Question quick car decision

I am currently driving a 2005 Toyota Sienna, and have 4 kids (triplets plus one). I *may* need to make a quick decision regarding a new minivan. The triplets are 6.5 years old, and the baby is 5. All are between 36 & 39 pounds and between 40 & 44 inches tall.

I currently have one kid in a Britax Frontier and 3 in Graco Nautiluses, all using the 5pt harness. If we end up having to replace the carseats, I much prefer the Frontiers so would rather go with those than buy more Nautiluses.

The loaner minivan we have right now from Toyota only has 3 LATCHs, and the two carseats in the 3rd row don't seem very tight at all. (They are installed via seatbelt as the only available LATCH is in the middle and I need some space between kids so they are riding in the outer two spaces, leaving the middle open.) DH swears it is as tight as they will go, and as much as he installs & takes out, and always gets two thumbs up when we go to inspections, I am inclined to believe him. (Though we haven't installed via seatbelt before, only via LATCH.)

Given that we need to install 4 carseats with 5pt harnesses (and my kids are tiny and show no signs of growth spurts coming anytime soon so they should fit for a long time yet), thoughts on Sienna vs. Honda?
- With professional assistance, are we going to be able to get a tight installation of the two seats in the third row, or is that forever going to be an issue with the Toyota?
- What is the top anchor situation? Do I have to have them, and does the 2011 Toyota or Honda have enough? I HAVE to have space between each pair of kids for my sanity, so they have to be seated by the windows leaving the middle seats open. Yes, I have tried a piece of foam board between the seats to prevent touching, but just trust me, I'm a safer driver when there is some room between seats!
- Is 8 seat vs. 7 seat going to make a difference? I would like to have that 8th seat just to have it available for other passengers if it doesn't make any difference as far as anything else goes.

THANKS SO MUCH!!!! I HATE making decisions like this quickly, and hearing from the experts about the most important things would help a lot!

I'd go for the Honda, if you're looking at the 2011 models. It has enough top tethers for you. LATCH isn't that much of an issue, since it has a 40 pound LATCH limit (as do the Frontiers, unless the car says higher), so you'll need to switch to the seatbelt and top tether soon anyway.

Did you or your husband try the long belt path on the Frontiers?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uuovrWhQp0"]Britax Frontier: Installation Using Vehicle Lap/Shoulder Belt; Long Path - YouTube[/ame]

Wendy

:yeahthatlove:
The 2011 & 2012 Odysseys have a top tether for all 6 rear seating positions.

If you are looking at used, you will have enough with Honda also. Top tethers for all seating locations expect for the "plus one" seat. At least that was the case with my 2007. I believe it would also be the case for 2006-2010.

Happy car shopping!