Question 3 across Mercury Mariner--is it possible?

I'm a former CPST but am not familiar with all of the new seats on the market, nor with which vehicles are currently family-friendly. I'm hoping some of you may be able to help me help a friend.

My friend is expecting her third baby (a delightful surprise). Her older children will be 5 and 7 when baby arrives, and are currently in high-back boosters.

They drive a 2009 Mercury Mariner, with 52" width. Is there any combination of seats that they might be successful in using?

I looked at the car yesterday, and this is my assessment.

1) There are shoulder belts and headrests in all positions.
2) The owner's manual allows borrowing the outer LATCH anchors if the carseat manual allows for nonstandard spacing. (I believe it said it would be 16" spacing.)
3) The center seatbelt width is very narrow. Any seat placed in the center would be at best difficult to secure, as well as making it very difficult to buckle either of the boosters.
4) If borrowing the anchors, the anchor straps and the booster/seatbelt straps would crisscross.
5) Putting an infant seat outboard and the boosters in the other two positions would make it nearly impossible to fasten either booster, due to the placement of the belt buckles.

Is there any combination of seats that they might be able to get to work? She's not opposed to buying new seats, as new seats are cheaper than a new vehicle. I mentioned the possibility of going to a store to play with seats, but we're 90 miles from Babies R Us, etc. so I don't want to send her on a wild goose chase.

A few years ago, I remember the Radians as being narrow--I didn't yet mention the possibility of putting the older kids back in harnesses but that might be an option.

If they would look at a different vehicle, would they have any better options besides a minivan (her husband is greatly opposed to that) or a full-sized SUV?

Thanks for any insight you can provide. I appreciate it.

You can definitely fit three seats in 52" -- I have three in 48" -- but it's the two boosters that may pose complications. They tend to be less flexible in puzzling arrangements.

You are right in the Radian being the narrowest seat on the market. I think I would start with the Radian, or something up on a base -- I find my MyRide to be the magic bullet when it comes to puzzling. (Despite its overall width, the base is only 11" wide and many seats can fit under the cupholders.) The Evenflo Titan is similar to the MyRide, a bit narrower actually, but will not last as long. All of those seats will fit a newborn well.

She could also look at the Combi Coccoro. The larger old-school Britaxes puzzle like the MR/Titan, but do not fit newborns well.

If she wants a carrier, then her best bet might be to purchase a Radian and reharness the 5yo, and then try to puzzle it with a narrower infant bucket -- the BabyTrend FlexLoc or the Chicco Keyfit are the narrowest options out there, I believe. (If the 5yo is only 4 now, that is probably safest anyways, since most 4yos are not mature enough to be in boosters.)

The nice thing about starting with a Radian or MyRide is that the baby will fit RFing in them for a few years, and by the time (s)he needs to turn FFing, the7yo will be 10+ and will likely five-step. So the oldest can use the seatbelt, and they'll just have to fit a body in back with a carseat and booster.

We have a three-across thread (here) but I didn't find any entries for the Mariner. Trial and error is probably her best bet. The MyRide (and maybe Titan?) would be available at Babies R Us to try, but the Radian and Coccoro are usually only at specialty stores -- or she would need to order online. Preferably from someplace with a good return policy.

The easiest plan might be for her to meet with a tech from the board, who may have some of those seats to bring along and try. And remind her -- even if she has to buy a $300 seat or two, it's cheaper than a new car.

Thanks for the ideas. I think she'd prefer an infant bucket to start with, so I'll pass along your suggestions for those. I'll also mention putting the older kids back in harnessed seats. The younger turned 5 in September and weighs more than his older sister, who's almost 7. Are the Radian's top slots higher than Marathon's (2004ish model)? My guess is that the sister would be too tall for Marathon.

Are there any narrow boosters on the market that don't have armrests? Our (older, now broken) Parkways were always much easier to buckle than armrest-style boosters.

Everything nowadays has armrests. Some fold up, but they have to go back down to be used.

The Radians have 17.5" top slots versus the just over 16" of the old Marathons.

Wendy

The Mariner is a clone of the Ford Escape, which will probably yield more search results. It's definitely possible to get 3-across, although she might scrape some knuckles buckling boosters.