Saturn Outlook and car seat picture thread

bugs_mama

New member
It wasn't easy... but after playing with my seats for awhile I got a great install 3 across the 2nd row.

No photos yet... I will try and take some but this what we ended up liking...

Graco Nautilus Set up for Harness Latch Outboard Passenger (for my 5yr, 38lb, 16in torso DS)
MA FFing Center Belt (for my 3yr, 33lb, 15in torso DD)
MA RFing Belt... haven't figure out top tether yet since DH and I are constantly moving the seat back and forth (17mo, 22lb DD)


It is a really tight fit and the two outboard seats just clear the cup holder jug outs on the door by about 1/4-1/2 inch. But all and all I am quite happy to have all 3 in the second row and not have to climb into the back to buckle anyone (so sick of that in our old minivan).

I had wanted the GN in the center but since there are cup holders built into the seat back (that can flip down if you aren't using it as a seat) it was hard to get the GN to squish into the back far enough so it was making the front of the base over hang the seat by about 1/4-1/2 inch.

Michelle
 
ADS

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The seat rail works great for a tether point for the rf'ing seat - there's the location shown in one of the above posts - that one is on the passenger side, but there is a similar one on the driver side. Depending on how much you move the seat forward and back it shouldn't affect the recline of the seat very much.

*Tip - if you extend or shorten the steering wheel it can reduce how much you need to change the seat position. ;)
 

bugs_mama

New member
Lets see if this works... haven't posted a photo before.
Here is my 3 across set up.
GN Harness with Latch, MA FFing with Belt, MA RFing with Belt

I still haven't had a chance to figure out the RFing tether, maybe this afternoon I will have a chance to play with it.

100_0348.jpg
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Looks great! I'm anxiously awaiting for the nautilus to show up in Canada and plan to get one when it does, looks like it installs really nicely in there. :thumbsup:

Here's the pic of where my d-ring is on the passenger side. The inside seat rail for the driver side will work the same way. :thumbsup:

outlookdeliverypictures008.jpg


I took some more pictures last night to show the EFTA knobs and the center seating position how the plastic is that interferes with using the radian rf'ing. I'm not sure how soon I'll get a chance to upload and post them though. ;)
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I'm going to add this picture onto the thread here to show why the radian is incompatible rf'ing in the middle position, as well as what I'm referring to when I say that the center position has a narrow spacing between the belt and the buckle:

2296265227_701dd22ed0.jpg


Between the narrow spacing & metal buckle stalk, and then the plastic that protrudes on the right hand side beside the anchorage point for the buckle, there's no way for the boot to sit straight against the vehicle seat back.

Here's also a picture of the belt buckled. The MA & SS1 install easily there & the Radian ff'ing is fine as well with a little effort. I haven't had the EFTA in the middle yet though, but expect it's belt path is high enough that it should be fine. I'll post back with more info when I get around to trying it. :thumbsup:

2296265451_db1e64e7d4.jpg


eta: Just for fun, this is the space between the 2 seats as they are in my truck right now - rf'ing EFTA on the left of the picture, ff'ing MA on the right of the picture. I think radian would be no problem. I would be able to install the MA a bit closer to the door and did briefly have the SS1 in that position with a ton of difficulty, but given the width of the MA and EFTA, this gives a pretty good idea of what back seat space you're working with. :thumbsup:

2297061052_b56bb5149e.jpg
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
Trudy,

Do you think a booster like the Parkway would fit in the middle?

I so can't wait for the end of the year to get here so I can get mine. I am really thinking I am going to go with a 2nd row bench this time over caption chairs like I currently have in my Tahoe.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Trudy,

Do you think a booster like the Parkway would fit in the middle?

I so can't wait for the end of the year to get here so I can get mine. I am really thinking I am going to go with a 2nd row bench this time over caption chairs like I currently have in my Tahoe.

Dh has the truck at work right now but I can measure the distance if you'd like when he gets home. The MA does fit in the middle because the belt comes over to the side easy enough, and the narrow spacing of the seatbelt & stalk might actually make the seatbelt fit better on a smaller child...

Considering that both the MA and EFTA are wide seats and have space to reach in and access the buckle, it very well might be possible provided there's enough physical space to get the parkway in.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Jen, I don't know exactly what the parkway is like, but I forgot my tape measure in the house this evening and in the absence of that used a frozen pizza box to get the width. :eek:

The box is 12" wide, and is 12 or 13" high. It sat flat between the buckle and outer lip of the MA but it was snug in there. So the distance between the middle buckle stalk and the outer lip of a MA at it's outermost point within the first 12 or 13" up, is 12".

