Long story short, I sold my 2014 200 a few years ago and recently upgraded to a 2019 GX. I say upgrade, because I actually like the GX overall better than the LC. The LC was a bit nicer, larger, etc,, but got significantly less fuel range, larger/harder to park, useless center console cooler, and I like the barn door overall better than the tail gate. The rear hatch is easier for my kids to climb in, I can sit on the edge and put my feet on the ground, or sit on the trunk ledge and place my feet on the bumper, etc. I also like that I can get in and out of the trunk quickly like any other vehicle door. I do miss things about the LC, namely the interior space, but that's the trade-off.
Anyhow, about that interior space. I have 2 kids and 1 on the way, but my GX has captains chairs. The LC would have been fine 3 across because it was huge, but the GX is a bit narrower. I wanted to retain a 3rd row seat, but was a bit disappointed in the trunk because things kept rolling out/sliding back because of the slope. Also, with both 3rd row seats up, there is ZERO trunk space. I made the decision to excise a rear seat and build a loading deck/drawer system. Everything I could find was dual drawer or flat rear deck (GooseGear *overpriced plywood*). Because I needed a rear seat, and demanded storage, DIY was the only way on this one.
After some investigation, I discovered that the 3rd row seats are in fact individual, and dove in with a box cutter and a jig saw. After unbolting the rear covers as per standard procedure for removing the seats, I removed the driver side 3rd row seat. My reasoning was that I would be allowed limited access to a drawer with partial opening of the rear door on this side. After removing the rear seat, I discovered a nice flat deck and arrangement of 4 bolt holes for the seat frame. It became obvious this would work. Using a box cutter and jig saw, I immediately cut the rear carpet, plastic trim, and metal deck support with about 1" overlap to allow future adjustment after exact measurements were made. I'll post some pictures from here to detail the process and result. Between coming up with measurements and sourcing proper equipment (slides, brackets, etc), the process was a bit tedious but fairly straight forward.
Supplies ultimately ended up being:
1 - 4'x8' Oak 3/4 plywood for box and drawer frame
1 - 2'x4' Sande 1/2 plywood for trim and drawer bottom
1 - pair of 32" HD locking drawer slides from amazon
1 - leather drawer pull strap from amazon
* You'll see I hacked up an existing WeatherTech trunk liner and CanvasBack liner to fit the project, and I'm happy how both turned out.
An important note I'll make about the most complex issue I had; which was figuring out how to support the edge (old center) of the rear trunk trim. I had to create a wooden support for the metal frame, which I attached with self tapping screws into the frame structure, then fastened the plastic trim with a left over OEM plastic screw. The finished product is rock solid, and can be sat on and climbed all over by my 6 year old boy. I used a radial saw for the box, and acquired a table saw later to cut the drawer frame and dado's. If I could do it over, a table saw would be the way to go. I spent way too much time massaging sloppy cuts on the box. Dremel tool with shaping wheel and propane torch to smooth the cut plastic was helpful.
The IronMan 4x4 drawer mounting kit was bought in the blind, as I was desperate for a mounting solution which leveled out the drawer and allowed it to bolt to 4 corners. While it's designed for a full width drawer install, a single hole drilled on the rear most center rail bolt area was all that I needed, as well as trimming about 4" off the front length. The drivers side 2nd row seat can full recline without hitting the box, and still allows some room in front of the box for the right 3rd row to have some access room and a place to put a bag, toys, food, feets, etc.
Anyhow, about that interior space. I have 2 kids and 1 on the way, but my GX has captains chairs. The LC would have been fine 3 across because it was huge, but the GX is a bit narrower. I wanted to retain a 3rd row seat, but was a bit disappointed in the trunk because things kept rolling out/sliding back because of the slope. Also, with both 3rd row seats up, there is ZERO trunk space. I made the decision to excise a rear seat and build a loading deck/drawer system. Everything I could find was dual drawer or flat rear deck (GooseGear *overpriced plywood*). Because I needed a rear seat, and demanded storage, DIY was the only way on this one.
After some investigation, I discovered that the 3rd row seats are in fact individual, and dove in with a box cutter and a jig saw. After unbolting the rear covers as per standard procedure for removing the seats, I removed the driver side 3rd row seat. My reasoning was that I would be allowed limited access to a drawer with partial opening of the rear door on this side. After removing the rear seat, I discovered a nice flat deck and arrangement of 4 bolt holes for the seat frame. It became obvious this would work. Using a box cutter and jig saw, I immediately cut the rear carpet, plastic trim, and metal deck support with about 1" overlap to allow future adjustment after exact measurements were made. I'll post some pictures from here to detail the process and result. Between coming up with measurements and sourcing proper equipment (slides, brackets, etc), the process was a bit tedious but fairly straight forward.
Supplies ultimately ended up being:
1 - 4'x8' Oak 3/4 plywood for box and drawer frame
1 - 2'x4' Sande 1/2 plywood for trim and drawer bottom
1 - pair of 32" HD locking drawer slides from amazon
1 - leather drawer pull strap from amazon
* You'll see I hacked up an existing WeatherTech trunk liner and CanvasBack liner to fit the project, and I'm happy how both turned out.
An important note I'll make about the most complex issue I had; which was figuring out how to support the edge (old center) of the rear trunk trim. I had to create a wooden support for the metal frame, which I attached with self tapping screws into the frame structure, then fastened the plastic trim with a left over OEM plastic screw. The finished product is rock solid, and can be sat on and climbed all over by my 6 year old boy. I used a radial saw for the box, and acquired a table saw later to cut the drawer frame and dado's. If I could do it over, a table saw would be the way to go. I spent way too much time massaging sloppy cuts on the box. Dremel tool with shaping wheel and propane torch to smooth the cut plastic was helpful.
The IronMan 4x4 drawer mounting kit was bought in the blind, as I was desperate for a mounting solution which leveled out the drawer and allowed it to bolt to 4 corners. While it's designed for a full width drawer install, a single hole drilled on the rear most center rail bolt area was all that I needed, as well as trimming about 4" off the front length. The drivers side 2nd row seat can full recline without hitting the box, and still allows some room in front of the box for the right 3rd row to have some access room and a place to put a bag, toys, food, feets, etc.
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