The 'three child seats across' club

[CainDingle]

Boring thread alert!

 

There are a number of people on this forum who seem to be looking for cars which are wide enough to fit three child seats across the rear or middle rows, and/or cars which have more than the usual two isofix points in the rear seats. I'll certainly be jacking in the Octavia next summer and buying a greenhouse on wheels with the turning circle of the QE2 for this very reason.

 

Given the fact that most of us seem to be in the Kodiaq sub-forum moaning about the fact that said Kodiaq probably won't be the car for us, I thought it might be useful to start a general thread on the topic in which we could share the fruits of our collective research. I can't find an existing thread on a cursory search, so apologies if this is a duplicate.

 

Obviously there's the usual suspects knocking about - Picasso, Galaxy, S-Max, Touran, etc etc - but there are certain cars which people may not have considered which might fit the bill. Second hand Merc GL-Class anyone?

 

There also seem to be a number of new SUVs in the works which might fit the bill, meaning that the choice is increasingly not just limited to MPVs. The Peugeot 5008 SUV (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/news/peugeot-reveals-new-2017-5008-suv) is likely to be one, and the forthcoming VW Atlas (thread at http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/413531-new-large-vw-suv/) might well be another. It certainly looks wide enough.

 

To kick off, here are a few links on the topic:

 

https://www.carwow.co.uk/best/cars-3-isofix-child-seat-points-970 (this one is very recent and takes into account the new five-isofix Touran, and the SIX-isofix (WTF?!) Q7)

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/topten/top-10-new-cars-with-three-or-more-isofix-mountings/

 

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recommended/best-cars-with-three-isofix-points

 

http://www.which.co.uk/baby-and-child/baby-transport/reviews-ns/child-car-seat-fitting-problems-explored/child-seats-in-seven-seat-mpvs/ - this article is getting on a bit

 

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/advice/top-10s/top-10-safest-seven-seaters-for-kids/

 

As far as Skodas go, the Superb and the Kodiaq (the latter according to the Czech configurator) allow an isofix point to be specced as an extra on the front passenger seat. Is the Superb wide enough to accommodate 3 across, the middle one belted? I dunno, I haven't got one. But that's what this thread is for!

[Ootohere]

VW Sharan / Seat Alhambra are 7 Seaters and have 3 full size seats in the middle row which slide back and fore individually and recline.

Kia Sorento is a 7 seater with a warranty like Skoda should have for a Kodiaq, Mk3 Superb or any vehicle they are confident in the Fundamental Design & Manufacturing and 

Quality Control of/

[gadgetman]

It is a shame that companies building 7 seaters ignore the need for a full sized centre seat on the 2bd row.

[andy-fisher]

Nearly every car can have three child seats across the back, many cars 4! https://multimac.co.uk/home

 

Not a cheap option but cheaper than a car.

 

Edit for bad link.

Edited 11 October, 2016 by andy-fisher

[Ootohere]

Nice.  

I see all the stuff about patents and the various countries, 

but legally can you have a vehicle EU type approved and insured to carry 5 with 2 front seats and 3 rears and then have 4 in the rear by just fitting 

a seat unit with secure seatbelts and all the approvals, even if these are 4 children and small and light.

(Yes i know you can make changes and have retesting etc, but actually have a 5 seater that then can be a 6 seater temporarily.)

 

EDIT, 

OK now i have read what they have about Insurance & Legislation, i never spotted that at first.

In the 'safety' section.

I would think that the EU Approval & from the DfT & DVSA in the UK will be what does show it as not being an issue as far as Construction & Use.

Edited 11 October, 2016 by Offski

[meta55b]

This topic was one of my main considerations when looking for a new car, that's why I chose the 2015 on ford s-max. The problem you have when there is 3 kids seats in the middle is, the 3rd row becomes obsolete.

[mac11irl]

Im 66.667% short on the child numbers fir the 3 seat club, but i dont et why th likes of britax, graco, recaro etc havnt designed a 3 seat system.

3 wont fit due to having side bolsters approx 8inches thick of seat in total up against each other. So, why not have the "interseat" bolsters thinner but tougher so you get 3 group 0-3 seats across??

I know the argument will be "but what about infant carriers that detach for walkers"- make them fit in a frame that cater for the new design.

i really think its something not being looked at properly..

Edit just clicked through the multimak link... it clearly can be done!!

