Reconfiguring a US Spec IG to a two seat Utility Wagon

[ADVer]

Hello all, new to the forum and have a question that as far as I can tell hasn’t been asked/answered. As it appears the US will not be getting the two seat Utility Wagon, how difficult will it be to pull the rear seats out and end up with a flat floor? I saw the post about 16 screws, so extracting the seats seems straightforward, but what do you end up with? I also saw where the auxiliary battery, fuse box, and other electronics are in the same place (under the rear seats) on all configurations. Does this mean that after pulling the seats you are left with a flat floor on which you can easily build a sleeping platform with plenty of headroom? I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to build out an overlanding rig for two, therefore having no use for rear seats. Thanks!

P.S. Ineos, if you are monitoring this forum, and it is not too late or too cost prohibitive to give us the two seater, please do!

 

[Norville]

Hi, the UK version shows that it does go straight across with a panel that covers that under-seat electronics bay (which the US will obviously not have and will need it retrofitted as such). The UK configurator shows this rendering and some articles show it as well. There are some real world pics out there but can't find them at the moment.

In another post, there was a US 3rd party that seemed to maybe exploring this conversion to provide.

The vendor mentioned was: https://www.goose-gear.com/

 

[Norville]

Found the picture I was thinking of:

 

[ddv]

In the two seater there is a hinged flat panel that extends into what would be the rear footwell. Gives a good flat surface. In two seater the cargo barrier takes up some space but in a conversion this could be modified and an even bigger flat floor panel could be installed.

 

[ADVer]

@Norville and @ddv, thank you for your quick replies. As I hoped, it looks to be an easy fix. I’m familiar with Goosegear. They make nice stuff, including several “seat delete” kits for other brands, so it would make sense for them to offer one for the IG. It’s too bad we in the states have to go through this step and end up with a set of un-needed rear seats, but I suspect it’s due to US Regs for importing commercial vs. passenger vehicles.

I guess I can just add four legs to the removed rear seats and repurpose them as a nice Recaro sofa for the living room!

 

[Krabby]

@Norville and @ddv, thank you for your quick replies. As I hoped, it looks to be an easy fix. I’m familiar with Goosegear. They make nice stuff, including several “seat delete” kits for other brands, so it would make sense for them to offer one for the IG. It’s too bad we in the states have to go through this step and end up with a set of un-needed rear seats, but I suspect it’s due to US Regs for importing commercial vs. passenger vehicles.

I guess I can just add four legs to the removed rear seats and repurpose them as a nice Recaro sofa for the living room!

Exactly my thought on what to do with those seats! Granted you could probably sell them for a decent amount, but what an awesome man cave couch it would be.

 

[jrchrds]

I'm definitely doing this as well, and looked in detail at the PT02 towards this end. The seat looks easy to remove. Looking forward to seeing what Goose Gear comes up with.

 

[STACHES]

P.S. Ineos, if you are monitoring this forum, and it is not too late or too cost prohibitive to give us the two seater, please do!

I'm pretty sure the reason is the two seater would be classified as a light truck in the US, so it would be taxed to hell unless they built them here. The SUVs don't get hit with the Chicken Tax.

 

[DCPU]

Didn't Ford face huge penalties for bringing in a Transit variant with seats and then stripping them out before sale?

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/03/business/ford-transit-connect-penalty/index.html

 

[Krabby]

Didn't Ford face huge penalties for bringing in a Transit variant with seats and then stripping them out before sale?

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/03/business/ford-transit-connect-penalty/index.html

I recalled that too as this discussion carried along. What's sad is that Ford can build a vehicle abroad, ship it to the US AND pay a 25% tariff on top of it cheaper than building the vans here. Not looking to ignite a wage/union fire, but that seems like bad math on our end.

 

[ADVer]

Still thinking about how to maximize cargo/sleep space given we will need to purchase the 5 seat versions. Regarding just removing the rear seats, see Tom Barker’s (IA Product Management) comment in the attached article about not removing the seats as that is where the “Sentry Battery Unit” is stored. Is the sentry battery for the alarm system, or is that a term for the auxiliary or “house” battery? In either case the 2 seat utility wagon must have this battery, and if so how do they end up with a flat floor? He also mentions having 5’10” available for sleeping with the rear seats folded forward. How is that possible with the difference in height between the rear load floor and the folded seats, short of some modification or by adding a raised sleep platform? So it goes back to Goose Gear to solve, most likely with something similar to their “Stealth Sleeping Platform”. I was hoping to avoid spending another $2K just to get a flat floor. Thoughts?

 

[MidnightCamper]

No seat removal - no sale.

 

[jrchrds]

see Tom Barker’s (IA Product Management) comment in the attached article about not removing the seats as that is where the “Sentry Battery Unit” is stored. Is the sentry battery for the alarm system,

Yea, having seen the vehicle, I'm pretty sure his comment regarded an attempt to entirely remove the seat and stuff underneath, which nobody wants to do. People just want the utility version top panel. and it will be very easy to do.

 

[ED Mulrenin]

No seat removal - no sale.

I agree.

 

[Tom109]

In the two seater there is a hinged flat panel that extends into what would be the rear footwell. Gives a good flat surface. In two seater the cargo barrier takes up some space but in a conversion this could be modified and an even bigger flat floor panel could be installed.

So this flat panel basically covers the battery compartment? This is promising and makes the possibility of a 3-seater + fridge viable.

 

[evomind]

So the extra battery and electronics that sit under the rear seat are also under the floor as well, right?

 

[anand]

So the extra battery and electronics that sit under the rear seat are also under the floor as well, right?

Under the 2 seater's "floor", yes, everything is in the same location; it's just that instead of a few inch rise for the rear seat base/brackets, the cargo area floor level is extended forward

 

[DaveB]

So this flat panel basically covers the battery compartment? This is promising and makes the possibility of a 3-seater + fridge viable.

This is the rear with the 5 seats installed on the left and in the two seat configuration on the right and below.
You would need to do major modifications to the seat frame if you wanted a 3 seater with a flat floor.
Or you could have a 3 seater with a raised floor on the side you take the seat out.

 

[Tom109]

This is the rear with the 5 seats installed on the left and in the two seat configuration on the right and below.
You would need to do major modifications to the seat frame if you wanted a 3 seater with a flat floor.
Or you could have a 3 seater with a raised floor on the side you take the seat out.



View attachment 7819582View attachment 7819583View attachment 7819584

I see significant modification to mount a fridge in both scenarios.

 

[DCPU]

The rear floor could best be described as a plateau with a steep cliff at the front of the rear wheel arches where it drops down to the footwell level for rear seat passengers: