New van AND new seats??

I currently drive a 2007 Toyota Sienna LE 8 passenger van. I have my 5.5 year old DD FF in a Radian RXT 2nd row drivers side. She is about 45 inches and 50 lbs. I have my 20 month old DS RF in a Britax Marathon Classic 2nd row center. He is about 25 lbs and 35 inches. My 13 year old then sits 2nd row on the passenger side. The Marathon is about to expire and we are getting a new van.

We are looking at probably getting a 2011 or newer Honda Odyssey, to make sure we get the wider center 2nd row seat area. I had a very difficult time with the Radian RXT in my Sienna. I did RF my DD until she was 4.5 year old and 45 lbs, but it took a lot of work, an angle adjuster, and checking and rechecking. I had to put her in the 2nd row center, as she could not rest against the front seats of the Sienna. My questions are these:

1) We won't be getting a new van until the end of March most likely. I currently have my DD using the LATCH with her Radian. Because of the new restrictions, do I need to change it and do a seatbelt install, since her and the seat are clearly over 65 lbs?

2) I just want to double check, but the Honda you can brace the Radian against the drivers seat, correct?

3) I'm pretty sure I want to get a Britax Pinnacle 90 for my DD. In looking at lots of videos and pics, it appears that the Pinnacle and Radian will fit ok next to each other if the Radian is RF? Thoughts?

4) I had SUCH a hard time with that angle adjuster in the Sienna. The angle adjuster looks like a pancake now after a year of using it. Does the Radian fit RF better in the newer model Odyssey's? (please, or pretty please!). It would hopefully be RF 2nd row behind the driver or in the center.

5) And finally, if the Pinnacle is in the 2nd row center of the newer Odyssey's, will my 13 year old comfortably fit next to it behind the passenger? He is an average size kid....about 5'4 and 120 lbs.

Thanks so much. I'm totally open to other suggestions and ideas regarding what new seat to buy, or how to arrange them (and honestly even open to ideas about what van is best lol). Side impact is very important to me. My DD has some medical issues where her head and neck protection is vital. Also, I want to try to avoid putting either of the two seats in the very rear row if possible. I also have a 15 year old step-son who rides back there often, and I find it more convenient having the kids I need to strap in, in the 2nd row.

I traded in a 2008 8-pass sienna for my 2012 ody and I still miss how much better the sienna worked for us. There was another member who posted on the vehicle board who turned in an old 8-pass sienna and wasn't finding the ody to work as well. Is there anything wrong with your van? I would think long and hard about how seats will go, who will fit where, how the 3rd row will be accessed, before you make the switch. I did not think it through - we had a leak in the cargo area no one seemed to be able to solve and I was fed up and wanted to be done with the old and have a new dry van. But seating wise it just doesn't work as well for us. You may LOVE it for what it is, just be sure you clearly see the ways in which it is different.

The AAs do tend to become flat over time. I can use my radian in my van without it but I have more room for driver and the kid in the 3rd row if I use it. I have read the new siennas captain's chairs work very well without the AA fwiw.

I am not sure pinnacle in the center of the 2nd row would work well. I think it would be much too wide. I have read a frontier85 will go there but you will not be able to slide a captain's chair to access the back. A pinnacle would really encroach on the two captain's chairs. Not sure how a fr90 would go.

How the radian installs rf in the center seat is debatable. Some people seem happy with it, some do not. I am not happy with it and install it outboard if I use it.

Toyota defers to the car seat so you can use LATCH for your radians in the sienna.

Is there a reason you have to get a new van?

Thanks so much for your reply.

There is nothing wrong with my current van, if that's what you are asking....but we are getting a newer van. I love our van, but I hate the way it accelerates, which is why I thought of trying an Odyssey instead. It's done it since I first got it, and I've had the dealership check it several times and said it's normal.

Can I ask what specifically you don't like about the seating? We will only get the 8 passenger EX or higher trim. It seems from what I've read and see online, the ability to spread out the seats in the 2nd row into a "wide mode" seems perfect for carseat installs. What I've been reading about the seats in the 2011 and newer Sienna's are that they greatly reduced the size of the second row middle seat to the point where most carseats can't even be installed there. And, I could never install my Radian in my Sienna, because even with the AA, I could not get it installed without touching the back of the driver or passenger front seat (since the seats can't touch the back of the front row seats due to the airbag sensors) I'm 5'7, and the primary driver, and had to pull my seat up too close to the dash. Did they change that in the newer sienna? I couldn't find information on that.

