2004 Ford Expedition - captain chairs vs bench

[Unregistered]

My wife and I are looking at a 2004 Ford Expedition. We have a one year old and were looking at an Expedition with 2nd row captain chairs. We are wondering if the captain chairs are as safe as the bench seating (installing the car seat in the middle position) vs. installing the car seat in one of the captains chairs. Can you please help us out?

Thank you,

Eric & Terri

[CPSDarren]

This is an interseting question-

On one hand, the center position is safest, and that would apply to the middle position of a bench seat. On the other hand, some SUVs don't allow child seat installation there, and on others it may be a difficult fit because that position is narrow.

Many newer minivans have captains chairs that slide to the center position and/or form a bench. I don't know if this applies to any SUVs. Plus, even in the outboard position, captain's chairs usually offer many inches more space between the occupant and the door than an outboard spot in a bench seat would.

So, this is a tough question to answer. It really depends on the models you are considering, how many child seats you will be installing and how well they fit in any particular position.

If you do go with an Expedition, I highly recommend the "Safety Canopy" side curtain airbags and the Advancetrac vehicle stability control.