# Favorite and safest 3-row vehicles?



## megincl (Sep 10, 2002)

We may be trading "up," so to speak, to get more room.

I'd love to hear what folks think of various 3-row cars and how they are, safety-wise. IN particular, how's the use and installation of carseats and boosters (ours has latch).

Related to booster and latch....if our booster latches but the car has a 40lb weight limit for latch, what do we do if DS is over that? I seem to recall the weight limit doesn't apply for latched boosters, but I wanted to check.

TIA!


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## NaturallyKait (Sep 22, 2006)

I don't know much about safe 3 row vehicles but I can say that the latch limit does not apply to a latchable booster since the seatbelt is what takes the weight of the child, the latch only has to hold the booster


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I have a sienna and love it.

-Angela


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Are you looking for vans, or SUVs?


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

We have a Honda Odyssey and love it. We also looked at the Toyota Sienna and the Kia Sedona. Those three all have really good reliability and crash-test ratings, which is why we narrowed down to those to start. The Kia is only a 7 passenger, and not much cheaper than the others. I didn't try any seats in one, mostly because we decided we wanted an 8 passenger.

The Sienna (prior to 2010) has 3 full sets of LATCH in the second row and the row is WIDE so it's really nice for carseats. The 3rd row of the one I looked at only had 1 set. I can't remember about upper tether anchors now, it's slipped my mind.

The Odyssey (mine is 2007) can fit 3 seats across the middle row, though not as easily as the Sienna. The middle seat of the middle row is very tiny and has only a seatbelt which makes it challenging for some carseats. It worked really great for ours though, and a couple of others I tried. . There are LATCH anchors on the two middle row captain's chairs and in the center of the 3rd row. There are upper tether anchors in every seating position except the middle row/middle seat. I've installed several seats in it now (we're shopping for seats for the twins and for DD to move up to) and they all go in great, RF at least. We'll likely be able to get all 3 kids in the middle row, so we can "stow" the 3rd row and have lots of cargo space for long trips.


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## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

We just bought a Mazda5 and love it. It seats 6 but is smaller and gets better gas mileage than a typical minivan or SUV. It's also very versatile in that any or all of the back seats (2 rows of 2) can fold flat so you have a ton of cargo room. It has LATCH in both the second row seats but not the back. I have easily installed our carseats a few times already, RFing with the seatbelt, FFing with LATCH and the seatbelt (not at the same time). I haven't gotten the RFing seat in with LATCH yet but having never had LATCH before, the seatbelt just seemed easier. It was very easy to get a tight install with the belt. Both my seats are top tethered and I had an easy time finding a suitable location for my RFing tether (although I'm not sure you are allowed to tether it to the passenger seat...)
I also have a booster for my oldest but it doesn't have LATCH. He's in the third row which doesn't have LATCH anyway.


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

I have a 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L. I love it. So much easier than my 7 passenger SUV was! Do you think you'll have more kids? For two kids, a minivan would be nice but you could easily get by with something smaller or less mom like, but with three or more I think a minivan is really the best choice.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I have a Sienna and LOVE it. I have a 7 passenger 2009 AWD. Though, if you do Sienna I wouldn't buy the 2011, they took away a full set of latch.







But mine has 2 full sets in the 3rd row and 2nd row. If I were buying a brand new van now, I'd get the Odyssey.


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## dachshundqueen (Dec 17, 2004)

I have an 05 Freestyle, seats 7. It has a center bench, and 3 latch positions there. It has 2 rear bucket seats, the right one has latch.

I am very happy with the vehicle. It has a 5 star crash rating. There is actually space for passengers vs. the smaller crossovers like the Mazda 5. The marathon and a bucket install easily behind the driver/passenger although I haven't actually come across a vehicle that leaves decent passenger space with a RF'ing radian installed (those things are massive).

I get 19.1 city consistently and 24.5 highway so far (haven't taken any super long highway trips), a substantial drop from my civic sedan but we're slowly adjusting.

ETA: Long term, I can treat the Freestyle as a station wagon with 3 kids, whereas with a minivan, I am permanently trapped with kids in 3 rows, substantially less flexibility in terms of seating arrangement, and worse gas mileage. Minivans with 3 across in the center are not readily available second hand in my market nor do they accommodate the seating arrangement I would need (tried them out - 5yo, 3yo, newbie) longer term with 2 in boosters . Also, I worried about being able to adequately secure cargo in a minivan vs. in a crossover after seeing things fly in my civic (in a 3 car wreck I was in recently in the middle vehicle) or even how I would manage getting a boat on top given the additional height of the minivan if I could find one with a built in top rack.