Edited 11 October, 2016 by mac11irl

[Chris]

I can get 2 full sized baby seats and a booster seat across the back of my Optima. It's tight but doable. The booster has handles on the sides making it pretty wide. I've also managed to get 2 seats plus a rear facing across the back too.

[avid fan]

Thanks for setting this up OP, useful thread for my particular situation!

 

As mentioned elsewhere, I'm a faithful Skoda follower with an 09 Octavia (needing replacement soon), and an 09 S-Max (more urgently needing replacement soon).

 

Way back when, I'd originally thought the Octavia Estate would be our main 'big family' car, but the arrival of number 3 transferred that to runabout status and we need to get an S-Max shortly after.

 

I'd love Skoda to release something with a proper 3-across situation and had hoped the Kodiaq would be it, but apparently not.

 

The Octavias are noticeably on the thin side, so no chance of three across if using (even non-Isofix) car seats, and the new Superbs, perhaps despite appearances, aren't that much better - a quick check on the net confirms the following:

 

Octavia - 1816mm

 

Superb - 1864mm

 

Kodiaq - 1882mm

 

S-Max - 1916mm

 

I'd looked at other models - would have loved a Skoda version of the Sharan/Alhambra - but I think based on the above I'll be picking up one of the new model S-Max's in the near future.

 

 

[softscoop]

Have you seen the Multimac?

 

https://multimac.co.uk/home

 

It means you can get 3 or 4 children across the back seat.

[Redline Greenline ii]

Great thread. I'm one of those on the Kodiaq thread wondering about this. The Octy PCP ends next autumn so we've got time but I'm planning ahead to take account of long lead times! We're torn between a traditional MPV setup or the sportier, nice to drive, SUV. I love the look of the Kodiaq but can't help wondering if an MPV might be more practical overall. I've ruled out the adapters which give you 3 across the back as I'd rather spend the money on getting an updated car, but I can see why people go for them.

[CainDingle]

Great thread. I'm one of those on the Kodiaq thread wondering about this. The Octy PCP ends next autumn so we've got time but I'm planning ahead to take account of long lead times! We're torn between a traditional MPV setup or the sportier, nice to drive, SUV. I love the look of the Kodiaq but can't help wondering if an MPV might be more practical overall. I've ruled out the adapters which give you 3 across the back as I'd rather spend the money on getting an updated car, but I can see why people go for them.

 

I'm after a replacement car rather than adapting the current car as well, principally because my next car, realistically, needs to be bigger, and to have a bigger boot than the Octavia. If I'm getting a new car then given my circumstances it'd be silly not to get one with 3 or more isofix points, and I might as well have a couple of extra seats in the boot floor as well.

 

The multimac seems a really neat solution but it looks like a bugger to actually extract from the motor - it looks to me to be intended as a semi-permanent solution, and the reviews say that it's pretty heavy. If I need to carry adult passengers in the back, which I do from time to time, then it's actually very quick to detach the individual isofix seats (isofix, btw, is proof as far as I'm concerned that God Does Exist) and chuck 'em in the boot. The seats, that is, not the adults.

 

Similarly, I'd get use out of the rear seats in a 7-seater. Full disclosure: the Mrs drives an ageing Galaxy and it's easy for reasonably small, sprightly, viciously determined people like my mother-in-law to hop through the boot door in order to get into one of the rearmost seats (usually the easiest way to do things when the front passenger seat is occupied and the kids' seats are in the middle row).

 

All in all, this means that the Octy is definitely being replaced by a 7-seater, but I dunno which one. I think it'll end up being one with isofix in the very back row as well as the middle - probably a Touran, then - because that means that you can actually carry 4 adults in comfort as well as 3 kids in isofix seats (i.e. 2 child seats in the rearmost pair, and one in the centre middle). This means we can go out with kids and two grandparents in a single car. When going on long journeys, the 2 back seats disappear, 3 seats go across the middle, and the boot becomes massive for all the junk.

 

I've been mulling this over for a while, dunno if you can tell...

[Redline Greenline ii]

I like your thinking about the ability to switch around when you need to transport the grandparents. My folks don't drive and it would be nice to take them further afield rather than them having to rely on public transport.

[CainDingle]

It only occurred to me when I considered why the hell you'd want 5 isofix points unless you were carrying 5 children - and then it started to make sense!

