cars for 3 car seats?

[entttc]

Hi-
I am sorry as I'm sure it's been asked before, but I can't find in the archives: I need to buy a new car before #3 arrives (my BMW 530i barely fits one roundabout & one boulevard). DH has a lexus RX400h (love it) with 2 boulevards. Have a 3 1/2 year old britax companion ready to be reinstalled.

I really don't want a minivan (personal choice) or large SUV (street parking hard to find, no room to park a 3rd car and 2-car tandem garage will not fit big SUV). Would like to stay in the BMW / Lexus / Mercedes type feature/luxury range if possible.

We have a 3 1/2 yo DD who's about 30lbs, a 2 year old DS who's about 29lbs. I think DS might be out of the roundabout before DD is tall enough for a booster- he grows fast. Prefer Britax because we get a huge discount on them.

Which cars or small SUVs should I look at? Do I need to switch carseats to get into a smaller vehicle? How do you determine if something is going to fit without removing the seats from your current car and bringing them to the dealership?

Thanks-
entttc

[Joolsplus2]

Sunshine Kids Radian isn't a Britax, but is almost as good, and is NARROW... I bet you could fit one in your current set up just fine. (if both your current seats are forward facing, you replace one with it, and it fits under the side 'lip' of the Britax like a puzzle piece).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/Leah.aspx

[801kelle]

I know Chevy Tahoe does... You could try the Chevy trailblazer...

Any midsize suv I would imagine would accomodate 3 across!




I know my suburban fits 3 across..I can fit Britax Regent and two marathons in my second row!

[jeno]

xxxxxxx

[chays]

I have a Volvo XC70 with a RF Marathon, SK Radian and FF Marathon. We have the same setup in my moms RX330. Had them checked by a tech who said they were in there GREAT.

Good luck -- you get a LOT of options if you go with the Radian in the middle vs 3 Britaxes. The only real complaint I have heard about the Radian is that the chest clip is small making the straps pinch a larger child's neck. We put a Britax chest clip on it and it is no problem whatsoever. The Radian is pretty tricky to install correctly in some cars, but I will say that the more often you install it the easier it gets. I even got it in a MBW 3 series convertible -- not easy, but do-able.

[KAK22]

I have a friend who has a (2002?) Toyota Highlander which I believe is the same as the Lexus SUV. She has a RF DC in the center with lap belt and I was able to get DDs RF MA outboard drivers side with no problem. She has also had a FF Combo seat and a RF Scenera in her car with the DC. I was amazed at how much room there was across the back.

[betsydenny]

We have 3 across in our Volvo XC70- Marathon, Radian, Roundabout (RF for baby)
It is tight but works.
Currently we are lusting after the new GMC Acadia- similar interior to a mini-van but definitley not a minivan. We miss having that extra seat for Grandpa or Uncles or whoever. So I think the Acadia will be in our future within the next year.

That said, if you don't mind having no extra seats the Volvo is great and we didn't have too much trouble getting it all worked out and in tight. actually we also got it to work with the Radian on the side, Marathon in the center adn Roundabout in the same spot RF behind the passenger. We just switched it the other way to get the 3 year old away from the baby.

HTH!
Betsy

[Sangiovese]

I would look at the Acura MDX. Also, there are some SUVs with 3 rows that might work for you. I have two friends with three kids, and they both went for this route. The oldest kid is in the third row, but these kids are 7 yo, in boosters, and can buckle themselves. With your oldest being 3 1/2, that might not work for you. The Acura MDX has three rows, and you could fit three across.

Have you seen this web site (car reviews from a mother's perspective)? I seem to remember reading that the reviewers try to test three across, but that one of the seats is a booster. (And, as a bonus, some of the reviews are very amusing!)

http://www.motherproof.com/

Good luck!

[dcmom2b3]

FWIW, I know that it doesn't fit all your requirements, but we recently rented a Dodge Magnum for a long road trip, and it could fit 3 across in the back seat -- in fact, it has LATCH connectors for 3 seats. And even 'tho I'm sort of a German car snob (did I just admit that??) the Magnum was surprisingly fun to drive, and kinda cool looking, too. When #2 comes I might just consider replacing our 3 series (sniff!) with a Magnum.

Mary-Helen

[jessicallyn]

Hi. We've got 3 DC and bought the MDX for the carseat room. Currently we have a Decathalon and 2 Parkways, but previously we've also had a Keyfit, FP Safe Embrace (convertible) and Parkway. My only carseat complaint with the MDX is that the buckles are on floppy nylon belts instead of plastic stalks, so it is very hard to reach in between seats to buckle the boosters. On the other hand, the flexible belts gives you more wiggle room for installation while you have a lot of installed carseats.

I'm not totally in love with my MDX but it meets a lot of the requirements for a larger family without being a dreaded minivan. Or a huge SUV. I have a lot of friends with 3 children who love it for this reason. And in a pinch, you can always carpool up to 5 kids - although getting to those rear seats is a pain. And I love, how I love, the amazing GPS system.

And, I think, better safe than sorry and bring your carseats with you for sizing. Also, especially if you're not in love with one particular car, it's worth seeing how the seats "sit" in the seats. No sense buying a car you're not in love with if your seats won't sit right in it.

Good luck,
Jessicallyn