Convertable seat in an 07 Outback

[trales]

We ended up having to buy an 07 Outback 2 days before DD was born. Now that I have it, I realize it is not a very family friendly car. It has a huge hump in the middle which prohibits any car seat installation. There is so little leg room that our infant seat (Baby Trend Flex loc) renders the front passenger seat useless. Ideally, I would like a seat the can be used rear facing in the back passenger side and allow me or DH to sit in the front passenger seat, or at least allow us to drive other people in the car. We were looking at the Roundabout, the Radian 65 or the Recaro (DH has the hots for the Recaro, German racing seats blah, blah - he has been driving a station wagon for 15 years, even as a bachelor LOL).

Any advice, anyone else have this car.

Car seat techs - can I put towels on either side of the hump to install a seat there with the seatbelt?

Tracey

Mom to Frances

[shburks]

We had a 2004 Subaru Outback when ds was born and although they've changed the styling a bit, the back seat is still the same!! We had a Graco infant seat installed in the rear passenger side since it was easier for me to reach ds while I was driving as I was the primary driver for this car. It was basically impossible for dh to sit in the front passenger seat though, so when we were all together, he drove and I sat there. It worked fine as I am much shorter than dh! Truthfully though...any seat rearfacing is going to take up a lot of room. We also have a RA and while we no longer have the Outback, the RA was also HUGE in the backseat.

I think you're really just stuck waiting until your dc can be turned FF safely or at least until she is a little older and the RF seat can be made a little more upright that it can be now. Even a convertible seat will have a serious recline for a small infant.

FWIW, we loved our Outback and thought it was a great family car! My friend with a Volvo wagon had similar issues with her carseat when rearfacing--a Graco convertible seat and later a Marathon when RF. Her very tall husband could not sit in the front seat in front of the carseat while RF.

Susan

[kwc]

We also have a 2004 Outback, and I love the car but learning to get seats in is a big hassle. My brother has a 2006 Legacy and I think the weird backseat is the same (big hump, weird bench angle, double latch center belt, crazy long belt stalks). I am a nutso about extended rear-facing, and until about a month ago, I had 2 RF seats in there but it has taken a fair amount of checking with seat techs and this board to make it work. We now have a RF Roundabout behind the driver seat and FF Boulevard behind passenger. I am the primary driver but 6'1" DH also drives it and the one seat he really minded was the Graco Safeseat1 as it is huge (now in his Accord but behind the passenger seat) and maybe the RF BV a bit... he has never complained about the RF RA (center or outboard) and was able to move the front seat back quite well.

Our Snugride base and the Britax bases actually have some curve to them (I don't think the Flex Loc does) so they fit OK over the center hump but it was the ridiculously long seat belt stalks that were often a problem. I don't think it is OK to put towels under the sides but I'm not sure. When installing outboard with LATCH, it hasn't been bad but with RF seats, we had a bit more legroom up front when installed center.

In order, we have had:
-Center install older/smaller Snugride (must use seat belt with stalks twisted 2 times & half pool noodle)
-Center install RF Roundabout (again with twisted stalks and pool noodle)
-Center install RF RA with passenger outboard Snugride
-Passenger outboard RF RA (LATCH, aah!) and Driver outboard Safeseat (LATCH)
-Passenger outboard Boulevard (LATCH RF now belt FF) and Driver outboard RF RA (Latch)

IME, the infant seat takes up a lot more room than a RF convertible, but I did not move either of my kids into a convertible until almost a year old when the seat could be a lot more upright.
Here are pics of my 3.5 year old in a RF BV and my then 10 m/o in the SafeSeat and you can kind of see how much further the SS extends:
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/kwangcelio/IMG_0322.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t97/kwangcelio/IMG_0320.jpg
Please ignore the dangerous projectiles... at least we're in the garage. Also, the RF BV is definitely bigger than the RF RA though I love them both.

I don't have any experience with the Radian or the Recaro but I think the curved base of any Britax helps a lot with a center install, and it is really easy if you use LATCH outboard.

Despite this, I still love my Outback. What I really hate is trying to install and reinstall seats in my mom's 2001 non-LATCH BMW... I swear the seats loosen themselves.

Sorry so long!

[trales]

Thanks for the help, the pictures are great. We used to have a legacy wagon, which had no hump, and it never occurred to us to look for a hump in the Outback. I do like the Outback, I just wish it was easier to put a car seat in. Our Accord has a lot of room, but is not the the primary baby car, it's older and does not have the side airbags. DD is so long, we are going to be out the infant seat well before 1 year, and I want to keep her rear-facing as long as possible. I am glad the RA fits well, I think it will be a good seat for us.

Thanks.

Tracey