Liz


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## megincl (Sep 10, 2002)

Thanks for all of this feedback!

We are stopping at 2 kids







and were certain we'd NOT do a mini van, no way no how, but just started considering one. We want to be able to carpool, take other families with us to our CSA, etc. So, we're wide open but wanting to know how other people feel about their 7 seaters, be they crossovers, SUVs, or mini vans.

Thanks!


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## samikashi (Mar 15, 2008)

..


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## jnet24 (Sep 4, 2006)

I have a durango and i love the comfort of the seats and how it drives. It rides really well, even for adults in the third row. It is really hard to fit a RF carseat in the secound row, and impossible in the third. It is awful trying to put our radian in. Also the middle seat of the secound row has a weird seat belt that does not lock automatically in an accident (i cant remember what that is called) It is really hard to fit a car seat there as well. The third row does not have tethers for ff seats as well.

Sorry I thought you were looking for vehicles that weren't all that great too.


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## jnet24 (Sep 4, 2006)

I have a durango and i love the comfort of the seats and how it drives. It rides really well, even for adults in the third row. It is really hard to fit a RF carseat in the secound row, and impossible in the third. It is awful trying to put our radian in. Also the middle seat of the secound row has a weird seat belt that does not lock automatically in an accident (i cant remember what that is called) It is really hard to fit a car seat there as well. The third row does not have tethers for ff seats as well.


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## stasiyork (Sep 18, 2008)

Toyota Highlander! We also have 2 kids, and the Subaru Outback wagon got too small. We wanted to be able to just drive one vehicle to dinner with the 2 grandparents, etc., and I think we need higher ground clearance than a van would give us.

We wanted something bigger, but it had to have better gas mileage. The Highlander Hybrid (bought last summer) was the only choice. It is big inside, carried the four of us and all of our stuff across the country for a 3-month stay last summer. Or you can flip up the 3rd row and seat 7.

We did some carpooling last year, and it was fun to sometimes take another mom & her 2 kids on a field trip, but I could not go to Sam's and then also take our carpool pal home from school- with the 3rd row up, there's room for only maybe 4 paper grocery bags behind the 3rd row. This made for entertainment for the other preschool moms, as they'd see me loading boxes of groceries up to the passenger seat in the pickup line.

Have fun!


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## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MJB* 
We just bought a Mazda5 and love it. It seats 6 but is smaller and gets better gas mileage than a typical minivan or SUV. It's also very versatile in that any or all of the back seats (2 rows of 2) can fold flat so you have a ton of cargo room. It has LATCH in both the second row seats but not the back. I have easily installed our carseats a few times already, RFing with the seatbelt, FFing with LATCH and the seatbelt (not at the same time). I haven't gotten the RFing seat in with LATCH yet but having never had LATCH before, the seatbelt just seemed easier. It was very easy to get a tight install with the belt. Both my seats are top tethered and I had an easy time finding a suitable location for my RFing tether (although I'm not sure you are allowed to tether it to the passenger seat...)
I also have a booster for my oldest but it doesn't have LATCH. He's in the third row which doesn't have LATCH anyway.

I second the Mazda 5. With only 2 kids it would be perfect.


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## Mrs-Mama (Jul 2, 2007)

We have an '06 8-passenger Sienna. We love it! It has 3 latch points in the middle row and 2 in the 3rd row.


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dachshundqueen* 
ETA: Long term, I can treat the Freestyle as a station wagon with 3 kids, whereas with a minivan, I am permanently trapped with kids in 3 rows, substantially less flexibility in terms of seating arrangement, and worse gas mileage. Minivans with 3 across in the center are not readily available second hand in my market nor do they accommodate the seating arrangement I would need (tried them out - 5yo, 3yo, newbie) longer term with 2 in boosters . Also, I worried about being able to adequately secure cargo in a minivan vs. in a crossover after seeing things fly in my civic (in a 3 car wreck I was in recently in the middle vehicle) or even how I would manage getting a boat on top given the additional height of the minivan if I could find one with a built in top rack.

Liz

FWIW, my Odyssey actually gets better gas mileage than you quoted and has an 8th seat for the center of the middle row that makes the middle row a bench, or can be removed to either leave an aisle in the middle or push over the passenger side seat to allow easier side access to the third row, giving more seating flexibility. I have had a variety of seats three-across my middle row with no trouble. I've had a RF radian in my middle row, too, with plenty of room for me in the seat in front. I would think, too, that it would be easier to secure cargo in a minivan than a crossover SUV but I haven't seen what you drive from the inside so maybe not.


