Options for S204 Travel Bag Covers

[hadrianrr]

Excuse me,
OK, I'll come right out and say it: I despise the luggage cover on my S204 (Station waggon), even though it's a gorgeous piece of hardware.
My concerns center on its dimensions (with or without the seat) and the method for removing it.

Briefly put
Does anyone know of a third-party luggage cover that can be attached or removed without requiring the back seat to be folded?
I was going to buy a black beach towel to cover my bags and call it a day, but maybe there's a better option.


The issue is more thoroughly explained when comparing the 2004 Skoda Octavia Combi to the 2014 S204 (2014).

The Skoda's cover is easily removable with a squeeze of the sides and a simple lift from its position; it occupies about the same volume as a large umbrella.
Even with the baby seat attached to one side of the back seat, you can still remove the cover from inside the car and fold down the other side, depending on whether you want to remove the cover or not.
Removing it won't require opening any doors.
Quickly and easily, I can fold down the half-back seat without touching the cover, which is great for when I need to load something a bit longer.

Over to the Mercedes now:
It has a plump cover. Even with the cargo net, there are occasions when large items, like suitcases or boxes, won't fit because they can't fit all the way in.
Since the luggage cover extends across the entire width of the vehicle, it is necessary to fold down both the large and small portions of the backseat in order to store it.
Putting in a car seat is a painstaking process: take the seat out, fold down the entire back seat, open the left door to remove the bulky cover, fold back the small portion of the seat, and then put the seat back in. All this is necessary in case you need to load something longer, which might not fit in the trunk now that you have to fit the cover as well!

I wish I could have a conversation with whomever made this cover for station waggons because it is incredibly inconvenient to use when you need to transport items larger than a grocery bag.

I am grateful.

[emeka_delacroixd]

Another annoyance is that the 12V outlet in the trunk can only be used when the engine is running, so it won't work for your 12V picnic cooler or to charge a phone overnight when you're not at home. I couldn't agree with you more about how cumbersome and heavy the rear seats are to fold because of the load cover. I can't help but think that my wife would have a hard time doing it, and she definitely wouldn't be able to put up the larger "half" that contains the cover!

[sorayavc]

I mean, surely that's for the best?

[emeka_delacroixd]

Why? The first time we went on a trip after purchasing the S204, I was ***** irritated to discover that the 12V outlet, like all the others in the car, could only be used with the engine running, which prevented me from charging my wife's Samsung A10 overnight. Just like my SLK, you have to turn the engine on to use the included compressor for installing the spare (the packaway kind on my SLK).

[sorayavc]

You won't have to worry about your battery dying because you left something plugged into the 12v outlet.

[hadrianrr]

I was also surprised by how heavy the seat and cover were when I had to fold them for the first time.
To keep the back springs from getting too stiff, I may need to put ballast in the trunk if I take the cover off.