Automakers going back to the future of seating

0 Comments | USA TODAY, September, 2007 | by Chris Woodyard

Back-seat drivers may be as annoying as ever, but at least they won't be as cramped.

Some automakers are working to turn back seats into more pleasant accommodations for adult passengers. No longer are they just confining isolation zones.

Among the latest to make an improvement is Honda, which lengthened its flagship Accord sedan from midsize to a full-size model, mainly to add more legroom in the back seat. The new Accord, which just went on sale, has another 1.4 inches of knee room in back.

In a change for what has traditionally been a family sedan, Honda says kids are no longer the primary back-seat riders for Accord.

The car's target customers now are empty-nest boomers and white-collar Gen Xers, many of whom don't have many kids....