I could always put the Pinnacle behind the driver or passenger if I needed to, and the Radian RF in the center. I prefer to have easy access to the rear since my 15 year old step-son rides with us sometimes too.

...and I guess another issue I would have is that if I did keep my van, I would be back to wrestling with the Radian RF in the second row center again....except this time with another carseat next to it to worry about!

I am a huge fan of the current odyssey... But the radian rfing in the 2nd row center is not a great install. You can get what seems like a good install by wedging it into place between the plastic hinges but I really isn't good. Other than that... I love the van. I have had three of them
Since 2010 when it was first released. I tried other options in between and they weren't merely as good... Including the current sienna. I have been so happy with my van since I got this one in June.

We have a frontier 90 outboard and a foonf outboard on the other side. We have a sureride in the 3rd row. Sometimes we add my friends Snugride 35 center in the 2nd row. I can try my frontier in the center is you want but having something so big and tall in the center would drive me nuts.

In a nutshell, I don't find that center seat of the new ody anywhere near as useful as the center seat of the old sienna. It is narrower with no cupping to it, and the latch anchors are sort of on the sides and recessed oddly. Then it has a ceiling mount seat belt. You CAN install a car seat on it but it is not as car seat friendly as the old sienna, or even as sitting on friendly as the old sienna, should you wish to remove an outboard seat.

Accessing the 3rd row is different in that the old sienna the seats tumbled and made a nice opening and then thunked back into place easily with little effort. The new ody , they slide forward and have to be put back by pulling on the back of the seats - my girls do it wrong 80% of the time so I generally don't let them do it, or I end up driving with a seat slamming around I can't reach.

The 3rd row is narrower by a good 3 inches and the trunk is smaller.

I just don't find that 2nd row to work as well as our old van since I haven't been happy with how many things go in that center seat. I would like to just take it out but then there is no arm rest for the outside passenger.

It is a really weird seat and the width should be perfect for the radian but the bight of the seat is in a weird place and there is no where for the little feet to go. It will seem to install well but as mentioned about it is held from moving side to side by two plastic bits. The rest of the seat slips and rotates very oddly because of this and I don't feel good about it. I am not a tech (although even the techs don't seem 100% sure one way or the other on this one) so I am not saying my opinion has any professional validity to it but I don't feel good about a radian in that spot.

I was drawn to the ody by the top tethers on all spots which is not going to matter for me in a few months any way (I have 3 in harnessed seats but won't once I move the girls to boosters) and didn't want toyota in part because Toyota was so unhelpful when dealing with the old van (we took it to corporate since it happened in warranty and then warranty ended) and in part because that small seat would not hold a car seat easily. But turns out since the ody 8th seat doesn't work as well as the old sienna seat, I think we'd have been better with that seat which could at least be removed and stored easily, leaving 2 fully functioning seats, and then had that tiny seat on hand if we needed it (the other reason I hate to remove my 8th seat is because sometimes I need it in a pinch)

But really I wish we had gotten a used one, even a 7 passenger.

Like I said you may love it - but it was a huge shock coming from an old 8 pass sienna. Be sure you understand all the workings before you switch. I know a lot of people love their ody but I went into it thinking it would work just like our old Sienna and it just doesn't.

But if you really do like it, if you're near Pittsburgh by chance and want to sell your old van...

The new ody does drive well and I love the back up camera (although not all trim levels will have that)

Oddly I don't find it accelerates as well as my old sienna - if I am merging on to a highway for example I didn't feel it comes up to speed as quickly.

eta - also be aware that the 3rd row windows do not open, and there are no speakers in the 3rd row if you don't buy the touring elite. We didn't realize these things until after we bought it and brought it home. The sound is great from the front and you don't realize there is no sound in the back. We installed speakers in the 3rd row but there's nothing to be done for the windows and it drive me bananas because my girls used to like having the windows open.