Does that help? I imagine if the parkway came forward a little, then provided that your dd was adept at buckling herself, she'd be able to reach slightly behind it if need be, because there is plenty of space to access that buckle. I do have room to move the MA over by probably 1.5" as well if I tried.. it would result in probably a slight tilt though due to the seat contouring, but definitely would still have a tight and acceptable install.

(And boy did dh laugh at me when I told him I had to measure the pizza box because of what I'd used it for. :ROTFLMAO: )
 

Shanora

Well-known member
Hmmm.....This sounds like a very interesting Truck....I may have to look into it....since we have a minivan and I *hate* it....lol

And Trudy, I've decided that when we move to Edmonton this summer...I SOO want to come and play "car seats" with you.....lol
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Hmmm.....This sounds like a very interesting Truck....I may have to look into it....since we have a minivan and I *hate* it....lol

And Trudy, I've decided that when we move to Edmonton this summer...I SOO want to come and play "car seats" with you.....lol

LOL, sounds like fun. I'm always game for playing with carseats - unless it's -30 out. ;)
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Here's some new pic's from tonight - I took a picture of the EFTA installed ff'ing outboard w/seatbelt, and installed rf'ing in center w/seatbelt.

The EFTA actually installs better rf'ing in the middle of the 2nd row than the MA does. I'm sure I can get the MA in using a pool noodle to help with the recline, but it wasn't just a straight forward buckle and tighten install and I didn't have time to mess with seeing if I could make it work.

I also installed the radian ff'ing center w/seatbelt and took a pic of it.

3 across with the MA and Triumph and radian would be very very tricky if near impossible. Infant seat in between the MA and Triumph would work fine though, because the infant seat base wouldn't block tightening the seatbelt on the outboard MA - and that was the problem I ran into when I tried to install the MA.

Anyways, without further ado, here are the pic's from tonight. If you have any questions, or want more, I may have some depending on what you're looking for, so just ask. :thumbsup:

Radian
2311491685_b7a5ddc63e_d.jpg


Close-up of buckle & beltpath:
2311492171_8989d82766.jpg


EFTA ff'ing, full upright mode, seatbelt, drivers outboard - top tether *just* reaches with room to tighten about 2" of slack.
2312304640_096e23c02e.jpg


EFTA rf'ing in center - locking clip would be needed if this was going to be a long term install. I had some slight tipping just from the initial install. It was rock solid with little effort though - I used one section of pool noodle for recline:

2312305774_f6fe7fce2c.jpg

2311495565_7ed98151a5.jpg


As you can see, it takes up a lot of room in the center position. You could fit pretty much any seat on the 40 split, but fitting anything next to the EFTA on the 60 portion would be difficult to do.

Plenty of space to place the locking clip with both rf'ing and ff'ing installs, view of belt/buckle when rf'ing:
2311495253_75ef3f40cb.jpg


Disclaimers: The EFTA installs were rock solid in all the scenerios I tried and I'd say it's compatible in all 3 locations of the 2nd row both with seatbelt and LATCH, although I didn't try ff'ing LATCH because I didn't feel like re-routing the anchors. :eek: Typically LATCH is easier though, so I'd expect if I can get an easy seatbelt install, the ff'ing LATCH would be relatively easy.

The radian was rock solid side to side and had maybe 1/8" front to back movement. I didn't top tether it for the purpose of my quick install to take pictures.

I don't normally have loose carseats in my truck. I just placed the ones I wasn't using out of the way, but they show in some of the pictures. ;)

If I was leaving the EFTA in the middle rf'ing, I would trim the pool noodle a little shorter. I prefer to have the noodle closer to the seat bite, although it might not be possible in this particular seating location.
 

capeKO71

New member
Great picks! How did you get such a rock solid intall with that dang radian in the center???? I have SUCH a hard time with my radian and this car... I can get any other seat rock solid... but NOT the radian... even with latch I have trouble... weird.

Anyhow - just so folks get an idea of width... I've had my Regent, Marathon & Boulevard all in the second row... three in a row...

Oh - the only other spot I can't get a carseat is REgent long belt path third row... the seatbelt is too short! :)
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Great picks! How did you get such a rock solid intall with that dang radian in the center???? I have SUCH a hard time with my radian and this car... I can get any other seat rock solid... but NOT the radian... even with latch I have trouble... weird.

Anyhow - just so folks get an idea of width... I've had my Regent, Marathon & Boulevard all in the second row... three in a row...

Oh - the only other spot I can't get a carseat is REgent long belt path third row... the seatbelt is too short! :)

Thanks. :) The Radian is difficult, and the first few times I fought with it a long time. One of the other techs on the board, (we took our course together,) got it in really good the first time using the standard radian tricks, but I've kind of customized them for the outlook. LOL. It really does get easier over time though. It takes me less than 5mins now assuming nothing funky happens.

