4WD or AWD Car or SUV

**aschrager** · 12-15-2014, 04:35 PM

I have 3 kids 4.75, 2.5 and 1. My lease is coming to an end and looking for a new car or SUV with 4WD/AWD. I need to be able to put in 3 car seats (or 2 and a booster). I am thinking CRV or Rav4 range. Any tips would be great!

Thanks

Adam

**Car-Seat.Org** · 12-15-2014 04:35 PM

**jjordan** · 12-15-2014, 07:02 PM

Welcome, Adam! I am not a car expert by any means, but I do know that the Rav4 will not accommodate 3 car seats at once due to the seatbelt design in the back seat.

Generally, Subarus are very popular for AWD. I'm not sure how the current models are for 3 car seats, but I'd look into it if I were you!

**aporthole** · 12-15-2014, 09:45 PM

My husband just got a 2015 Subaru Legacy. We will be doing 3 across the back once #3 is here is March. 3 across is totally do able with the right mix of seats. The Outback's back seat is the same as far as width as the Legacy. The Forester, Impreza, and CrossTrek are all slightly narrower width and I would rule them out for 3 across.

The Rav4 is completely incompatible for 3 across due to the massive overlap between the center and driver side seat belts. It is truly a 4 passenger vehicle with 5 seat belts.

The CR-V is absoultely do able for 3 across again with the right mix of seats.

**bubbaray** · 12-15-2014, 09:46 PM

It is impossible to put 3across in a RAV4

**aporthole** · 12-15-2014, 09:52 PM

As far as 3 across compatible car seats/boosters, I'd suggest keeping the 4 year old in a 5 point harness as long as you can. Buckling a booster in a tight 3 across is way bigger of a pain in the rear than buckling a kid in a 5 point harness where all the daily buckling and adjustments are made up front. The Harmony Defender ($95 from Walmart.com) is a great, super slim 5 point harness that later converts to a very good high back then backless booster.

Is the 2 year old rear or forward facing?
If forward facing, the Defender would also be a great slim choice. If rear facing, the Diono Radians or the Clek Foonf or Fllo are all very slim options (good for 1 year old or rear facing 2 year old).

There are also quite a few other options in a variety of price ranges that could potentially work depending on the particular vehicle you end up with and the specifics of the kids.

**DawgDad** · 12-16-2014, 01:08 PM

I was VERY impressed with the new 2015 CRVs...you can fit 3 across and they come in AWD if you need it. Subaru is also a favorite among parents of multiples. Their new iSight is an impressive safety feature. At the very least, those two will offer you a few more options on what can fit in your car with 3 across the back as they are a little wider than their competitors in that class.

**ceridwen** · 12-16-2014, 07:27 PM

Older Subarus have a bad rep for fitting car seats but a 2010 or newer Outback or Legacy will work quite well for many 3 across combos (I've done RF Graco 4ever, Chicco KeyFit, FF Diono Radian RXT in mine). They also have a lot of front to back space. We can fit a 6'+ passenger comfortably in front of relatively compact RF seats in our 2011 Outback. In our pre-baby days we often transported 5 adults for 3+ hour each way day trips without any complaints about the space in the back seat, and with the baby we often have 2 adults in the back seat as well without problems.

The CRV is also a good option but we didn't find the interior quite as comfortable when we were selecting a vehicle and also felt that Subaru does a better job with AWD than Honda. I'm not sure how the newest CRVs stack up though.

**minimalistmama** · 12-17-2014, 01:47 PM

3-across in a Subaru Forester is not impossible but extremely difficult. I'm not sure how the width of the new ones compares -- you'd want to check, if you're considering this car, but we've done various 3-across combos in an '09 with Radians and Britaxes. My sister has a newer Outback, and does 3-across with less difficulty than we do.

Would you want to go as big as a Pilot? I'm guessing not, but it's not huge, and it is highly carseat compatible.

**oakster** · 12-20-2014, 06:37 PM

We did two seats (Marathon and Aton) + a comfortable adult in a 2009 Outback for a week recently and were able to do the same in a 2014 Impreza (which actually has more width in back than the old Outbacks, surprisingly!) The new Outbacks (2010+) are several inches wider so I imagine it's much easier in them, though. And our seats are pretty narrow as those things go.