Can 3 seats fit across far back of Honda Pilot or Kia Sedona

We're car shopping. Right now we have 2 boys, ages almost 4 and 17 months. We're undecided about child #3 (I'm ready, dh feels our family is complete). Anyone own a Pilot and manage to install 3 seats across the rear? If we had 3 in the middle, we couldn't put the seats forward to have people access the back, should we need to accomodate additional passengers (i.e. grandma). Or if we put 2 in the far back, could we put one in the middle row, outboard, and then fold down one seat to access the back? Or would that totally not work?

A minivan probably makes more sense but dh is Mr. Safety/Consumer Reports and apparently most vans scored "okay" or "maginal" for rear crash tests and he's worried about having any of the kids in the far back. We'd been looking at the Odyssey, which we love otherwise (the Odyssey did great on all crash tests except for the rear). The Pilot does really well in crash tests, but might be a bit of a pain getting 3 kids out of the far back.

I guess the only vans that did really well in all types of crashes were the Kia Sedona and Hyundai (forget what it's called but apparently these are the same cars structually). Anyone own either of these and if so, are you happy with them?

Also, as a general rule, are boosters narrower or the same width as most car seats? Both boys are small for their ages and it will be a long while before my oldest is in a booster. Wondering if I could still fit 3 across if need be, as they get a bit older.

Thanks so much for any words of wisdom!

All I can offer to you is that my friend with three children just wrote to tell me that three car seats fit comfortably across the second row. She didn't mention car seat use and the third row. She did say that she loves her Pilot and had bumped up from a Toyota RAV4.

We are looking at the Honda Pilot, too but don't expect to accomodate more than two children (we will be adopting). At this time, we aren't considering any mini vans...but our friends who have them -- specifically the Honda Odyssey -- love them.

Good luck! I hope that others on the boards will have opinions about the mini vans you asked about.

I have 2 MAs side by side outboard and center) in the second row of my Pilot. I was not able to fit a snugride in the space remaining.
I may be doing something wrong, but I definitely have concerns for September when my baby will be born.

I think you would only use the 3rd row for a child who can buckle him/her self in reliably. It's a pain to get back there!

Rear impact crash tests only account for full sized dummies... a little kid in a carseat or highback booster, will have much more protection, and since you can keep your kids in boosters for another good 6 years, you should be fine :). A minivan is WAY easier to deal with...I can get three narrow seats across the back of my Honda Odyssey so adults can ride in the middle captain's chairs. Boosters are *wider* than harnessed seats, so you may have to try some seats, get some advice, find some rear hiproom measurements, but usually the Sunshine Kids Radian meshes nicely with Britaxes to get three across the back easily enough.
www.informedforlife.org or www.informedforlife.com has some great crash and safety info, if your dh hasn't found that site yet (I forget, .org or .com, lol).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

Hi. I'm replying again (reply #1 above).

I would have to agree that I doubt you would want to use the third row on a daily basis for transporting your children. It does seem like it would be a pain to get back there to buckle kids snugly in place. If we go with the Pilot, I anticipate having the third row folded down -- it's all that cargo space in back that appeals to me, not the third row for seating.

But...to answer another of your questions: It's the Hyundai Entourage that is the twin of the Kia Sedona.

Julie - I LOVE YOU! You are such a treasure. I've been asking questions here for ages and you always come through. Thank you. Reason I'm loving you so much today is because I really want the Odyssey and this might just be the info. dh needs to come on board with that.

Stella - Thank you and congrats on #3.

Mom-in-waiting - Thanks and best of luck to you. I adopted both of my boys domestically and couldn't be happier. We went through tons to get them (10 IVF's, 5 miscarriages, years of aggravation, etc.) and I can tell you I'd go through it all again to end up with these boys. I can't imagine life without them.

LOL!!!! Ody, Ody, Ody...it's da bomb! Or Sienna, which actually is better if you want to get the 8 seater version for putting three kids across the middle, I think most people go with either of those depending on which dealer will give them a better deal, they are both great.

:D
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

Yep go with the Ody or Sienna. We actually bought the Kia when the new body style first came out. So many problems!!!! One major one was that the passenger side door would pop open while driving down the road with my 1 year old daughter sitting in the seat next to it!! Thank God for carseats!!!!! It was actually lemoned and bought back. Back away from the kia!!

I prefer the Odyssey. We have a friend with an Odyssey (w/ toddler). My bro-in-law (3 little kids) and my mom both have Siennas. Comparing them, I prefer the Honda. Hard to describe why, but I feel more comfortable with the Honda when helping out with the kids.

The Ody uses regular gas while the Sienna uses Premium. That's one biggie reason to me. Gas is over $3/gal around here.

Chiming in here about the Sienna. :) Unless it has changed with the newer '07 Sienna with the larger engine, Siennas do not require premium grade gasoline. Our '05 Sienna usually gets better than the m.p.g. rating listed on the window sticker with 87 octane at every fill-up.

I came very close to owning an Ody but went with an '05 8-passenger Sienna for the added seating versatility when we were van shopping a couple of years ago. Nearly every possible carseat combination will install 3 across the second row in an 8-passenger Sienna, and with some experimenting and the right carseat combination, 3 across can fit in the third row although it's narrower than the second row. I believe the Ody is narrower across the third row vs. the Sienna, and the Ody's 8-passenger 2nd row "jump seat" is pretty narrow, too and lacks a top tether anchor and lower LATCH anchors. The Ody does have sportier handling and road feel/noise, while the Sienna has a softer/quieter ride and more sedate handling.

We have a Pilot. I can easily fit a Chicco KeyFit infant seat, and 2 graco turboboosters in the middle row. I use the 3rd row almost daily or at least the smaller side of it. The kids I am transporting are old enough to buckle themselves so climbing back to assist them hasn't been an issue. We have been very happy with our Pilot, but it can be tight with 3 kiddos. It would be nice to be able to separate them a bit on longer trips, but with the 3rd row in use, there is very little cargo room. Our gas mileage has been great, averaging around 19 for mostly in town driving. Good Luck in your decision.