3 across in a manual transmission?

mlowarren

New member
Hello all! I'm new here and hoping someone can help me decide on the perfect vehicle for our growing family!

My daughter is 16 months, and I am 15 weeks pregnant with twins! She will be 21 months when they arrive in April.

Right now I am driving a 6-speed Mazda 3, and I really love it, but we are obviously going to have to get something much larger before the twins get here.

My problem is that I'm really not open to driving an automatic transmission vehicle. I've always loved small, "fun" cars, and I'm even though I'm having to give up the small part, I'm not yet ready to give up the fun part!

Can anyone suggest a vehicle that comes in a manual transmission that will also fit 3 car seats across and have plenty of cargo room for grocery runs and family vacations? I would really prefer something that I don't have to climb up, since lifting 3 babies into a huge car would be a lot of work for me. (I'm only 5'4" and built small.)

Right now my daughter is in a Graco MyFit65, and the plan is for the twins to be in Graco Snugride 35's, BUT I am willing to get new car seats if necessary.

I would prefer not to venture into the world of 3rd row seating, but the most important things I'm looking for are plenty of room and the manual transmission. Any help would be very greatly appreciated! :)

~Melissa
 
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T4K

Well-known member
We have a Passat TDI manual. It's a tight fit but can work with the right seats. What about a used manual Mazda 6 (isn't that the quasi minivan?)?
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Mazda5 is the three-row "microvan", and yes, it comes in stick. Mazda6 is a midsize sedan.

I don't know your budget, so you may be looking at something newer and better, but we have a 2006 Saturn Vue with a stick shift and three sets of LATCH (and room for the three carseats). It's pretty roomy. We also have a 2009 Ford Fusion with a stick shift, and I think it would be difficult to get three-across.

Most Subaru models have options for sticks, so you might want to start looking there. The newer Subarus can usually get three-across; older ones are tricky.
 

amyd

New member
I drive a manual transmission Mazda 5. Mines a 5 speed but the newer ones are 6. It does have the third row and not a ton of cargo space but it's enough for 3 kids and groceries for me. We have a Thule for vacation.
 

aept

New member
I think Mazda 5s are cool but if you are wanting a double stroller (or bigger) you probably cannot fit it and three carseats.
Maybe (maybe!) you could fit a double stroller in the trunk of a Subaru Outback. This year is the last model year that they will be available in Manual transmission (this is what we were told earlier this year at a Subaru dealership.)
Actually my '03 Toyota Corolla (was a manual) had a surprisingly decent sized trunk for a small sedan and could do 3-across with the right seats (think Radians or skinnier.)

That said, I would seriously consider your cargo needs with three children under two and strollers and groceries, trips to warehouse stores, packing for road trips, etc.
I love driving stick and smaller cars too, but it's going to have to wait a few years (ok, like 10 more years) until I don't need my minivan anymore. Heck, we have a rooftop cargo carrier for our minivan, even!

Whatever you decide, Congratulations!
 

jwilliams

New member
Congratulations! My oldest daughter was 2.5y old when my twins (also girls) were born. And here I am, totally OK, two and a half years later!

The 2013 and newer Honda Accord is pretty roomy, back to front and width wise. It has a nice middle rear seat, instead of a half-useless hump, which is important (and somewhat rare for a sedan). It seems to be available in manual. Just another possibility :)
 

MamaChirpy

New member
I think the Saturn Vue is a good vehicle. Also anything like a GMC Acadia, Chevy Traverse, etc. would meet your needs. And though they have a third row, it folds flat into the floor. I think you are really going to want a third row when they get older.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ceridwen

New member
The Subaru Outback is still currently available in stick and will give you a good amount of car seat room and plenty of space for a double stroller. Don't go older than 2010 though, they changed the design to make the backseat MUCH larger at that point and prior to that year the Outback was notoriously difficult for car seats. I'm not sure about whether the seats you mention will work well for 3 across, but I've done 3 across with a Graco 4ever, Chicco KeyFit, and Diono Radian RXT in ours, only two of which are particularly narrow.

I encourage you to try out some automatic vehicles though. My husband and I were both coming from years of driving only manual transmission vehicles when we got our 2011 CVT Outback and were very uncertain about making the transition. We find the paddle shifters on the Outback give us the manual-like experience when we want it (mountains, passing) and its easier to deal with at other times (like traffic, I loathed stop and go traffic with my manuals) and actually gets better gas mileage than the manual version. I think the CVT actually made the transition easier for us, because we didn't find ourselves constantly annoyed at the transmission failing to shift where we thought it should as in a normal automatic.
 

HappyHoo

New member
You can fit 3 seats in a Mazda3 - esp if you're short and can still be comfortable with a rf seat behind you and operating the clutch (my DH and I are taller - so we never did put a rf seat behind the driver in my Mazda3 which is a 5 speed). You just need to have 3 narrow seats and install all of them with the seatbelt.

However the trunk could be an issue - although I am amazed at times how much I can get in mine and you don't have to worry about unsecured objects like you do in vehicles with an open trunk area.


I love my stick shift, but do agree if you happen to look at automatics, check out the ones with CVT. My DH's vehicle has that and I didn't realize how much it helped until I had to drive a vehicle for work that didn't have it and also was a smaller engine - I was really annoyed driving it and kept wanting to shift :p
 

mlowarren

New member
Thank you all so much for your replies!!! I will definitely look into all the great suggestions!

Yes, we did look at the Mazda5. I was so excited and sure that's what we would get until we looked at it. Like one user said, the cargo room is very limited. Definitely not enough room for a double stroller, much less luggage for vacations. My husband drives a Miata, so whatever new car we get will have to be the all purpose family car.

I do like the idea of a CVT transmission, and we will probably go that route if we can't find a manual that will work. Still holding on the the hope of finding the perfect manual though, so it's great to hear that some of you have!

Thanks again, everyone!!! :)
 

threeundertwo

New member
We were in your exact situation 4 years ago. We had a Mazda3 6 speed manual and loved it so much. Had twins and then another baby 16 months later. Wanted to stay with a manual transmission. Got a Mazda5 and struggled with the lack of cargo space even with the roof box. I couldn't take one more trip where I had to decide what we could fit in our car and what had to stay home or deciding what we could buy at Costco based on what fit in our car even without kids in it. We have had a 2011 Odyssey for 2 years now. I LOVE it! Yes, I miss the manual but love that we always fit in our van and can travel without hassle. My only regret was not buying the Odyssey instead of the Mazda5 right away.
 

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