I agree with others that rf radian in the 8th seat is not good. It does install well in that spot ff with latch. Neither the pinnacle nor the frontier 90 would be my first choice for the 8th seat because the tether strap is set so wide that it will go right around the seat itself, thus defeating the purpose of the tether. The pinnacle does work outboard. The new gen britax convertibles also work well on the 8th seat.

Oh good point about the top tether, I hadn't thought about that.

Personally, I wouldn't get a Pinnacle to put in the center especially with a 3 across situation. I'd save a little space and just get the Frontier 90.

I can comment on a Radian in a new generation Sienna.

I have a 2012 Sienna and the radian is a perfect fit RF on the captains chairs. Because if the significant slope of the vehicle seat, the radian installs quite upright without the angle adjuster with plenty of room to move the front seat all the way back.

The 8th seat is really tiny and I have not found any car seats that install well there (except a few backless boosters).

YinzerMama said:

Then it has a ceiling mount seat belt

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I never realized that. I see the lap belt is built in though with the seat. When installing a carseat in this middle seat, would the shoulder belt be necessary?

The 2007 Sienna trunk/cargo is 149 cubic feet, and the 2012 Odyssey is 148 cubic feet. I wanted to check to make sure. I can live with that

Good points about how the seats move back and forth etc.

Syllieann - I won't need to FF the Radian again for another 2 years at least hopefully!

Genevieve - thank you for the input on the newer Sienna! I always got a good install on the Radian in my 07 Sienna, it just never stayed that way! My daughter was already 37 lbs when I got it, and since it could not be braced at all against the front seats, it would only take a few times of her getting in and out of it, and her weight to slowly slide it....even with an angle adjuster. I found myself re-adjusting it several times a week, which is no small chore!

And Yinzermama, I'm actually not far from Pittsburgh! About 2 hours. That is where I have to travel when I need an Ikea fix! Wanna trade?? :dance:

I think many of the valid issues that Yinzer points out may not be as critical an issue since you have some older kiddos. My big kids can access the 3rd row of our new Ody without any issue provided I give them an access point. They no longer care about windows opening back there, and they're attached to headphones and iproducts and don't want to hear mom's music anyway. We went from an '06 Sienna to a new Ody and have really been happy with it.

(That would be HILARIOUS if you guys traded vans.)

Giovanna816 said:

I never realized that. I see the lap belt is built in though with the seat. When installing a carseat in this middle seat, would the shoulder belt be necessary?

The 2007 Sienna trunk/cargo is 149 cubic feet, and the 2012 Odyssey is 148 cubic feet. I wanted to check to make sure. I can live with that

Good points about how the seats move back and forth etc.

Syllieann - I won't need to FF the Radian again for another 2 years at least hopefully!

Genevieve - thank you for the input on the newer Sienna! I always got a good install on the Radian in my 07 Sienna, it just never stayed that way! My daughter was already 37 lbs when I got it, and since it could not be braced at all against the front seats, it would only take a few times of her getting in and out of it, and her weight to slowly slide it....even with an angle adjuster. I found myself re-adjusting it several times a week, which is no small chore!

And Yinzermama, I'm actually not far from Pittsburgh! About 2 hours. That is where I have to travel when I need an Ikea fix! Wanna trade?? :dance:

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They look similar on paper but the sienna was much deeper. My bob stroller would lay flat and now it won't.

I'd consider trading. I go back and forth lol. I still cruise the certified toyota website looking for an 8 passenger sienna. Keep me in mind.

What color is it?

Giovanna816 said:

I never realized that. I see the lap belt is built in though with the seat. When installing a carseat in this middle seat, would the shoulder belt be necessary?

The 2007 Sienna trunk/cargo is 149 cubic feet, and the 2012 Odyssey is 148 cubic feet. I wanted to check to make sure. I can live with that

Good points about how the seats move back and forth etc.

Syllieann - I won't need to FF the Radian again for another 2 years at least hopefully!

Genevieve - thank you for the input on the newer Sienna! I always got a good install on the Radian in my 07 Sienna, it just never stayed that way! My daughter was already 37 lbs when I got it, and since it could not be braced at all against the front seats, it would only take a few times of her getting in and out of it, and her weight to slowly slide it....even with an angle adjuster. I found myself re-adjusting it several times a week, which is no small chore!

