[ppagiga]

Saint D, i've been where you are. I think I can answer your questions until Pipe comes through.

A. Ultimately decided against american despite how awesome the extended wheelbase/captains config is on Yukon, Suburban, Escalade, etc. Those vehicles are just so damn big, and drive like the trucks they are. Not a bad thing, but nothing like the GL/GLS and X7. I would say tho, that the Navigator has the same third row space whether you go normal wheelbase or extended so it's packaging is the most efficient of all the american monster suvs. Plus, I love the interior. But it's still a very large vehicle in SWB trim and drives much differently.
B. I feared the in seat entertainment for same reasons. While it doesnt protrude nearly as much as the plug in "travel and comfort" accessories, it's still a daily risk to be banged or broken. Plus, the guys at the car wash won't respect them as much as much as they should.
C. All three of these installs restrict third row access in Captains: 1) latched and tethered captains; 2) seatbelt no tether install captains 3) tethered and seatbelt installed captains. For bench installations, installs 2 and 3 restrict access but not 1 (that is because the tether hook is on the seat itself). The reason the seatbelt install restricts access for bench and captains is because the seatbelt comes from the C pillar area of the vehicle itself. So once you strap a seat in tight, that seat's not moving.
D. Regarding what we saw in that video, I'm not sure how they did that with the captains. Only way to know definitively is have one in your garage and try yourself. The geniuses I spoke to claim they put a car seat in the seat and tried to recreate that motion but couldn't. But there are so many damn buttons and settings in this vehicle i'm not sure they left no stone unturned in trying things out.

There is a possibility that Benz offers captains with seat belts originating in the seat itself (for the new GLS that will be introduced in about 4 weeks that goes on sale in say 6 months) but I think it's unlikely. It's probably a crash test load concern that is best alleviated by keeping the seatbelt in the pillar. However, Benz has put the belt in seats before (starting in 1990 I believe, with the R129 SL) so it could happen again. But with the R class captains they used the pillar for the. belts