Before Paying for Delivery, Check What Your Volvo’s Passenger Seat Can Do

Certain Volvo S80s have a front passenger backrest that folds forward to a horizontal position for long loads. It uses catches on the rear of the backrest, and availability depends on the car’s equipment. There is an awkward moment outside a furniture shop when the purchase is paid for, the packaging is on the trolley and the car suddenly looks smaller than it did at home.

Folding the rear seats gets the box most of the way in. The passenger backrest stops the rest. You try a different angle, move the front seat forward and begin wondering what the delivery charge would have been.

In an appropriately equipped S80, that backrest has another movement available.

Volvo’s instructions describe folding it forward until it lies horizontally. The releases are on the back of the seat, which helps explain how an owner could go years without noticing them. The familiar adjustment controls are elsewhere, and there is little reason to inspect the rear of an empty passenger seat.

For the 2016 S80 covered by Volvo’s Canadian instructions, the procedure begins by moving the seat as far back and down as possible and bringing the backrest upright. Lift the rear catches and hold them while pushing the backrest forward. The seat then moves forward so the head restraint passes beneath the glove compartment. Use the instructions for your own model before attempting it, since equipment varies. 

If the catches are absent, stop looking for extra force. Volvo lists the feature as an option or accessory in that manual. A seat that reclines electrically does not, by itself, establish that it also folds this way.

With the backrest down, you can assess whether the load fits properly. Length is only part of the question. A box can reach into the front of the cabin and still be too wide to position safely, or too heavy to secure with the available restraints.

Volvo warns owners to cover sharp edges and secure long objects against movement during sudden stops. When restoring the seat, push and pull the backrest to check that it has locked upright. 

It is a useful feature to ask about when buying a used S80. Have the seller demonstrate it rather than relying on a description of “folding seats,” which usually brings the rear bench to mind.

And before the next collection trip, measure the object and try the seat at home. The furniture-shop car park is a poor place to discover which version you own.