SUV suggestions

Music4Life · Jun 3, 2007

Do you guys have any suggestions for a medium size SUV where I could fit two car seats (specifically a FF Radian and a RF Marathon) side by side in the back seat? I don't want a huge car, just one big enough to get the two seats right next to each other.

solmama · Jun 4, 2007

I think they would fit in a CR-V. In our 1999 CR-V we had our Radian outboard and an Evenflo Triumph RF in the middle. CR-V's are good cars, Rav-4's...Are you looking for AWD? The next step up is the Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot. Also really great cars. We had to trade in the CR-V, we found it too small to travel long distances with 2 adults and 2 kids.

twokidstwodogs · Jun 4, 2007

Are you trying to arrange your seats so that an adult can sit in one of the outboard seats?

Lots of small/medium SUVs will fit the bill, but you need to make sure that the manufacturer allows carseat use in the center position. A few don't allow it at all and others allow it, but recommend against it. You will definitely want to try your seat to make sure you can get a good center fit. Also, very few cars have LATCH in the center position, so you will almost certainly need to install the center seat with the belt.

Apart from that, I'd look for a car that has electronic stability control and side curtain airbags for all rows of passengers, preferably with a rollover sensor. Those are very important safety features and really essential in an SUV. Also, check out safety scores at www.informedforlife.org. The Honda Pilot does well on that front, and several folks here really like it. If that's too big, check out the smaller ones like the CR-V, RAV-4, and Subaru Forester.

southpawboston · Jun 4, 2007

is there a specific reason you're looking for an SUV as opposed to a small or mid-size van, or even a wagon?

UlrikeDG · Jun 4, 2007

I think just about any SUV will fit two car seats. They tend to have quite a bit of leg room and decent hip room. Look at crash tests, fuel economy, towing capacity if that's a concern, etc, and narrow it down to a couple that seem like the best fit for your family. From there, you can ask here if anyone has experience fitting 2-3 seats in those vehicles, or you can simply go do some test driving and try your seats in the vehicle at that time. A few sales people have rolled their eyes at me over the seat issue, but most are happy to help or just give me the keys and say where to find them when I need them.

Most sedans will also easily fit two car seats in the back, even the smaller ones, so if you don't need an SUV, you may be better off with a sedan. They get better mileage and many have better safety features.

Links:
NHTSA Government Crash Tests
IIHS Independent Crash Tests
FuelEconomy.org Government Site

Music4Life · Jun 4, 2007

I want them next to each other b/c the baby (6mo) doesn't really like being in the car and he'll often cry. But when his big brother (3yo) is next to him they smile at each other and the older one talks to the younger one and the baby stays happy. And on the rare occasions when seeing his big brother isn't enough and he needs a bottle the older one will hold the bottle for the baby. The baby doesn't get bottles very often so he's not used to holding it on his own.

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know some cars don't allow carseats in the middle seats. I'll definitely be looking into that.

Music4Life · Jun 4, 2007

And I'm looking for an SUV b/c I want more space than a sedan but less than a minivan. I'm the boys' nanny and I figure when I eventually have my own kids I'll probably get a minivan but I don't need one for my own life right now. An SUV is big enough for when I have them and all their stuff with me but not so big that there's a lot of unused extra space.

southpawboston · Jun 4, 2007

you can buy sedans that have as much room as an SUV, if you don't need al ll the spave of a van... the only thing that an SUV gets you that a large sedan (or wagon like a VW passat or subaru legacy) is being high off the ground (more rollover prone) and the ability to go off-road, at the expense of poor fuel efficiency and poor road handling.

sirrahn · Jun 4, 2007

southpawboston said:
you can buy sedans that have as much room as an SUV, if you don't need al ll the spave of a van... the only thing that an SUV gets you that a large sedan (or wagon like a VW passat or subaru legacy) is being high off the ground (more rollover prone) and the ability to go off-road, at the expense of poor fuel efficiency and poor road handling.

That is the truth! My Sienna's in for service and since they were busy and I had all 4 of my kids with me today, the service adviser set me up with a free rental. I've got a 4Runner and it's not any roomier in the 2nd row than my DH's Passat wagon. In fact it seems smaller. I attempted to put my MA and RA next to each other so we could tumble the outboard seat for my boys to get out of the back, and it wasn't happening. Admittedly I was trying to hurry and get out of there, so maybe with some messing around it could work, but that's a pretty straightforward installation in DH's car. We had 3 kids across with those seats for over a year.

Anyway, I just put the car seats outboard and had my boys climb out of the back from the rear hatch which they thought was cool, but no way would that be fun on a daily basis. Not to mention they're basically sitting on the floor of the trunk back there and my 9 yr old couldn't use his booster b/c his head was hitting the ceiling...thankfully my van will be ready at 6:30

twokidstwodogs · Jun 5, 2007

Music4Life said:
I want them next to each other b/c the baby (6mo) doesn't really like being in the car and he'll often cry.

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know some cars don't allow carseats in the middle seats. I'll definitely be looking into that.

If that's your main goal, a smaller car will likely work just fine. For a time, I had a FF Britax Marathon next to a RF Britax Roundabout in a Subaru Forester, which is definitely not a very wide car. And there's plenty of room for storage in the rear.

Also, keep in mind that in a few months, they might not do so well next to each other......

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