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## bella99 (Sep 25, 2008)

I have an '09 Chevy Traverse (the same really as the GMC Acadia and the Buick Enclave). Ours seat 7, but there is also an option for an 8 seater. We love it.

We have two "captains chairs" in the middle row and it seats three across in the back. Not sure about the latch in the back as I haven't really checked to be honest.

But the third row seat has about as much leg room as a minivan (so not much but enough) and tons of room for storage, etc. I didn't really want a minivan and we wanted something with AWD/4WD and the only minivan that has that is the Sienna. It gets pretty good gas mileage too.


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## catters (Nov 20, 2007)

I have a Volvo XC90. Looking at how the Volvo faired in real life crash photos was enough to seal the deal for me. It's a tank.
It also has three rows, you can get it with all the fancy family friendly whips and whistles. There is a built in booster in the center seat in the second row (although I've only used it with my six year old nephew, my kids are still too young/small). My children are in a Maxi Cosi Priori Rear Facing, and a Sunshine Kids Radian FF and they fit really nicely in the XC90.
We do hope to have a third child in perhaps a year or so, so, if that does happen, I will likely go the Honda Odyssey route. That is the rub with SUV's. Even my friends with SUV's with the captain seat second row still have problems getting to the third row when car seats are installed, so I figure the minivan will be easier. As well, there is NO latch or anchor (and I'll most likely keep my kids in the Radian's until they are at the 80 lb limit) in the third row for the Volvo, and I honestly don't know any SUV that has these, although I am sure there probably are. This is why we'll get an Odyssey if we have the third child. As for three across the second row... meh, I think it'll be too hard to get them in and out, especially as they get bigger. Also, I can only imagine the "she's touching me!!!!" "he took my book!!!!" LOL
Anyway, I absolutely LOVE my Volvo. Love love love and will miss it when we go van. But, I definitely recommend for a family with two children.


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## megincl (Sep 10, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *catters* 
I have a Volvo XC90. Looking at how the Volvo faired in real life crash photos was enough to seal the deal for me. It's a tank.
It also has three rows, you can get it with all the fancy family friendly whips and whistles. There is a built in booster in the center seat in the second row (although I've only used it with my six year old nephew, my kids are still too young/small). My children are in a Maxi Cosi Priori Rear Facing, and a Sunshine Kids Radian FF and they fit really nicely in the XC90.
We do hope to have a third child in perhaps a year or so, so, if that does happen, I will likely go the Honda Odyssey route. That is the rub with SUV's. Even my friends with SUV's with the captain seat second row still have problems getting to the third row when car seats are installed, so I figure the minivan will be easier. As well, there is NO latch or anchor (and I'll most likely keep my kids in the Radian's until they are at the 80 lb limit) in the third row for the Volvo, and I honestly don't know any SUV that has these, although I am sure there probably are. This is why we'll get an Odyssey if we have the third child. As for three across the second row... meh, I think it'll be too hard to get them in and out, especially as they get bigger. Also, I can only imagine the "she's touching me!!!!" "he took my book!!!!" LOL
Anyway, I absolutely LOVE my Volvo. Love love love and will miss it when we go van. But, I definitely recommend for a family with two children.

Thanks so much for this! That is one of the cars we're considering.....A question: When you have two in seats in the second row, how do you access the third row? Is it hard? Cumbersome? That's a main worry we have.....

Thanks!


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## catters (Nov 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *megincl* 
Thanks so much for this! That is one of the cars we're considering.....A question: When you have two in seats in the second row, how do you access the third row? Is it hard? Cumbersome? That's a main worry we have.....

Thanks!

No prob! The third row is kind of a drag to get to if you have car seats installed. As in, you are either climbing over seats to get there, or you get in from the rear, which is what we do. Honestly, we don't use row three too much, just when inlaws visit, and either my husband or myself climbs in from the back. It's not hard to do as you can have half the third row folded down. I wouldn't road trip in the third row, as it is smaller, but it's fine for day trips. Ample cup holders and rear a/c help! Check one out and climb around in it. It's a really great car and nice and intuitive, good drive and decent mpg for it's class. Good luck, I know how agonizing it can be. We moved up from a Honda civic to the Volvo when DD was on her way and it can be overwhelming picking.


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