New car shopping (volvo xc60?) tall husband, & front facing car seat

Hi all--

I am looking for a small/mid-size SUV. We really like the Volvo xc60 but am concerned about the potential to put an older child (2+) behind the driver seat with a tall driver (my husband is 6'5). Our child is only a few months now and comfortably fits behind the passenger seat in his infant car seat (but not behind the driver's seat when my husband drives.)

Does a front facing seat take up less room than a rear facing infant car seat (graco keyfit 30), so when we have a second child in a few years we can move our current infant behind the driver and keep the rear facing seat behind the passenger? Or should we give up and look for a car with more middle row room? This will primarily be my car (and I'm 5'8), but my husband will be driving it occasionally.

Anyone with the Volvo XC60? Or another mid-size suv with a tall driver and multiple kids?

Thank you!!!

Piecch02 said:

Hi all--

I am looking for a small/mid-size SUV. We really like the Volvo xc60 but am concerned about the potential to put an older child (2+) behind the driver seat with a tall driver (my husband is 6'5). Our child is only a few months now and comfortably fits behind the passenger seat in his infant car seat (but not behind the driver's seat when my husband drives.)

Does a front facing seat take up less room than a rear facing infant car seat (graco keyfit 30), so when we have a second child in a few years we can move our current infant behind the driver and keep the rear facing seat behind the passenger? Or should we give up and look for a car with more middle row room? This will primarily be my car (and I'm 5'8), but my husband will be driving it occasionally.

Anyone with the Volvo XC60? Or another mid-size suv with a tall driver and multiple kids?

Thank you!!!

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Hi there! My husband is 6'3", and we have a Volvo XC60. We have a similar situation, where the XC60 is primarily my car and driven occasionally by my husband, so I figured I'd share my experiences.

We've been able to fit a forward-facing child behind the driver's seat. We used to have a Volvo S80 that had similar interior room, and we were even able to rear-face a convertible behind him (because a rear-facing convertible takes up less room than an infant seat). You would also likely be able to puzzle seats so that you are just using the middle seat and the passenger seat for 2 kids (using narrow seats like the Diono Radians and seats up on bases like Britax convertibles or the Graco My Ride, for instance).

A tip to gain more backseat room with any car is that the front seats should be as upright as possible. It's my understanding that it is safer for the driver and passenger, and gives more room in the back. I know that some people, especially taller people, are used to driving with the seat reclined, so I just wanted to mention that as a possibility for more room.

I'm a huge Volvo fan. I love the way our XC60 drives. I also love the safety ratings on the Volvos, and I'm so impressed that their manuals recommend rear-facing kids until 4 years old. So, I'll admit that I'm totally biased toward recommending Volvos, but I do think there's a good chance that an XC60 could work if you like it.

I think it will be mostly dependent on just how much of his height your husband carries in his legs. A forward-facing seat will definitely install behind the driver (I have a combination carseat called the Britax Frontier 85 that's a big carseat and it fits very nicely in that spot); if your husband has super long legs, you may find that it leaves little leg room for a kiddo in a carseat or booster, but then that would likely be an issue for most vehicles.

My mom has an XC60 and, though she's definitely not as tall as your husband, she fit my niece's FF Britax (Marathon I think?) behind her with ease. I rode back there with my niece & another adult and we all fit comfortably across, as well.
I own an XC90 myself, and totally have the Volvo love like PP. I will say that my car is MUCH roomier than my mom's. My husband can drive with a Keyfit 30 behind him, and he likes the seat back far. The XC90 is a bigger vehicle, but I would check it out if you think you'll need the space. It's honestly the only car I ever want to own!

I'm a huge Volvo fan. I love the way our XC60 drives. I also love the safety ratings on the Volvos, and I'm so impressed that their manuals recommend rear-facing kids until 4 years old. So, I'll admit that I'm totally biased toward recommending Volvos, but I do think there's a good chance that an XC60 could work if you like it.

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Oh, and this! Even my 2007 manual has that recommendation! Makes me love my car even more.