Best SUV for Rear Facing Car Seat

[MissVeronica]

I sold my CR-V today and I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what car I want to buy next. When DS3 was rear facing in the CR-V the person in the front seat was smooshed up against the front of the car and we hated that. We want to have another child and we want more room between the second and first seat for rear facing.

I really wanted a 7 seater SUV, but we tried out the Acura MDX today and the car seat would smoosh the person in the passenger seat rear facing like the CR-V did. I like the Toyota Highlander, but it looks like it has the same issue from what I'm reading online.

Anyone have any experience with the Mazda CX-9?

DH wants me to get an minivan, but I'm resisting it so far. I'm fine going to a smaller SUV like a Subaru Outback, which wouldn't have the 3rd row, but it looks like it has similar issues with rear facing car seats.

Does anyone know how the Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander do with rear facing car seats? Is the person in the seat in front of the car seat able to ride comfortably?

Help!

 

[Jax1023]

What car seat do you have? It's probably easier to buy a new car seat than a new car. For example, I have a chicco nextfit and it fits in my parents crv with plenty of room in the front seats.its expensive at 299 but a lot cheaper then a giant car which eats gas

 

[MissVeronica]

Britax Marathon. We bought it based on recommendations that it would be the easiest car seat to try to fit into the CR-V.

 

[Jax1023]

Your son is 3?Are you positive he still fits rearfacing in a marathon? His head has to have one inch of shell, not the extendable headings above it, otherwise it is outgrown. My son is only 19 months, and admitted above the 99% for height! but would have already outgrown the marathon rearfacing.

It does install rather compactly, so in that case if he still fits a different carseat may not make the difference. If it is outgrown, consider a different seat to keep him rearfacing- a diono radian with angle adjuster can be really really compact, the nextfit can be also.

Subarus are known for really difficult car seat installs, as is the rav 4. I think the honda pilot is pretty roomy.

 

[MissVeronica]

No, my DS3 is now front facing. We want to have another kid though and so know we will need our new car to be easy with rear facing up to age 2.

 

[Jax1023]

Could you put the rear facer in the middle? And when new baby is out of the infant carrier get the older son a narrow combination forward facing harness booster to seat to go next to it?

I personally wouldn't want the terrible gas mileage of a minivan to drive two kids around, when ir would only matter for a few years.

 

[MissVeronica]

I don't want a mini-van if I can help it.

Does anyone know how the Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander do with rear facing car seats? Is the person in the seat in front of the car seat able to ride comfortably?

 

[MAJPLO]

When we only had one child we only had one car seat and put it behind the passenger seat in my car. That way when all three of us were going somewhere together DH would drive and I am short enough to only be kind of squished. When we had two we got a second car seat for the older child and installed the carrier type rear facing. We always put the rear facing seat behind me since I would be less squished. So my car had the rear facer behind me and DH's car had the rear facer behind the passenger seat. This was in a Passat (we rarely took that for all four of us when we had a rear facing kid) and a Toyota 4Runner. We couldn't have a rear facing seat at all when DH had a Toyota Tundra.

 

[PrincessLiz]

I don't have either of those cars but we have a britax marathon installed rearfacing in our rav4 (which I wouldn't recommend due to it's small size). It fits fine behind the drivers seat, my husband drives and he has plenty of room.
Have you had your car seat installation checked by a tech? I'm wondering if you are installing it at a greater recline than is necessary.
I totally agree about the minivan, which we now have due to necessity. I can't wait until I can drive a normal SUV again!

 

[Swimalie]

We had a CR-V with the Britax Boulevard and had it in the center of the rear seat rear facing until our son was 2.5 years old. It worked well. He stayed in the center when we turned him around just to keep him safer from a side-impact crash. Now we have a Subaru Forester and our son is 8 and in the Britax Frontier using the seat belt booster mode and behind the driver without any problems.

 

[JediBonas]

Not exactly an SUV but have you considered the Ford Flex? We have our twins rear facing in Diono RXTs (very tall car seats) and we still have a ton of room to move the front seats back. We were planning on getting another Explorer but I couldn't fit the seats in rear facing at all! Never thought I'd buy a car based on fitting car seats, but we love the Flex!

 

[momto3pirates]

I have a Chevy Traverse. The car seat is mounted behind the drivers seat. There is still plenty of room for 2 boys in the middle row and easy to get to the back row when we are all riding together. There is also enough room for a stroller behind the third row.

 

[MissVeronica]

I have a Chevy Traverse. The car seat is mounted behind the drivers seat. There is still plenty of room for 2 boys in the middle row and easy to get to the back row when we are all riding together. There is also enough room for a stroller behind the third row.

Is the carseat behind the driver's seat rear facing? I do like the look of the Traverse.

 

[tlkscott]

http://www.carseat.org/ is my go to for all things car seat related.

 

[snoopy5386]

We have a highlander and a marathon and RF'ed DD for 32 months in it, no problems.

 

[MissVeronica]

We have a highlander and a marathon and RF'ed DD for 32 months in it, no problems.

Great! Thank you! I will definitely test drive that then.

 

[kristinradico]

Is the carseat behind the driver's seat rear facing? I do like the look of the Traverse.

My son's Britax Roundabout rear faced with room behind the driver seat in my Traverse. My friend had her son's Marathon rear facing on the passenger side of my car with new issues as well

 

[imlsherman]

My son's Britax Roundabout rear faced with room behind the driver seat in my Traverse. My friend had her son's Marathon rear facing on the passenger side of my car with new issues as well

We love our Traverse it is a mini van on the inside but an SUV on the out side. My wife refused to go with the mini van and we could not be happier.

 

[MissVeronica]

Thanks! I'll check out the Traverse!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Traverse/Acadia/Enclave. The center row slides a few inches fore & aft.