I get a question now and then about this subject so I am posting this in response.
This is for people considering buying a Phoenix Cruiser with a dinette, whether a used one or ordering a brand new one.
If the dinette is in a slide-out, the two bench seats get closer together which offers less leg room. The table will also be smaller. This condition is more severe with older PCs up to around year 2009.
When the dinette is not in a slide-out, it gets bigger by utilizing the angled transition wall between the van and house. This places the front dinette bench much closer to the front driver or passenger seat. The distance between benches is further increased because there is no slide-out wall on the opposing side. That moves the rear bench further toward the back of the rig. Both front and rear gains, increase the distance between benches to provide more leg room, a larger table, sometimes larger bench seats (or taller backrests), and also makes a longer bed. The close proximity to the front driver or passenger seat does not affect front seat adjustment. However it limits reclining travel which is still comfortable as shown in the last picture.
The dinette in a 2351 and a 2552 slide-out is less an issue because the slide-out used in those two models are larger. One PC owner with a dinette inside a 2552 slide-out, told me when converted into a bed, his measures 65" long x 36" wide.
If you want the biggest dinette with the most leg room, biggest table, and longest conversion bed, then you need to get the dinette in a 2351 or a 2552 without a slide-out.
For reference, here is our 2007 2350 dinette with no slide-out (with original cloth Sagemint Green seat cushions). A new 2016 2350 no-slide-out dinette will be the same size. When setup as a bed, it measures 71" long x 36" wide. The distance between benches (the legroom) is 29.5", with the table measuring about the same.
Note in this picture how the transition wall area is utilized which cuts the corner of the base cushion, and also reduces the backrest. Strange but true, when we seat 4 people, the person sitting in that position can hardly notice a difference. When setup as a bed, we place the odd backrest cushion on the side opposite the pillow which is not noticed when sleeping.
This is our driver seat. It is adjusted all the way back on the track.
Note the limited but not concerning reclined position and the ability to recline it a little more.
