My dream car... is it possible?

Right now we have a 98 Ford Expedition... it does not have latch, or tether anchors.... or many other things that I feel are important!

So, do they even make a vehicle that has latch in every seat, plus head rests on every seat (the ONLY places we have them now are on the drivers and passenger side and only two spots in the mid row)... and lap AND shoulder belts in every seat? Our car has lap only belts in all of our middle positions, front, middle and 3rd row. That makes it harder for us for the kids in boosters....

Is there a car that is not one of those HUGE vans that will seat a family of 8 (6 kids) but still have access to the 3rd row with out moving a carseat?
When baby #6 arrives, we'll have every seat used up in the back and no easy access to the 3rd row. I'll likely put a booster in that spot so it can be easily moved everytime I have to let kids back there... but wouldn't it just be easier if I could design my own SUV?

On a serious note though.... we are going to start saving up for our next SUV, the one we have is getting up there in miles... what would you all recommend we get?

The newer Honda Pilots (09+) meet most of your criteria. Top tethers in all 6 back seating positions. The tether anchors are attached to the back of the seat so they don't intrude into the leg room or cargo area. 2nd row has 3 full sets of LATCH and they can all be used at the same time. 3rd row has 1 full LATCH set, + the top tethers for other 2 positions. Head rests and shoulder belts in all seating positions.

I think you may be able to get 2 car seats on the '60" portion of the 2nd row. Then put a booster on the "40" part so it could easily be moved and flipped to get to the third row. Or I wonder if you could install a FF seat with LATCH on that 40 part and just slide the seat up to get to the third row?? I didn't play with it enough to know if that would actually work or not.

It's not going to give you much cargo room though.


Or an 8 seater Toyota Sienna. Lap/shoulder belts in all positions and I'm almost positive head rests in all positions. I haven't had the opportunity to play with this vehicle yet....so I don't know about LATCH, tethers, or how easy the 3rd row would be to access.

I really don't get why all manufacturers don't at least put head rests, shoulder belts and top tethers in all seating positions. I've crossed several vehicles off our shopping list because of the head rest or shoulder belts. My current van has 1 seat with lap belt and no headrest and it's a PIA. I just refuse to buy another vehicle like that.

Thanks!
Yes, I feel that my "requests" are just basic things that should be in every vehicle. I don't care about all the fancy stuff... I just want safe!!!

We love our expedition and we have talked about just getting a newer model when this one goes out... but I have no idea how equipped they even are. All I know is I feel that our is very outdated!

Not sure about the newest models, but mine is a '04 Expedition and it lacks big time in the 3rd row. No middle seat head rest so DS1 can't sit back there and only 1 tether for the center seat. No LATCH in the 3rd row and the fixed belt stalks are a pain to install seats with. Don't get me wrong.... it's doable (sp?) to get 3 seats back there, but no fun at all. You have to get the right combination to get it to work.

The 2nd row does have 3 sets of LATCH and 3 tether anchors so you are good there. :thumbsup:

Oh.. and there is no gap on the 3rd row like you currently have in yours.