Just traded in the 3 for a 5!

[southpawboston]

well, the car that we adored finally had to be traded in for something bigger. as the girls have grown, so have the accoutrements. so we just signed the papers on a new mazda5. we got a whopping sum for our mazda3 on trade (holy cow, they hold their value: it depreciated only $6800 in four years and 42,000 miles of ownership!). so the price differential with the new mazda5 was only about $8000. and with 0% financing on that, it was a no-brainer. but we will definitely miss the 3 and all its zoom-zoom :-(.

anyway, we don't take delivery until friday. i'll post pics of the carseat installations then. the plan is to have the girls' signos in the second row and continue using LATCH (any reason not to?). the third row will stay folded down most of the time and used only for carpooling/playdate situations. in that case, we need recommendations for a booster that works well in the third row. i've heard space is tight for carseats in the third row, so one that doesn't need a lot of front-to-back room.. no need for a LATCHable booster, since there are no lower anchors in the third row, but SIP is preferable. recommendations?

EDIT: the forums have changed since i used to frequent them, so if this is not the appropriate forum, mods feel free to move.

 

[Judi]

the forums have changed since i used to frequent them.

Yeah, we have missed you!

 

[unityco]

Yeah, we have missed you!

:yeahthat: Looking forward to your review!

 

[Maedze]

Graco Turboboosters fit very nicely in the third row of the 5 we test-drove a few weeks back. I imagine the new Recaro Probooster, if you want to keep the theme, would work back there as well. Or what about leaving your old Young Sport back there in booster mode?

 

[southpawboston]

Graco Turboboosters fit very nicely in the third row of the 5 we test-drove a few weeks back. I imagine the new Recaro Probooster, if you want to keep the theme, would work back there as well. Or what about leaving your old Young Sport back there in booster mode?

good memory! the YS, along with como, are in grandma's car... i will try out a TB. or maybe get a TB for grandma's car and move the YS to the 5.

 

[Qarin]

the plan is to have the girls' signos in the second row and continue using LATCH (any reason not to?).

The only reason not to would be if the weight limit for LATCH on either car (I think Mazda defers to the car seat manufacturer?) or car seat (not sure what the Signo's limit is), or, of course, if you can't get a good install with it.

 

[SafeDad]

Congrats! Put in a good word to Mazda for me so I can ditch the Odyssey for a hybrid 5 next year.

 

[southpawboston]

The only reason not to would be if the weight limit for LATCH on either car (I think Mazda defers to the car seat manufacturer?) or car seat (not sure what the Signo's limit is), or, of course, if you can't get a good install with it.

mazda does not state a limit, so i thought the current way of dealing with that scenario is to assume 48? recaro defers to the car's LATCH limits. but what about "super" LATCH? i thought i read that LATCH on all cars mfrd after 06 were automatically rated to 65lb? am i understanding that incorrectly? i'd like to get the full scoop on that.

the reason we want LATCH is that it will allow us to slide the second row seat forward when accessing the third row (2nd row seats must be all the way back when driving with carseats installed in them). with a seatbelt installation, since the seatbelt lower anchor is on the floor and not the seat, once the belt is tight the seat will not be able to slide forward for access to the third row.

i've tested both seatbelt and LATCH, and both work well with these seats and with the signos. (LATCH is super tight, seatbelt is good, with less than 1" lateral motion at bight).

Congrats! Put in a good word to Mazda for me so I can ditch the Odyssey for a hybrid 5 next year.

okay, i'll talk to my people there . i am pretty disappointed to be moving to a vehicle that gets 1 mpg lower than my current car, which isn't as good as i've felt it should be (avg hwy = 29), but i suppose for a car with the same engine and an extra 500lb sheet metal and glass, a 1 mpg hit is not bad.

 

[chay]

We just go down the center isle to get to the 3rd row of our 5. Even with 2 RF seats the kids just duck under the seat and then walk to the back. If there is only one seat in the back we've also loaded from the back hatch.

Enjoy the 5!

 

[Pixels]

mazda does not state a limit, so i thought the current way of dealing with that scenario is to assume 48? recaro defers to the car's LATCH limits. but what about "super" LATCH? i thought i read that LATCH on all cars mfrd after 06 were automatically rated to 65lb? am i understanding that incorrectly? i'd like to get the full scoop on that.

