Question Looking at Forester, Rav4, or CRV - need two seats to fit in back comfortably

ophelia1920

New member
Right now I have a 2 door Toyota Solora. My son is 4 and it has worked fine so far with one car seat. I am expecting in Feb. 2011 and in no way doing two car seats in 2 door car!

I looked through Consumer Reports used recommendations, and for safety and reliability have narrowed it down to the above 3. I am also going through a career change and hopefully will be able to do what I want, which I will likely be self-employed and driving to client's houses for appointments. I live in MN so I really do want a 4WD or AWD for this, but not an SUV because they are gas suckers and that is what my husband drives. For this reason I would also rather not get a mini-van due to more gas use.

I am wondering with any of these three, are they all OK with 2 carseats in the back or too cramped? Any safety issues with any of them? I would need to get probably 2002 or older. Thanks!
 
ADS

MomToEliEm

Moderator
I don't have any exerpence with any of those vehicles, but hopefully someone on the board is familiar with them and can give you an idea of how carseat friendly they are.

Here are a few links I found after doing a quick search on the board. There are many more I saw, so if you do a search, you probably will find a lot more.

Forester
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=64694
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=25609

Rav4
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=108466

CRV
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=37267
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=105569
 

BananaBoat

Well-known member
I will say that for 2 kids, I'd cross the Forester off the list if you ever want to have both kids & an additional passenger in the back.

I've had 2 Foresters (2001 & 2003) & won't keep our current one when we have a second child. Too small. The front-to-back room is shockingly small & is very tough to have an RFing seat behind either front seat comfortably. It generally needs to go in the middle, but because the middle seat of older models have the weird hump, no center LATCH & bizarre seatbelt from the roof thing, it's hard to get a good install.

I've neither owned nor installed any seats in a CRV or Rav-4, but get the impression from posts on this board that they offer a bit more room than the Forester.

Good luck!
 

Chely7425

New member
I only have experience with the CRV but it is a very nice vehicle and fairly easy to install carseats in. One of my really good friends has one and we can do 3 car seats across it was as 2 car seats with an adult still comfy in the back.
 

SavsMom

New member
Of those three in a 2002 I would look at the CRV.
The 2002 and previous model years of both the Forester and Rav are smaller and would be more cramped than the CRV, however both are still great vehicles.
A friend of mine has a 2002 CRV and she easily fit two seats in hers with enough room for an adult passenger...yes, its a bit tight but not terrible.
 

Lemonade

New member
DH has a 2003 Forester. It's horrible for RF seats. One in the middle is fine, but that's it. And with 2 FF seats, even radians, you can't comfortabley fit a 3rd passenger. I've heard the newer ones are better thought I have no experience with them.

BIL and SIL have a fairly new Rav4 (like a year or two old.) It's cramped with a RF seat on the side for the front passenger. So much so that one of them would always ride in the back. But they are ridiculous like that (extremely pampered child) so who knows.

I've heard good things about car seats and the CRV, though I have no personal experience with them.
 

ophelia1920

New member
Thanks! Looks like the consensus is leaning toward CRV. That stinks about the Subaru, I thought it would have more room and it does sound like there is a lot of trouble getting the seats in. Don't know if I should even bother test driving one!

Obviously, I would put the RF infant seat in the middle and then DS would have to go on the side (which side? Behind passenger so I can see him easier?). Then eventually both seats would be FF.

The main things I am looking for is something reliable, fairly easy on the gas and 4WD or AWD which cuts out all 4 door sedans as far as I know. I need to keep it around $6-7000 since I cannot buy for more than what I can sell my car for. I don't have a job and probably won't be able to get one for quite a while :/

Oh, and whenever we go somewhere in the SUV and DH is driving, I sit in the back with DS :) It's just a lot easier that way, we read books and do stuff especially on long drives.
 

npauli

New member
DW loves her 01 CRV. We can do 2 large RF seats, but it renders the middle seat useless. Also, whoever sits in front of the Advocate doesn't get much leg room. It's fine if my wife drives solo or if I drive and she rides shotgun, but a bit cramped if I ride in the passenger spot. (I'm ~ 6'1")

We get about 27 mpg summer, 22 winter with their AWD setup. I like very much that the AWD system does all the thinking and acting for you, so my wife doesn't have to learn any new tricks (like shifting back to 2wd when on dry pavement).

ya want ours? We're about ready for a minivan.
 

gigi

New member
Have you looked at the Outback or Legacy Wagons from Subaru. I had an older one and I could have fit 3-across in the back seat easily! Plus there was lots of room. I'm not sure how the early 2000's models worked out as far as car seats, but my 96 was AMAZING. In fact, I just stopped driving it 6 months ago (after just under 200K miles) and we traded it in for a Tribeca (which I also love).

