3 kids, LATCH, SUV or sedan?

Hi all, and thanks in advance for your advice.

We have 3 little kids, a 5 year old who is booster training in a Recaro ProSport with a Diono RXT spare seat, and 2 2.5 yos riding in Recaro ProRides or Clek Foonfs, in our Honda Odyssey.

We recently moved to central Illinois, and need a 2nd car. I like the idea of having something with AWD, as I work at a hospital and it's conceivable, although unlikely to happen often, that I would need to get to work when the roads aren't snow/ice free. I'd prefer not to buy a 2nd minivan, because 2 minivans seems over the top. My husband and I like to buy a car and drive it til it dies (10+ years) so we usually buy new.

I'm considering a Toyota Highlander (love the IIHS rating, but concerned that there are only 2 LATCH seats, and what about when all 3 are in boosters?) or the Honda Pilot (love the 4 LATCH seats, not sure about the IIHS small overlap test.) The other option would be a small car with AWD, like an Impreza - advantage would be $$, disadvantage would be that I worry the kids would outgrow it, and that we would only be able to LATCH in 2 of the 3 booster seats.

Any thoughts on trading the LATCH-ability of all 3 boosters for the IIHS higher rating (i.e. Pilot v. Highlander) or how long you were able to keep 3 kids in a sedan? Obviously, having 2 big cars will make carpooling, etc. easier when they get older... How often do other central IL folks need/ wish they had AWD? Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

Since your older child will likely be in a booster soon, they won't need a LATCH position at all. LATCH is strictly a convenience and ease-of-use feature, so you might be fine with just two LATCH positions. If you will be using a combination booster seat with the 5-point harness, you also won't need LATCH, as most will now require the use of seatbelt for installation for older, heavier kids. Some models like the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Frontier-Booster-Seat-Onyx/dp/B00BEVF1W6"]Amazon.com : Britax Frontier 90 Booster Car Seat, Onyx : Child Safety Booster Car Seats : Baby[/ame] have simple seatbelt installation systems, making LATCH obsolete for forward facing kids.

So, I think the 2014 Highlander would probably work for you, even the 7-passenger trim that has one less top tether anchor: http://carseatblog.com/27471/2014-2015-toyota-highlander-hybrid-review-kids-carseats-safety/

If you like the versatility of the extra LATCH hardware in the Pilot, there's also the Acura MDX that gets a Good small overlap crash test rating.

How about a large car with 3 sets of LATCH and AWD? The Chrysler 300 has that and good crash testing results, too.

I think a smaller car like an Impreza will be difficult for you to fit your desired carseats 3-across, with or without LATCH. It can be done in some compact vehicles with narrow carseats like Foonf and Radian you mention, but may not be easy. If you are going this route, definitely step up to the Legacy and get a bit more room. It's not much more expensive than the Impreza. Then you can also add the optional EyeSight package for the best active safety system in the market! The Legacy 2.5i Premium with Eyesight is a bargain for safety, if you can make do with a midsize second vehicle that doesn't have a third row of seating of course. We did fine with a minivan and a Prius with 3 kids. It was always cramped with all of us in the Prius, so I think the Legacy would be fine as long as you have the minivan for longer trips.

Just a comment on the need for AWD...where we live the roads are pretty much snow covered/icy from late Dec-March. The only time AWD makes a huge difference is when driving in deep snow. Icy roads are icy whether you have AWD or not. A good set of snow tires would most likely be as good of an investment.

CPSDarren said:

Since your older child will likely be in a booster soon, they won't need a LATCH position at all. LATCH is strictly a convenience and ease-of-use feature, so you might be fine with just two LATCH positions. If you will be using a combination booster seat with the 5-point harness, you also won't need LATCH, as most will now require the use of seatbelt for installation for older, heavier kids. Some models like the Amazon.com : Britax Frontier 90 Booster Car Seat, Onyx : Child Safety Booster Car Seats : Baby have simple seatbelt installation systems, making LATCH obsolete for forward facing kids.

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I thought the advantage of LATCH with booster seats was that we could have the booster LATCHed in so it can't be a projectile if a kid doesn't re-buckle in the booster when they get out of the car, and that the booster was more stable if LATCHed in a side impact collision? Thanks!

mom2bnjl said:

I thought the advantage of LATCH with booster seats was that we could have the booster LATCHed in so it can't be a projectile if a kid doesn't re-buckle in the booster when they get out of the car, and that the booster was more stable if LATCHed in a side impact collision? Thanks!

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That is a convenience of a booster with LATCH, though you could always simply buckle the booster in when unoccupied, or at least have the kids leave it so that the seatbelt is hooked around one arm of the booster when they get out. Also, some combination boosters will allow a top tether to be used in booster mode, accomplishing some of the same function if lower anchors are not available.

There isn't much data about LATCH boosters and side impacts. I know of an older study about boosters with rigid LATCH in Europe and some anecdotal comments, but that's about it.

I'm a fan of LATCH with boosters, but it's definitely not essential. My kids often rode in the third row of our SUV in boosters without LATCH.

mom2bnjl said:

Hi all, and thanks in advance for your advice.

We have 3 little kids, a 5 year old who is booster training in a Recaro ProSport with a Diono RXT spare seat, and 2 2.5 yos riding in Recaro ProRides or Clek Foonfs, in our Honda Odyssey.

We recently moved to central Illinois, and need a 2nd car. I like the idea of having something with AWD, as I work at a hospital and it's conceivable, although unlikely to happen often, that I would need to get to work when the roads aren't snow/ice free. I'd prefer not to buy a 2nd minivan, because 2 minivans seems over the top. My husband and I like to buy a car and drive it til it dies (10+ years) so we usually buy new.

I'm considering a Toyota Highlander (love the IIHS rating, but concerned that there are only 2 LATCH seats, and what about when all 3 are in boosters?) or the Honda Pilot (love the 4 LATCH seats, not sure about the IIHS small overlap test.) The other option would be a small car with AWD, like an Impreza - advantage would be $$, disadvantage would be that I worry the kids would outgrow it, and that we would only be able to LATCH in 2 of the 3 booster seats.

Any thoughts on trading the LATCH-ability of all 3 boosters for the IIHS higher rating (i.e. Pilot v. Highlander) or how long you were able to keep 3 kids in a sedan? Obviously, having 2 big cars will make carpooling, etc. easier when they get older... How often do other central IL folks need/ wish they had AWD? Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have a 2014 Highlander and love it. We went with the 8 passenger model. I have my 4 year old in a TFP in the second row, my 11 year old in an incognito in the 2nd row and my 8 year old in a harmony lite rider in the 3rd row. The biggest downside of the car is you can't put 3 car seats/boosters across the second row because of the seat belt placement.

My husband has a 2009 legacy. We fit all 3 in there, two in literiders, 1 in a Blvd 70. We've had one in the blvd, one in a safety 1st go (discontinued) and 1 in a literider. 3 across is very doable, with the right combination. It's not our primary family car, but it's fine for fitting all 5 of us in when needed. It gets great gas mileage 28 or 29 combined, about 32-33 highway, and is AWD. The biggest downside is that the ground clearance isn't great for deep snow (not an issue here in Texas, but maybe in Illinois).