2004 Mazda 6 - Lots of 3-across questions!

[texanatheart]

Currently, I have 5yo in GN harnessed and almost 3yo in TF FF. New baby will be here in June, and we need to fit him/her in our Mazda 6 with big brothers.

Based on a couple searches I did here a few weeks ago, I have been thinking that an *ideal* set up would be 2 Radians and a KeyFit. But, alas, money is an issue, so if I could keep using the GN that would be great if I could find a way for it to work with 2 other seats. My sister has a Peg Perego seat that she has offered to give me, but I think I read that it would be too wide. I really hate that the TF will be out of the equation (because it's so wide), because I REALLY like that seat!

What is the difference between all of the Radians? It looks like the 65 is the most affordable? Are they only available online? I would love to see one in person before buying.

Also, I wonder about the install of whatever we end up with....LATCH v. seatbelts. The middle seat belt is one that comes from the ceiling of the car and clicks into both sides of the seat (if that makes sense). Is it safe to install with that type of seatbelt? If not, could I do seatbelt installs for outbound seats, then LATCH for the center seat?

Gah, I have so many questions running around in my head! Any help/input would be greatly appreciated. I really only get online at night, so please bear with me if my response(s) is/are delayed!

 

[lpperry]

We have a 2004 Mazda 3, but it is smaller than the 6, so I don't know what seats might fit 3 across.

I do know that when you do 3 across, you are going to have to do seat belt installs for all 3 seats. You have to put the outboard seats close to the doors and you can't use LATCH when you do that, because the LATCH connector will be under the seat. A seatbelt install is just as safe as LATCH, so don't worry about that.

Also, you cannot use LATCH in the middle position of a Mazda 6, so if you put anything in the middle, it has to always be a seatbelt install.

 

[texanatheart]

Thank you for your reply and for the good information! So the middle belt is okay to install with? Do you know what type of set up I described before?

I would think that the Mazda 3 is smaller than the 6. Do you have 3 across in your Mazda 3? If so, which ones?