John Deere XUV Bench Seat

John Deere, a world leader in providing advanced products and services for those linked to the land, enlisted the help of Design Concepts to develop a new bench seating option for their XUV utility vehicles. Previously available only with bucket seats, the XUV bench option is intended to provide comfortable seating for larger riders and make it easier to get into and out of the vehicle. The designers were challenged to create a bench seating option that would work with the universal design of the vehicle, originally intended for bucket seats. In the end, the bench solution needed to make it possible for a rider to enter on one side of the vehicle, slide across the seat and exit on the other side.

To improve rider comfort, the new bench seat features redesigned seat contours and improved cushioning. Operator controls, which are universal to the vehicle and arranged between the seats, are now encased in a lower profile center tunnel cover to accommodate the slide-in/slide-out scenario. The cover features a center mounted lidded glove box, arm rest, cup holders and center trays. The console maintains the overall aesthetic of the John Deere brand seamlessly allows the standard chassis built for bucket seats to accommodate a bench seat.

The highly collaborative project relied on excellent communication between Design Concepts’ team and John Deere staff. The firm’s team of engineers, designers and prototyping specialists worked very closely with John Deere engineers to develop details relating to the chassis design. This communication was essential as the new seating solution had to work within future vehicle designs as well as the remaining stock of vehicles already manufactured.