Question Scion xB good for car seats?

Hi All!

A little background first: DH is finally on the hunt for a new vehicle to replace the 97 Accord. It's been a good car but the repair bills lately are proving to extensive. We currently have a FF MA70 installed in the center. It's a great install with that locking lap belt and top tethered. I had no complaints about it fitting the MA70 RFing either. (as long as it was center positioned). The largest issue we had was roof height and the size of the door openings. We ended up folding DS in half trying to get him in there and would bonk his head on the pillar every time (before he could climb in himself).

Having said that DH is now on the look out for something TALL and WIDE but good on fuel economy since he drives 1 hr 15 min every morning to work. He started looking at the Scion xB since it seems to fit the bill and is a lot cheaper than a Subaru wagon (my choice). He told me to check on CSO this morning on how it works for car seats!!!
So my question is...How do you like your xB for installing car seats?
More importantly, how is the front to back room? Most likely we'll be having another squishie in the next year and will need to fit an infant seat behind the passenger and then of course a RF'ing convertible afterwards. Height is going to be the key with that because DS outgrew his MA70 RF'ing at 2.5 and I would like to RF the next one longer in a different seat perhaps (apparently we make tall kiddos).

any insight would be SO appreciated!! TIA!

I loved my 2006 xB the only car seats I had trouble with where RF radians, the angle adjuster finally came out a few weeks after I sold it. The leg and head room is great. I miss it every time I put gas in the van.

I wouldn't plan on transporting 3 children in it at once, so if you have a second and want to bring along a friend too you'll likely be out of luck. What about the Mazda5?

It is possible but not terribly comfortable to have 2 seats and an adult in the back of an xB.

Brianna said:

I wouldn't plan on transporting 3 children in it at once, so if you have a second and want to bring along a friend too you'll likely be out of luck. What about the Mazda5?

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I hear you...I don't plan on doing 3 across but it's a possibility DH will have the seats installed and want to bring a couple work people to lunch. hmmm

I seriously want to love the Mazda5 and try it out but every time I bring it up to DH he says it looks like a dust buster. (don't know why he thinks the Scion is any better looking; I think it's a shoe box :duck: )

agave said:

I loved my 2006 xB the only car seats I had trouble with where RF radians, the angle adjuster finally came out a few weeks after I sold it. The leg and head room is great. I miss it every time I put gas in the van.

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See that's the thing...I'm considering investing a Radian for the next one and that scares me! I'd love to see one installed with an angle adjuster behind the passenger if anyone can indulge me!

I also agree about the gas thing...I could NEVER do an SUV for that reason.

I think a Radian would be fine with an angle adjuster it was almost comfortable with one behind the passenger. If you only have one seat outboard you'd have plenty of room for an adult in the back.

thanks Agave! I could certainly play around with where seats could go but at the very least there would be a FF MA70 and a infant bucket. You think they could fit side by side and leave an outboard position open?
I just am not familiar with how wide the seat bench is...

I have a 2010 scion xb and I ban get a radian rfing with an angle adjuster. It only works in the middle and if your husbands over 5'11" it won't work. My husband is a bit squished. I wouldn't recommend it. It can only fit about one single stroller with hardly any room for anything else. The only way my single bob fits is to have the tires off and that's the only thing I can have in the cargo space.

I've heard the newer ones have less leg room but, I thought they had more cargo space. I never could get a Radian RF or FF in The center of mine but I didn't have the angle adjuster. When I squeezed an adult in the back with both kids I had a RF radian and RF Roundabout 50 with the Roundabout in the center. It was really cramped. I have pictures, unfortunately I didn't get any with the adult squeezed back there.

If he really wants one I'd take seats to the test drive. If it's mostly a commuter and not the main kid hauler would you need to have both seats installed all the time?

we have both an 06 an 11 scion xb.

the 06 has less width for installing car seats in the back seat but lots of front to back room. i've never put a radian in either car but we have put plenty of others like the MA, graco size 4 me, graco snugride 35....
you can do 3 across installations with the right seats as well as have an adult and two seats in the back. its not the best but it can be done.

my husband is 6'5" and we could still put the snugride behind the driver in both cars as him being the driver.

the 11 has a wider back seat. with narrow car seats a 3 across is a breeze and allows for an adult so ride in the back as well. we currently have a kiddy cruiser fix pro for my 6yo and a combi coccoro for my 1yo. that set up allows for a rider in the back.

theres only slightly less room front to back in the 11 than the 06 but its maybe 1" of space. the 11 is mine and i love it a lot more than my husbands 06. having cargo space in the back is nice too

i find the scions to be very comfortable to ride in and they are built well.
you wouldnt think there would be so much space in a car that small, granted the 11 is bigger than the old body years.

you ladies have been uber helpful! thank you!

With our current plan, the car would need both seats in it just because he drops off to daycare in the am and I pick up. Plus I'm not the type to take seats out and move them...once they are installed they don't move .

I am thinking we will definitely bring a couple seats to the test drive when we get to that point. Still in research stage. We also have a BOB revolution so that sounds kind of tight if that's all that can fit in the back! YIPES!

Maybe I can talk him into the new 2014 Forrester after all...