# three accross back of subaru forester?



## inky leeuhhh (Aug 2, 2007)

is it possible to do this somewhat comfortably? we are looking for a new car now. i guess i'm not opposed to 3rd row seating if we need it, but i've driven one of these before and i like them, so thought i'd ask. we will be ttc in the fall. we would have one infant, one toddler (would be 2ish, would like to keep rf if possible), and one 8ish year old (who i would like to keep in a booster for a while). would this work? i can't find the link to the database that gives info on what seats fit into what cars. would that help? any rec's for cars that may work better are welcome also. we need to keep it under 25k though. thanks!


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## LittleBattleAxe (May 21, 2010)

I have a Forester and I LOVE it. Mine is an 05 and I don't think there is any way we could fit three across. The newer models may be wider. We have two not in car seats and one in a booster, and that is a tight fit.

I have almost 100.000 miles on it and have not had a single problem. Nothing. Amazing little car. (I'm about to get a minivan and I may get weepy when my Subaru and I have to part)

The Outback is bigger and may fit three across -- and the Tribeca has a third row, so it's nice and roomy. Don't know if you are set on a Forester, but it is one of the smaller Subarus on the market.


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## inky leeuhhh (Aug 2, 2007)

ok duh i didn't even think to check out the other subarus! thanks! BIL works at a for dealership, so we may end up with an explorer. we'll see. i've never had a ford so i'm a little nervous about that idea. our toyota has over 100,000 miles on it and never an issue.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

The 2010 is way more carseat-friendly than the 2005 (I owned a 2003, which was the same body as the 2005) Forester but you still may need to choose narrow-ish seats, especially with a booster in the mix (boosters need extra room so the occupant can buckle.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

We rounded up a bunch of carseats from friends and went to a dealer and we couldn't make it work









We had a 2001 Subaru Forester and it was a very sad day when we traded it in for a Sienna









The only seat that we couldn't get was a Radian. We looked up the measurements of the Radian and the measurements of the backseat of the 2010 Foresters and it *might* have fit, but since we dind't have the actual seat to try, we decided against it. So we're not a mini-van family, and honestly, we love it! But we do miss our Forester. It was such a great car!

We have a Subaru Impreza, and it's a tight squeeze to get just 2 seats in there. It's obviously not a family car.


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## megincl (Sep 10, 2002)

Subarus, unfortunately, are notoriously hard for 3 across. I think it might be possible with the Radian, but I'm not sure 2 Radians and a booster would work because of the need to buckle the booster kiddo.....I'd try it in person and be sure it's doable on a regular basis, not just doable with lots of muscling around....

Good luck!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

More than likely it's do-able with Radians, or with a Radian and a Coccoro. That thing is amazing! I couldn't do 3-across in my small SUV (BMW X5, which, BTW I highly recommend--excellent safety ratings and it's a dream to drive!) until I replaced the infant seat with the Coccoro and now they fit great (I have a Marathon, which is a wide seat, Coccoro, and a Safety 1st Complete Air).


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## inky leeuhhh (Aug 2, 2007)

hmmm.... so sounds like i may need to forget the subaru. LOL. i can save that one for when the kids are bigger or when we need a 2nd car. what cars are out there that would work well for 3 kids and under 25 k? newer used is fine with us. anyone have a ford explorer? that's what bil (ford salesman) has. i just have no experience with ford.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

We looked at the Explorers too, when we were car shopping. I wasn't impressed with the safety ratings or the vehicle itself; reliability was on the top of my "must-have" list and I'm wary of Ford. We did really like the Subaru Tribeca; it was on our short-list but there were only 2 for sale in the state (seriously







) and one was out of our price range and the other had too many miles for comfort. They are under $25k for a 2008-2009. We also liked the Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot.


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## Eman'smom (Mar 19, 2002)

My mom has an 05 Forester and she loves loves loves it. However it is far from carseat friendly. On various trips I've gotten 2 Marathons in there and they were basically touching. I've done a Marathon and a booster and two boosters, with 2 booster you may have been able to fit a skinny teenager between them.

I suppose you *might* be able to do 3 radians, but really I wouldn't count on it.

Ask me about my Ford minivan (go ahead I dare you







). When this van dies(which I do hope is a while because it's paid off) we will never by another Ford, which is sad because we had an amazing Escort years ago which is why we bought the ford when we needed a van.


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## inky leeuhhh (Aug 2, 2007)

thanks, i have a friend with a pilot so i'll check that one out. i checked for tribecas in our state as well, and only found ONE in western washington- and it was way out of our price range. very nice, though!


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

What about a Mazda 5?

It's pretty compact, and has 3 rows with 2 seats in each row. The back seats fold down individually, so you could have the 3 car seats with a little extra cargo room with one seat folded down.


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## NoraC (Mar 15, 2008)

My friend has a Pilot and fits three Radians across the middle row. All the children are using the harnesses though. I couldn't say if the children could be buckled with the seatbelts though which requires a bit more room. Hers has the third row of seats as well.


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## lunita1 (May 12, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *inky leeuhhh* 
is it possible to do this somewhat comfortably? we are looking for a new car now. i guess i'm not opposed to 3rd row seating if we need it, but i've driven one of these before and i like them, so thought i'd ask. we will be ttc in the fall. we would have one infant, one toddler (would be 2ish, would like to keep rf if possible), and one 8ish year old (who i would like to keep in a booster for a while). would this work? i can't find the link to the database that gives info on what seats fit into what cars. would that help? any rec's for cars that may work better are welcome also. we need to keep it under 25k though. thanks!

My kids are bigger and our subaru is older, but I did want to pipe in and say that we've been able to squeeze two graco turbos and a graco cargo (until it expired) or cargo in the back of our 2000 Subaru Impreza Outback sport. The hardest part was squeezing our hands in to buckle the boosters. I think the newer Subarus are a bit roomier and carseat friendly.


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