Booster fit in Prius V, Subaru Impreza, or Mazda3?

oakster

New member
We are close to buying a new car and deciding between the Prius V and Subaru Impreza hatchback, with the Mazda3 possibly in contention. We have two kids, currently both RFing, and have tested out those seats, but we plan to own this car for the next 10+ years, which would see both kids though the booster years. I would love any feedback on how combination seats (looking at the Frontier but open to other options) fit in these cars and curious to hear if there are any issues with boosters that we should be factoring into the decision. We'd love to be able to fit the seats side-by-side so an adult can ride in back too, which works with our current seats. Anything special we should consider? Thank you!!
 
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ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I'm really only very familiar with the prius of these (and don't think it would be super comfortable for kids leg room wise if you or they end up tall, and two with room for a third would require very specific seats and be squished for the third), but bumping this for you in hopes of other replies. :)
 

aeormsby

New member
We have a 2014 Mazda3. Both of my kids are in boosters so I have no input on installing carseats (although if you're only putting 2 kids back there you probably won't have a problem)... But for boosters it's been great. The headrests can be removed which is huge since many boosters don't want a gap between the vehicle seat & booster back and with forward tilting headrests you always have a gap. We mainly have NBB's in there but have used DS's Performance booster without a problem also. I can also fit 3 people in the back. When we test drove I managed to fit myself between a Parkway and a Harmony NBB (very tricky to buckle myself but it worked). And I've had 3 kids in the back several times, the middle kid needs to use a bubble bum to fit in the seatbelt space, and they need help buckling but it definitely works (outer kids were in Harmony NBB's). Pretty sure an adult with the bubble bum center and another seat/booster on the side would work fine also.

I'm not sure if the center seat in the Prius or the Impreza have a headrest, that was a huge bonus for the Mazda3 over the other vehicles we were looking at when thinking about long term use and the potential for 3 people in the backseat.
 

oakster

New member
Thank you! We ended up going with the Impreza. Both the Impreza and the Prius v do have center headrests, although I didn't think to check whether or not they can be removed--oops! (They definitely can be removed in the Prius v, so I imagine they can be in the Subaru as well.) I found the Impreza's center seat more useable than the Prius v's, though (bizarrely I think the v's center seat was even narrower than our current subcompact car's center position!) I didn't love the LATCH or tether anchor setup in the Prius v, either. It was a tough call between those two in the end--the v has some great features like reclining rear seats, which instantly gave my RFing three-year-old more leg room, but in the end we really couldn't justify the price difference since we don't drive enough to make it up in fuel economy. Ah, well.

Glad to hear that an adult can fit alongside two boosters in the Mazda3, though, since the rear seat is almost exactly the same width as the Impreza's (and also the v's, for that matter--it was surprising how close the dimensions were on all three!) Thanks!
 

gigi

New member
We have an Impreza. The head rests are removable. I use a 2011 parkway outboard. I find because the seats are so deep, a high back is needed for much longer. I just bought my 7.5 yo a new Parkway for that car (replacing the other Parkway which was crashed) because the backless fit still isn't great for him. He rides backless in my car and generally every other car. The center seat would be better for a backless, but you will need a very slim one like a bubble bum or maybe a Topside. The center seat headrest is not very high...I am 5'3" and it is just at the tips of my ears, so a lower profile booster would be best. The ceiling is low so you won't get full HBB height from the Parkway but I am hoping my son will have better backless fit once he outgrows the back height the ceiling allows.
 
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