 

I'm more and more warming to the new Touran - gets excellent reviews and I'd like to stay with VAG if possible given how positive my experience with the Skoda has been.

 

You can also spec it with the 148bhp 1.4 TSI (I only do 10k a year) - most MPVs seem either all diesel or have a token 1.2 petrol which can barely pull the thing empty.

[YetiVRS]

The Alhambra is actually a nice car if you can cope with image, we have got a 184 BHP SE LUX and its fast for an MPV and very comfortable as well

 

we now have the choice of spreading 3 kids out to stop them fighting or put them all in the middle and have a huge boot.

 

another thing is that the built in pop up child seats are brilliant and they still have the option of isofix for a baby seat.

[Ootohere]

They are a proper people carrier or even a van if that is what is needed.

[VRS Mike]

we've got an Alhambra on order, it's way bigger than our current Mazda5. Can't wait to it comes but I am worried it will get destroyed by the car parks

[CainDingle]

The Alhambra is actually a nice car if you can cope with image, we have got a 184 BHP SE LUX and its fast for an MPV and very comfortable as well

 

we now have the choice of spreading 3 kids out to stop them fighting or put them all in the middle and have a huge boot.

 

another thing is that the built in pop up child seats are brilliant and they still have the option of isofix for a baby seat.

 

That 184 engine gets it to 60 in less than 9 seconds, which is incredible given the size of the car. The only thing I'm worried about personally with a diesel is the lack of mileage that I do (and hence potential issues with the DPF).

 

However I note on looking at their website (and at the title of that video above!) that it does get the 150 1.4TSI, at least on the lower trims. For some bizarre reason I had thought the Alhambra and the Sharan were all diesels, so I'd sort of subconsciously discounted them.

 

I'd have an Alhambra very happily. It's massive and the sliding rear doors are a huge bonus. It's now on the shortlist. The residuals also seem very good looking at the used market - not much in it at all between that and the Sharan.

 

How are the rearmost seats in your experience? Any good for adults?

[YetiVRS]

Yes not bad actually, I'm six foot something and I can fit in with reasonable comfort.

I wouldn't want a long journey in the very back but short journeys and for kids it's fine.

They also fold individually so you can mix and match seating and load space

[Ootohere]

It looks like they have stopped building the 1.4 TSI 150ps DSG,  (they were pretty rubbish IMO) now just the 1.4TSI 150ps Manual in the S or SE trims.

Maybe there are some new with DSG in the country though.

[meta55b]

we've got an Alhambra on order, it's way bigger than our current Mazda5. Can't wait to it comes but I am worried it will get destroyed by the car parks

Park in the parent and child spaces, huge amounts of room. Nobody ever gives you a second look because they presume you have kids anyway.

[Ootohere]

& they are not that wide compared to some SUV's and the likes. Rear sliding doors are a bonus.

eg  (picture taken from the Disabled bays, the other option often used as XXL parking by XC90, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers, Mercedes GLC, etc etc.)

Edited 18 October, 2016 by Offski

[VRS Mike]

& they are not that wide compared to some SUV's and the likes. Rear sliding doors are a bonus.

eg  (picture taken from the Disabled bays, the other option often used as XXL parking by XC90, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers, Mercedes GLC, etc etc.)

 

It's wider than her current car which has a few battle scars, I'm hoping she will be more careful with the new car. I'm probably going to nick it quite a lot, she car pootle around in the citigo lol

[Ootohere]

Hope you went with an easy to touch up colour.

I went basic with 16" Alloys, narrower tyres & Grey, no roof rails, no auto anything, body building doors etc.   No XDS.

(Have you noticed that they come with Continental ContSeal tyres, so so but not much cope as a winter tread, and better carry a compressor-pump / spare / tools if heading away from civilisation, or maybe festive Holiday Seasons / weekend type thing.)

Edited 18 October, 2016 by Offski

[VRS Mike]

Hope you went with an easy to touch up colour.

I went basic with 16" Alloys, narrower tyres & Grey, no roof rails, no auto anything, body building doors etc.   No XDS.

(Have you noticed that they come with Continental ContSeal tyres, so so but not much cope as a winter tread, and better carry a compressor-pump / spare / tools if heading away from civilisation, or maybe festive Holiday Seasons / weekend type thing.)

 

we went for an SE lux in white 2.0tdi 140 with DSG. Should be being built next week.