3 children in Jeep Wrangler Unlimited?

[WhyNot]

Our family needs a second car, and DH desperately wants a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It sounds awesome (we loved our Cherokee Sport for years and years), but when I think of safety of children in the backseat, I am concerned. We have three children, ages 5 and under. Right now in our minivan the older two are in Britax Marathon carseats (yes, the 5yo is in a carseat bc it's safer) and the youngest in a RF Britax Roundabout.

DH will primarily drive it himself to work, but on the weekends wants to take the kids for adventures in national forest land. I'm concerned about the highway ride to get there; how safe is the backseat of an Unlimited and can 3 carseats fit there? Or two boosters and a carseat?

Thank you soooooo much!
S.

 

[skipspin]

It will work in an 07 Unlimited (4 doors) but not in an 06 Unlimited (two doors.) There are only two seatbelts in the back of a two door, but there are three in the back of the four-door.

Right now I have a Britax Wizard RFing, Radian FFing and Parkway (for a friend) in the backseat of my JK (That's the model name for "new" body style Jeeps starting in 07.) There's quite a bit of room in the back seat. PM me if you'd like some pictures. I am totally comfortable in our JK as it's my daily driver and my two kids are always with me. It's IMO just as safe as any other like-equiped SUV. We have a 97 TJ as well and love it, but with only two doors and no cargo room it's really hard for me to drive every day, so we traded in my vehicle for the JK and love it.

Oh, and lots of us here have 5 yr olds in harnessed seats, so you'll fit right in!