Where have all the front bench seats gone?

I have on order a new 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't laugh).  One of things I like most about this car is the front seats.  This is one of the only cars left that has a steering column shifter and front bench seat.  I find this interior a lot more comfortable than any bucket seat car.  Do people not like this type of interior anymore?  

If it's any thing like the 08 Lincoln Towncars front seats; they might as well be buckets since there is less than 12 inches from the front of the middle seat and the dash. No one could sit there unless they are four years old.

I do like the seat. It could be a little more comfortable  if it was just a bit more firm. It's a bit mushy for my spine.  

Aside from the more "sporty" appearnce of buckets, I think it comes down to the bean counters. I'm sure if you looked at the costs (for a car), it's less to produce a pair of bucket seats than a single bench seat, including installation labor costs at the factory.

My family has had Ford Rangers for most of my life, and I drove one until I got my '92 Silverado. The 60/40 bench seats in the Ranger were pretty comfortable, and the 70/30 in my Chevy is comfy also. Trucks still have them because of their basic utilitarian purpose., and the middle seat is actually useable unlike a car.  

Had my Merc since March and LOVE it!  

bucket seats may not be as comfy but they look a lot better. Not much of a bench seat person but hey if thats what you like, the more power to you!  
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I work with Safeway during the day, crime fighter at night.

I wish they would make the front bench seats also! I think it would feel roomier and would give me a place to put my purse.  I am going to be one of those crazy old ladies I think, I have e-mailed several car companies asking them to make them and also those vent windows.  

Bench seats are terrible for supporting the driver behind the wheel during aggressive cornering.  They provide ZERO lateral support.

In cars less than about 75 inches wide, bench seats also provide no real usable room for a third passenger.

Most bench seats in anything other than a luxury car (Lincoln, Cadillac, Imperial, Buick Electra 225, Buick Rivera, etc.) had minimal adjustability and provided poor back support for long trips.

I'm glad they're history. This is one of the few ways that we "muscle car" people have won the style debate (aluminum wheels is another one)

I love vintage cars, but I'm hardly nostalgic about teetering atop a hot, slick slab of bench-seat vinyl, clinging for dear life to the pencil thin rim of a 17" steering wheel while rowing the gears through a vague column shifter.  
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TURBO TED --Internationally known as the "John Force of the Yugo Racing Association."

Sergeant-at-Arms and immediate Past President of the SoAL Yugo Owners Group.

i agree with turboted in the supporting issue but p2 on here has a beautiful bench in his 72 and it looks great, i also like buckets as thats what i see when i picture a muscle car.  

The Bench in my '72 Centurion is fantastic and comfortable, for both driving and sleeping!  The bench in my Skylark is super comfortable but the middle seat has been rendered near useless with the five speed conversion.  
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The Silver Buick- '77 Skylark coupe w/ a Fuel Injected Buick 455&TKO-600, '72 Centurion Conv't - 455w/TH400, '67 T-bird 4Dr (suicide) w/428&C6. Needing to replace a '69 Firebird 400.

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=6189.0

I miss bench seats.  never had a fat chick get stuck in a bench seat  

i have a bench but i want buckets when i can afford it