I do find that putting the front foot down doesn't help with the outlook when installing the radian though. And the trick seems to be pulling on the lap part of the belt so that the slack is over by the latchplate before you tighten it. (Center seatbelt, make sure the seatbelt is coming from behind the seat and not right on the edge of the shell, otherwise it slips behind as soon as you check for front to back movement.)

The 2nd row is nice and wide, pretty much if you can puzzle 2 seats on the 60 portion, you can put whatever other seat your heart desires on the 40 portion. :)
 

Ice Princess

New member
I am really wanting this now over the ford expedition. with gas prices going up i know this would be the better choice. I should have no problem with a radian rf, ma rf and a chicco keyfit 30 should I?
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I am really wanting this now over the ford expedition. with gas prices going up i know this would be the better choice. I should have no problem with a radian rf, ma rf and a chicco keyfit 30 should I?

That should be easy, from what I know the keyfit is pretty narrow.

I'd do radian driver outboard - oldest rf'ing child, MA passenger outboard and keyfit center. (MA passenger side because it's the widest seat so would give you the most options to have it on the 40 split. The Radian for the oldest because it installs really quite upright in the outlook when rf'ing, so should still give a driver plenty of room - and the radian doesn't work rf'ing in the middle.)

I'd think that would be a pretty easy combo to fit actually. :thumbsup:
 
S

soflol99

Guest
Thanks everyone - there is so much great information here. I'm looking for help on choosing a convertible car seat...

I have an Outlook and currently have two kids - age 2 (FF Britax Decathlon) and age 9 months (RF Graco Snugride with base). I need to purchase a convertible car seat for my youngest and would like to get another Britax (I have no preference for model but was considering the new Diplomat). But before I purchase I want to make sure I can fit three children in my 2nd row. (Hopefully, next year I will have my third child who would be in the RF Snugride w/ base.) Also, what's the recommendation on the positions for each seat?

My current setup is FF Decathlon driver outboard and RF Snugride passenger outboard. I tried to put RF Snugride in center but it always seemed to lean towards passenger side.

Thanks for your help.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Thanks everyone - there is so much great information here. I'm looking for help on choosing a convertible car seat...

I have an Outlook and currently have two kids - age 2 (FF Britax Decathlon) and age 9 months (RF Graco Snugride with base). I need to purchase a convertible car seat for my youngest and would like to get another Britax (I have no preference for model but was considering the new Diplomat). But before I purchase I want to make sure I can fit three children in my 2nd row. (Hopefully, next year I will have my third child who would be in the RF Snugride w/ base.) Also, what's the recommendation on the positions for each seat?

My current setup is FF Decathlon driver outboard and RF Snugride passenger outboard. I tried to put RF Snugride in center but it always seemed to lean towards passenger side.

Thanks for your help.

Keeping in mind that you're wanting to fit 3 across at some point, I'd consider looking at a different seat for your oldest and moving baby into the seat your oldest is using. I'd say either a graco nautilus, britax frontier (when it shows up depending on if it's all it's supposed to be or not,) or radian. My reason for suggesting considering a seat that's not a convertible is because your oldest is ff'ing already, so that opens up some possibilities that you could buy a seat for him that ff and then converted to a booster. You can have 1 seat of pretty much any size on the 40 portion, so it's mostly a matter of puzzling on the 60 portion of the seat. I've had a radian and SS1 next to each other, the SR is a bit narrower than the SS1, so I know that would work as well. I'm not sure about width of some of the other seats or how they'd puzzle though since the nautilus isn't available in Canada yet and the frontier hasn't been released yet. ;)

But basically, if you can puzzle it on the 60 portion, you can put whatever other seat you want on the 40 portion since it's pretty much self contained - even my EFTA doesn't go over the edge of the 40 portion. :thumbsup:
 

capeKO71

New member
Sort of OT... but Here are some pics from the back... just in case some of you carseat crazy people also have lots of strollers... and this is NOT how I drive around.. it's purely to show you bulk of what can fit back there! I know that's always a concern for people buying an SUV over a minivan.

I'll take photos later... but I do 3 across all the time. Today it was Recaro Como, Britax Boulevard then Compass True Fit.... :) all very LARGE seats... solid installs... installed outboard two first, then squeezed the britax in between and did seatbelt install.

;)

DSC_0004-1-1.jpg


DSC_0002-5.jpg
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Thanks for sharing. :)

There is plenty of cargo room. We went tenting last summer for 5 days with both kids and fit everything in. Granted it was tight getting it in, but the cargo space in the back is really generous.

(I know you said you don't travel like that, but jic you sometimes have that 60 portion of the 3rd row down and didn't happen to be aware of it, the seatbelt is supposed to be disconnected from the mini buckle stalk and stored in the ceiling when the 3rd row is down. :thumbsup: )
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top