entire low-backed seating arrangement can be quickly re-installed in minutes if desired.
Forward strap:
In the same vein, the leather strap from the top of the seat also makes a handy way to hold the Cubby lid open if needed. And incidentally, the material inside the Cubby is perfect for holding anything with Velcro.
Having only been around the block a few times with the new seats, will now have to do a few longer drives to see how things go. Happy to at last have head rests and cup holders.
