Ohh SouthPawBoston

MagnificentMama

Senior Community Member
So I'm pretty much set on getting a Madza3 after I graduate in a year and :eek: I think I'm thinking about adding another baby into the mix shortly after that :eek:. Obviously putting 2 carseats in your car isn't a problamo seeing as you have 2 bambinos that ride along with you.

What infant seat did you use for the kiddos? What seats have you tried? Was it hard to get the 45 degree angle when you're RFing? I"m short so not having leg room really isn't a problem for me. I know your heart belongs to Recaro, but are there any other seats you've used?

Specifically, have you tried a SafeSeat or any Britax seats? DD is in a Regent now, but I don't know if there would be enough room for a Regent and any type of infant seat, so that's up in the air as well. I know I have quite some time, but i tend to brainstorm years in advance ;)

Thankies :)
 
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southpawboston

New member
nice. starting with the 07s, you get the optional ESC :thumbsup: in the same package as the side airbags/curtains.

although i don't own a britax, i test-fitted a BV RF and it installed quite well, with plenty of room for the front seat if the BV was at 30-35 degrees.

a regent and infant seat *should* fit fine if both are outboard. there is a very pronounced hump in the middle which makes any center seat difficult to install, and starting with the 07 the hump is even bigger because there is also an armrest. i never tried anything center since i already had two kiddos when i bought it.

at first we had a snugride and a triumph 5 FF (both pretty wide), and both of those fit fine with some space in the middle for a diaper bag. the driver's seat had to be pushed a little more forward than this 6'1" guy liked, but it worked.

then we got the recaro FF (which fits *really* nicely) and swapped out the snugride for the triumph 5 RF. that also worked well and gave me more legroom since we had it at about 30 degrees.

then we gave the triumph to MIL and replaced it with a scenera RF, also at about 30 degrees. and now i have even more legroom. with the narrow RYS and scenera, there is at least a foot of free space in the middle for stuff.

there is also at least 5-6" between the door panel and any seat we've had in there, so even the regent shouldn't come too close to touching a door. i think a regent should install fine. the only snag i could foresee is that the seatback is contoured, and has center and side bolsters that stick out. that's what makes the narrow RYS fit so perfectly-- it sits snugly between the center and outboard bolsters. if i were to install the scenera FF, i imagine it would fit similarly as the RYS. but the regent might straddle those bolsters a bit, being wider, but it would probably still work fine. maybe it's worth a trip to the dealer to test-fit the regent.

come to think of it, i've never taken photos of my arrangement. maybe i should.
 

MagnificentMama

Senior Community Member
come to think of it, i've never taken photos of my arrangement. maybe i should.

You should take some pics, i'm a very visual learner LOL. I'm only 4 10 and I don't forsee myself growing whatsoever, so i'm okay with the leg room problem ;) Do you know if 3s come with adjustable foot pedals? That'd rock if they did!!!

I'm not as worried about the Regent b/c my DD is 4.5 as of now and she's already on the 3rd slot of the Regent. Who knows if she'd even fit into the Regent when I do decide to buy another car/add another bambino into the equasion.

I'm just worried about fitting a SafeSeat because that'll be what i'll most likely get if nothing new comes out on the market that's better than the SafeSeat. I"m just worried about it not being able to fit back there b/c i'm sort of used to my big Impala that seems to be compatable with almost every seat i've tried.
 

southpawboston

New member
You should take some pics, i'm a very visual learner LOL. I'm only 4 10 and I don't forsee myself growing whatsoever, so i'm okay with the leg room problem ;) Do you know if 3s come with adjustable foot pedals? That'd rock if they did!!!

nope, no adjustable pedals, but the steering column not only tilts but also has the telescoping feature, so for someone like yourself who has the seat all the way forward, you can telescope the steering wheel farther forward in front of you so you're not right on top of it.
 

CDNTech

Senior Community Member
Okay, not a Mazda3 owner, but we do have the '07 MazdaSpeed3 - same car, better engine. ;)

Here's pics for you...

RFing Marathon and FFing Radian... the MA is fairly upright and my 6'3" dh still has adequate leg room in the front passenger seat.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/429825169_6590b29030.jpg?v=0

Radian FFing...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/429820337_ac5667fbae.jpg?v=0

Here's the Radian RFing... not enough room for a front seat passenger
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/429820333_acb4c7cd7f.jpg?v=0

Resulting room in the front seat when the Radian is installed RFing...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/429820301_72de165c4f.jpg?v=0

RFing tether location...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/429820349_26ba2f90b5.jpg?v=0

You would definitely have room for the SS1 back there... especially since you are only 4'10". I used to have a snugride and that fit back there with no issues at all, but I forgot to take pictures of it and have since given it away.

We do not have adjustable foot pedals so I'm pretty sure the regular 3's do not come with them either. We also already have a fold down armrest in our back seat and the resulting hump under it. The back seats are *very* sculpted, so I'm not sure the width of the Regent would fit in there nicely. I have our Radian installed with LATCH and it is an absolute dream to put in this car... it seriously looks like it was designed for this vehicle.

Hope that helps!

Edited to add: I'll most likely end up with a SS1 late winter/early spring and can take photos of that for you then. We also have a Parkway that fits terrific in there too, if your daughter has outgrown the Regent by that time - although I believe it's been discontinued and there will most likely be better and newer seats out at that time.
 
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MagnificentMama

Senior Community Member
You guys rock!!!!​

Thanks sooo much. Bummer on the Regent, but like I said, who knows how tall DD is going to be in a year or two. She's huge already.

Thats really good to know about the telescoping column. I know that if i ever got into a crash, i'd be one decapitated mama. There is no way I could reach the pedals and be 12 inches away from the airbag. It stinks, but it's not like I have an option :( I'm sure the telescoping steering wheel will be great!!!
 

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