Assuming 48 is what I'm personally comfortable doing, because many/most vehicles are 48, same with carseats. There's only one carseat that has a LATCH limit higher than that, and that's pretty darn recent. Not enough time for vehicle manufacturers to figure out that it exists, figure out if the vehicle can handle it, and actually make a statement about it, IMO.

SuperLATCH is the name of the LATCH strap on the Radians. SKJP tested the load that the Radian places on the lower anchors, looked at the federal regulations for vehicle lower anchors, and realized that the Radian puts less force than what the vehicle must handle (for vehicles manufactured 9/05 or later). That doesn't mean that the same is true for any other carseat, as each carseat will have its own crash dynamics. The weight limit on Radian's SuperLATCH is the same as the carseat weight, whether it's 65 or 80.

No vehicle manufacturer has stated that it's okay to exceed their stated weight limits (usually 40 or 48 pounds) to use with SuperLATCH. So even if you had a Radian, you would be going against vehicle manufacturer's directions if you exceed the vehicle's stated LATCH limit.

 

[SafeDad]

okay, i'll talk to my people there . i am pretty disappointed to be moving to a vehicle that gets 1 mpg lower than my current car, which isn't as good as i've felt it should be (avg hwy = 29), but i suppose for a car with the same engine and an extra 500lb sheet metal and glass, a 1 mpg hit is not bad.

I guess I shouldn't knock the Odyssey in terms of mileage, I generally get 26-27 highway and as high as 30. It's the city mileage that isn't great. Has been around 18 or so, a bit less in winter.

I just don't get why no one has a hybrid van, even if only a short wheelbase model. They have hybrid car-based SUVs with 3rd rows like the Highlander and the full size GMs have a hybrid. A Mazda 5 with hybrid would be ideal for me and possibly a lot of other families too as it might not break the bank like the Highlander. As is, maybe a Fusion at the end of next year unless something more interesting comes out for 2012.

 

[southpawboston]

I guess I shouldn't knock the Odyssey in terms of mileage, I generally get 26-27 highway and as high as 30. It's the city mileage that isn't great. Has been around 18 or so, a bit less in winter.

I just don't get why no one has a hybrid van, even if only a short wheelbase model. They have hybrid car-based SUVs with 3rd rows like the Highlander and the full size GMs have a hybrid. A Mazda 5 with hybrid would be ideal for me and possibly a lot of other families too as it might not break the bank like the Highlander. As is, maybe a Fusion at the end of next year unless something more interesting comes out for 2012.

seeing as most mazdas share global platforms with ford (and many fords, such as the fusion, use mazda engines), it really does seem to be a matter of marketing and not feasibility. it seems that with the exception of the prius and civic (and insight), most car makers are using hybrid technology to boost abysmally low mileage vehicles such as SUVs without compromising their power, as opposed to making an acceptably fuel-efficient vehicle outstandingly so.

 

[luckyclov]

I had a 2008 5. I really, really, REALLY disliked the way my DS1's boosters (Monterey and Parkway) fit in the 3rd row. Actually, it wasn't the boosters - it was the seatbelt. The shoulder belt was just stupid and way too high - even with the belt positioner of the booster, it just didn't lay right on DS. I recently read (I think on here...?), however, that Mazda finally redesigned the 3rd row seatbelts, so the 2010s are a lot better/friendlier.

I also had a SB installed Regent and Nautilus in the 3rd row - very good install, though it did take up some rear vision (nothing major).

The 2nd row captains chairs are pretty carseat/booster friendly. I never had any issues there.

Congrats - I looooooooved the car, it was a lot of fun. I was sad when we traded it in!

ETA:

I guess I shouldn't knock the Odyssey in terms of mileage, I generally get 26-27 highway and as high as 30. It's the city mileage that isn't great. Has been around 18 or so, a bit less in winter.

Ummmm, I'm currently getting 13.5 MPG city in my Grand Caravan (highway has been up to 22-23, though). Suuuuuck-o.

 

[safeinthecar]

I'll have you know, I clicked on this thread thinking that the BIGGER CAR announcement was actually going to be a subtle BIGGER FAMILY announcement.

I'm so disappointed