And Yinzermama, I'm actually not far from Pittsburgh! About 2 hours. That is where I have to travel when I need an Ikea fix! Wanna trade?? :dance:

Click to expand...

The center seats in the middle row and third row both have ceiling mount belts and the shoulder portion must be used. It would not be possible to buckle it in a lap belt only kind of way. The webbing all comes from the ceiling and the passenger side latch plate is actually on the webbing and then clicks into a receptor. It is almost like buckling the belt on both sides of the hips.

All of your responses have been so helpful!

Syllieann and YinzerMama - you guys mentioned the rear tether is wide on the back of the FR90 and Pinnacles. I think I know what you mean. I would be threading this under the headrest. Would the metal headrest bars keep it from falling off the sides of the seat?

If I put both outboard, the center seat is removable. Does it fold down into the floor like the older Odyssey's, or does it need to be completely removed? I know the older Odyssey's you could slide the two captain chairs together, but you can't on the newer one's, correct?

I'm sorry I have so many technical questions. I have so many factors in my brain that I'm getting overwhelmed! Is it hard for larger kids to get around seats and get to the third row through the center? I've always had them enter from the side, which is one reason I was trying to avoid a seat there.

I like the new headrests on the Odyssey for the 3rd row. I don't feel like my headrests go up high enough for my older boys in the back of our current Sienna. Because if I take out the center seat on the newer Odyssey, my 13 year old will have to ride in the 3rd row daily.

I'm so ultra paranoid about carseat safety with my 5 year old DD (due to medical issues) and really feel like the fr90 or Pinnacle would be the safest (and longest lasting) for her. Can anyone think of one that might work better?

Oh, and my van is that light green with gray interior.

Giovanna816 said:

All of your responses have been so helpful!

Syllieann and YinzerMama - you guys mentioned the rear tether is wide on the back of the FR90 and Pinnacles. I think I know what you mean. I would be threading this under the headrest. Would the metal headrest bars keep it from falling off the sides of the seat?

If I put both outboard, the center seat is removable. Does it fold down into the floor like the older Odyssey's, or does it need to be completely removed? I know the older Odyssey's you could slide the two captain chairs together, but you can't on the newer one's, correct?

I'm sorry I have so many technical questions. I have so many factors in my brain that I'm getting overwhelmed! Is it hard for larger kids to get around seats and get to the third row through the center? I've always had them enter from the side, which is one reason I was trying to avoid a seat there.

I like the new headrests on the Odyssey for the 3rd row. I don't feel like my headrests go up high enough for my older boys in the back of our current Sienna. Because if I take out the center seat on the newer Odyssey, my 13 year old will have to ride in the 3rd row daily.

I'm so ultra paranoid about carseat safety with my 5 year old DD (due to medical issues) and really feel like the fr90 or Pinnacle would be the safest (and longest lasting) for her. Can anyone think of one that might work better?

Oh, and my van is that light green with gray interior.

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I know the manual says to go under the headrest. This is a difficult question, I think. When I spoke to a safe kids director, she expressed frustration over the issue and lack of clarity between cr mfg and vehicle mfg. on the 8th seat, yes the bars would prevent it from going over the sides, but it would drastically alter the angle of the tether and I don't believe that was the intent behind the manual instructions and I would not install it that way.

In the captains chair, it can go around the headrest and then under the bar on the seat back without being impeded. Or, a ff radian works well in the 8th seat and allows captains chairs to slide. The 8th seat doesn't fold into the floor in the new ody or the previous generation. Both must be removed. They do, however, fold down into an armrest type position.

You are correct that the new ody does not allow the capt chair to slide over like the prev gen did. I have the prev gen and my mom has the new one. Both have a full set of car seats so I am mindful of the subtle differences. I actually sort of prefer the older version because it allows that captains chair to be moved over.

Also note that the captains chairs can be removed too so you could have a child on the plus one and then a large side walkway. That is actually my current setup.

The green was my second choice in van ... and had we gone with it we'd have never had the headache we had in my blue one. So I'm not saying for sure I want to go back, because I go back and forth, but keep me in mind.