choosing midsize sedan or a compact SUV - posted by Tracie

U

Unregistered

Guest
Hello,
We are in the market for a new vehicle. We are looking at either a midsize sedan or a compact SUV. We have one child in a rear facing Graco MySize70 and want to have her in the middle of the backseat. Is there any kind of list that would identify which vehicles fit this description?
And we don't mind if the middle seat doesn't provide LATCH, we just want the seat to be able to be installed there safely.
Thank you!
 
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jess71903

Ambassador
Hi and welcome to car-seat.org! There are lots of vehicles that would fit your description, but I don't know of a good compatibility list. Will you be adding more children to the mix any time soon?

I do know that many of the smaller SUVs don't have as much back seat space as you would think. I believe the Honda CRV even prohibits using a car seat in the center position.
 

cantabdad

New member
The CR-V (at least the current model) has no prohibition on using the center rear seat for a carseat. It even has LATCH in that position.

Most vehicles in these classes will not present any particular issues for a single rear facing carseat in the center. (One exception might be the Mazda CX-5 where folks are reporting that the middle seat is too narrow.) However, the amount of room left over for the adults in the front will vary.

My favorites in these 2 categories that are also Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety would be Subaru Forester, Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, and Ford Fusion... And there are other good choices. The Prius is also a good midsize car though a hatchback rather than a sedan.
 

DawgDad

New member
My favorites in these 2 categories that are also Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety would be Subaru Forester, Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, and Ford Fusion... And there are other good choices. The Prius is also a good midsize car though a hatchback rather than a sedan.

I have all the same recommendations here except the Prius. It's just too...underpowered. :)
 

jess71903

Ambassador
I found the reference to the "no 3 across" I was looking for on the car-seat.org facebook page. It was in reference to a Rav4, not a CRV. I apologize for my misinformation. I'm still not sure why it's a problem, aside from sheer space, but the way the response was worded led me to believe it was disallowed by the manual.

ETA: This is the only mention of it I can find in the online manual http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM42A04U/pdf/sec_01-01.pdf:
●When using the left side seat for the
child restraint system, do not sit in the
center seat. Seat belt function may be
impaired, such as being positioned
overly high or loose-fitting, which may
result in death or serious injury in the
event of sudden braking or an accident.
 

Violet's Mom

New member
Any other factors you are looking for? In those categories, there is a wide variety of cargo space, features, backseat room, etc. Is there a particular price range?
 

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