Convertable Carseat for 09 Subaru Forester Middle Seat?

Unregistered · Oct 19, 2008

Hi there,
We have a 3.5 month old (15lbs so far) daughter and are simultaneously shopping for her future convertable carseat and test driving the 2009 Subaru Forester.

We very much want her in the middle seat for safety, of course that's just as long as we can get a safe install with the belts.

It did not look like the Britax Boulevard (my first choice) will work in the center due to the contour of the seat. And possibly due to the seatbelt stalks being JUST a bit too close together, although my husband says that wasn't the problem.

My questions are:
1) Are all Britax bases the same, or should we test a Marathon and Roundabout?

(In the middle seat, is a Roundabout safe enough? I like the side impact features of the Boulevard.)

2) Any other top of the line carseats out there that will work in the 09 Forester center?

3) Is it ok to use pool noodle material to stabilize wobbling due to seat contour? I know Britax says you can for adjusting recline.

Thanks so much!!

carseatcoach · Oct 19, 2008

Subarus have humpy backseats and it is very difficult to get a good install center. The big Britax convertibles with bases seem to work better than any other convertibles, IMO/IME. I'd try the Boulevard again, pressing down and back as you install.

No, you can't use pool noodles to "fill in the gaps" of the vehicle seat.

Unregistered · Oct 19, 2008

Thanks. Just wondered, why couldn't we use the noodle material under the base along the back side? The Britax manual suggests this (or a rolled up towel) for adjusting the incline if necessary. Isn't that essentially the same thing? (I'm asking for real as I want to make sure.) It would be pushed down on very hard if necessary.

Have you successfully installed a larger Britax in the center of a Forester (or equivilant Subaru)? It seems to be hard to find positive verification of this being possible online.

pastrygirl · Oct 19, 2008

As far as I know, the Subaru manual recommends against installing a seat in the center. I'm not sure if the '09 still does, but earlier models do.

I wasn't able to get a Marathon in the center of my '01 Forester, but it wasn't because of the hump. It was because the seat belt stalks are too long, which meant I couldn't tighten it enough (the buckles got caught up/stuck in the belt path of the Marathon). I've heard that the '09 Forester is better in that regard -- I would LOVE to check one out! The new Forester is beautiful!

I've heard that some people have been able to take cars for overnight test drives, especially with the current economy situation. If I were looking to buy, I'd push to get the car overnight so I could try it with my car seats or at Babies R Us with other car seats. Two weeks ago my husband gave me the green flag to look at the new Forester so we could buy one, so I did some frantic research... but then he took it back.

I don't need a new car yet.

bubbaray · Oct 19, 2008

We had a '09 Forester home for a weekend test-drive a few months back. It was a Canadian model so YMMV. It had 3 TTs, LATCH outboard and 3 belts. We didn't try a center-only install, but we were looking at the center install from a 3-across perspective. No WAY would it work with our seats (RN and MA. DH d/n think even 3 RNs across would work. The outboard seats are shaped such that it d/n matter if you use LATCH or belts, you can't push them over more than the LATCH install allows.

FWIW, we did get 2 rock-solid installs with our seats outboard. We were very impressed with the vehicle. Unfortunately, the cargo area is too small and sloped for our dog (see my Avatar, LOL).

IIRC, the Canadian version had rear side curtain airbags. I'd be very comfortable installing a seat outboard in that vehicle.

carseatcoach · Oct 19, 2008

Unregistered said:
Thanks. Just wondered, why couldn't we use the noodle material under the base along the back side? The Britax manual suggests this (or a rolled up towel) for adjusting the incline if necessary. Isn't that essentially the same thing? (I'm asking for real as I want to make sure.) It would be pushed down on very hard if necessary.

Have you successfully installed a larger Britax in the center of a Forester (or equivilant Subaru)? It seems to be hard to find positive verification of this being possible online.

You can use a noodle to adjust incline on most seats: you can't use it to correct an otherwise unacceptable installation.

I have installed a Marathon center in a 2003 Forester and 2001 Legacy (which had very different seats).

Unregistered · Oct 19, 2008

chickabiddy said:
You can use a noodle to adjust incline on most seats: you can't use it to correct an otherwise unacceptable installation.

I have installed a Marathon center in a 2003 Forester and 2001 Legacy (which had very different seats).

Thanks for the info! Was the Marathon rear facing in the Subaru?

carseatcoach · Oct 19, 2008

My daughter was over the RF limits for most of the time I owned the Forester, but I had installed the seat RF a few times for other kids.

Unregistered · Oct 20, 2008

Do you have any tips on how you got the Marathon into the rear facing center position? Did you have any trouble with the spacing of the belt stalks, etc? I only had a few mins to play with it as we pick up the car on Weds. I could see what other mean about the difficulties; on the other hand, it looked so close that I'm thinking it ought to be doable.

Sorry about all the questions- I'm very anxious to be able to get a good rear center install so she can sit there.

Convertable Carseat for 09 Subaru Forester Middle Seat?

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