The trunk space on a Subaru wagon is much bigger than any of the smaller SUVs you mentioned.
 

littleangelfire

Well-known member
I could be having a bad memory moment, but I'm almost positive that Subaru owners on this board have shared that they are not car seat friendly. Difficult installs, little room for the type of vehicle, useless middle seat for some model years. I'd steer clear.

We've had 2 CRVs. Very easy to get most seats in and great vehicle all around. Can't help much with the Rav4.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I haaaaaate putting seats in the RAV4 rear-facing. Forward is not too bad-- outboard. Most seats are impossible in the center. And if you ever needed to carry a 3rd passenger back there, well, you couldn't.
 

ophelia1920

New member
Thanks! I had not looked at the other Subaru's because I figured they were even less room than the Forester. I'll have to find out.

I would love to get a crossover vehicle because I think those are a bit larger, or a Toyota Highlander, but they are all out of my price range :(
 

BananaBoat

Well-known member
Thanks! I had not looked at the other Subaru's because I figured they were even less room than the Forester. I'll have to find out.(

I have had no issues installing RF or FF in an older (2000) Outback, but the Forester is configured differently & is significantly more difficult to install seats RF than the Outback, it's shocking! :eek:
 

ophelia1920

New member
Sigh, I'm back! I'm having a REALLY hard time with this. We went to a Subaru dealer and put the seats (1 Graco Nautilus and 1 Graco infant) into an older Outback (2002 I think). The ONLY way we could get the two seats to fit is if each seat is on the passenger side.

I know it's safest for infant seat to be in the middle so I really do not want to compromise on that. Is it the type/brand of carseats specifically that is preventing them from fitting properly? I cannot afford new seats for the 4yo anyways, and we need to get a new infant seat.

We also tried them in a 1998 CRV and same problem. So are people who are putting car seats in these vehicles putting the infant seat on the side instead of middle??

We tried in an Odyssey just for the heck of it, and of course it fit except the Nautilus was a bit pushed toward the passenger door in order for both of them to fit.

At this point, I may need to forget about AWD/4WD altogether and just go with a sedan. And then on the bad snow days, DH and I would switch vehicles and I take his SUV. But sedans concern me too, if they would have the same problem!! I don't trust many cars for safety/reliability. Mostly just Honda, Toyota, and Subaru.

Help! Thanks!
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Are you planning on a third child? Because, honestly, none are good options if you're planning on a third while still owning the vehicle...(of course, depending on model year--some CR-Vs are fine for installs/some not in the centre, but three across can be difficult--RAV4 can be difficult to install rear-facing seats in--the centre seat of most Subarus is incompatible with many child restraints)..

Do you have other options? The Highlander? Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute (GREAT for carseats, by the way, AND 4wd for 2001 MY then AWD thereafter)...

Okay, that does it--I vote Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute. It's not on your list :)

As for centre being safest.. Your RF child is actually better protected than your FF child, as far as shell protection. But should you be pulling your hair out trying to get two seats in side by side just because the centre seating position is somewhat safer? No. Just in choosing appropriate restraints, installing them properly, and using them properly...you've done the vast majority required to keep them as safe as possible in your vehicle. I wouldn't stress about that centre seating position--most of us carseat geeks tend to use the outboard seating positions for two children. In fact--I have two rows of three and ONLY use my outboard seating positions for my four kids.


-Nicole.
 

ophelia1920

New member
Thanks! I would love the Highlander, except I cannot afford the 2002 and I won't buy any first-year models (first year for Highlander is 2001).

I was actually going to look at the Escape/Tribute except I read in Consumer Reports that there is a potentially serious rollover/tipover issue. Now, it didn't say which years, and I'm assuming that hopefully they have fixed that problem with the newer models. However, I would not be able to afford a new model anyways. If anyone knows about these rollover issues, please let me know!

I really thought it was critical to have the infant seat in the middle. If not, this expands the possibilities again :)
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Not critical.

Rollover risk is all about who is driving and how..more than the vehicle itself.. Unless we're talking Suzuki Samurai :) I'm a safety freak and had no concerns about my Tribute.

-Nicole.
 

ophelia1920

New member
Thanks! Maybe I can add the Escape back on the list, and it might be cheaper than the other mini SUV's.

I forgot to add, at this time I really don't know if we will eventually have 3 kids. I have no idea if this will be my last or not, I'm already pushing 40. So I can't really base the vehicle I'm getting now on that. If it comes to that and I have to upgrade to a minivan in a few years, that's fine with me :)
 

Guest

New member
Maybe I'm being picky, but aren't you looking at SUVs even tho you said they're gas guzzlers? Do you mean larger vehicles? But sedans can get real large yet still get better gas mileage than the dinky SUVs like the Escape/CR-V/Rav-4. Possibly more useable trunk space too and definitely more room for car seats.
 

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