Is Highlander the best option for car seat with passengers?

[samwrang]

First of all great forum, found it by accident while trying to get an answer to this question.

My wife has a 2008 RAV4 Limited which we both really enjoy. It's time to upgrade the second vehicle and our thinking is that with baby on the way the Highlander will give more room for other passengers along with a car seat. One set of inlaws lives out of town and the others drive a Mini Cooper. We're trying to avoid taking two vehicles every time we go somewhere.

I'm getting mixed results on the capability of the highlander with 4 adults, car seat and room for a stroller.

I know the Minivan has the room, trying to stay in the SUV line.

Thanks in advance for taking your time to comment.

[steepfrig]

We have a Graco car seat located in the 2nd row directly behind the front passenger seat. You can fit two adults in the row beside the baby, but it is tight. I definitely would not recommend that for long trips. Alternatively, you could put the 4th adult in the 3rd row of the Highlander, and there should be plenty of room for everyone. Note, however, the many comments on this forum about how the 3rd row is not as comfortable for normal-size adults on long trips. If you use the third row for an adult you will have very little room left for a stroller. Basically, you'll be able to fit an umbrella stroller or perhaps the the Graco Snap-n-go stroller. Don't even think about trying to fit a jogging stroller or other large size stroller into the back with the 3rd row in use. I doubt it is possible.

We like the Highlander for our family with one baby - and it works fine. The one knock against the Highlander is that when we are traveling with the baby, it is very tight to pack everything in the back (assuming) the 3rd row is down and the space is used for luggage. Once you add the pack-n-play and perhaps the bouncy seat and a stroller, there's not much room left for your luggage, etc. I think the Highlander will suffice for now -- but once baby #2 is on the way, we'll start looking at minivans. We'd never fit two kids + strollers + luggage for a long car trip and vacation with our Highlander.

[benstan]

To answer your question, I guess it depends on how often you will need the extra space. Is this an every day thing, once a month, or only a couple times a year? If its the latter, then the HL will do...if its daily then you'll quickly get tired of being confined.

We have an 08 Rav4 that my wife drives and I just traded my 02 Expedition for a 2010 HL...love the HL by-the-way. We needed the Expedition when our kids were babies for all the same reasons as most other folks...lots of baby equipment and 2 large car seats plus occasional extra adults in the vehicle as well.

But now our kids are 5 & 7 years old so they're out of the large car seats and into the small booster and we haven't needed strollers, pack-n-plays, and bouncy seats since the youngest was 2.

When the grandparents visit from out of town we all like to ride in the same vehicle so the kids and booster seats move to the HL 3rd row and the grandparents ride in the 2nd row.

The Expedition was great on space when we needed the room for all the baby equipment and you could sit two full size car seats in the second row plus an adult in the middle (wife often had to sit there to feed the baby) ans till had a 3rd row if needed. But the gas mileage for everyday commuting was terrible.

Now I'm saving a ton of $$$ on gas with the HL. We gave up space compared to the Expedition but the HL is sized perfectly for our family now. We have no baby equipment to haul around any more and the wife doesn't have to get in the back seat between the kids to feed them and change diapers. The HL is much more agile driving and easier to park in tight parking lots. As a daily driver for work, trips to kids school, the gym, soccer fields, and an occasional road trip for 2 adults, 2 kids and our luggage, the HL is a perfect fit.

[Dman1]

The most we had in our HL was three adults and two kids (one in a booster and one in a child seat). Two adults were in front and one in the third row, with the little ones in the middle row. I was picking up my sister from the airport, where she had one large suitcase (which went on the third row beside the third adult), with two carry ons and an umbrella stroller behind the third row. The ride was about 10 minutes from the airport to our destination, which wasn't too bad. The adult in the third row would be the only one who would be uncomfortable. If you were to put the two kids in the third row, two adults in the middle and front row, everyone would be comfortable, just not much room for strollers, etc.

If you only make these trips with four adults once in a while, you may want to consider using a roof mounted cargo carrier.

My family consists of me, my wife, and my 4 year old who is in a booster seat. This vehicle is perfect for us. Tons of cargo space for what we need; hauls our current trailer and planned future trailer with ease; and even allowed me to bring home (with me the only person in the vehicle) 825 square feet of 12.5 mil laminate flooring, thick underlay, 25 square feet of ceramic tile, and all associated materials in one trip...travel distance was about 10km, and I would not routinely put this vehicle under this much strain, but fine for this single trip.

[nick1sp]

If there's a will, there will always be a way.

[samwrang]

Thanks for all the great responses. I didn't realize there was room (albeit tight) beside a carseat for two adults in the 2nd row.

To answer some of your questions, it will be very occasional use. Zipping out for lunch, going to the Zoo etc. My wife is pretty small so I can jam her in beside the baby in the middle row. I'm planning car seat behind the driver since I have a bad back and that's the exact angle that triggers the injury.

I may be the only person on this forum to drive a Minivan for 9 years with no kids, then with baby on the way go get a SUV

Cheers

[steepfrig]

One note about your driver's side installation plan -- we had planned to do that as well, until the local police station that double-checked our installation advised us otherwise. They made the point that if/when you parallel park the car, it is better to have the child being pulled out on the side of the street against the curb, rather than pulling the child out next to the oncoming traffic. We figured they made a good point and went with the passenger, rather than the driver side.

We live in an densely populated area that requires lots of parallel parking, so that was also a motivation to follow the police station's advice and install on the passenger side. Out in the suburbs, etc., perhaps it would not be as important. I'm sure the advice from the police station has saved a life or two in the past, so I thought I would just pass it along as another viewpoint.

Congrats on the pending arrival!

[rupert08]

I have 1 child, very soon 2, and we often put 2 adults in the back seat with the car seat for short trips. The middle of the back seat isn’t the most comfortable but okay for shorter trips. My wife is typically the smallest and gets the middle. We will occasionally us the 3rd row for the 4th adult but it’s just too difficult to get in an out of 3rd row for older/bigger adults. Plus, you have no storage if you use the 3rd row seat. So to answer you questions, no, the highlander isn’t the best option available. A minivan would be better but I’m certainly not going to buy one.

The rear facing carseat for infants present a different challenge. They require more space. I am a tall dude and I can’t have the rear facing car seat behind the driver’s seat or else I will not have enough legroom so I put the infant seat behind the passenger because my wife is smaller. You should just need to try it out and see how it works, you will manage.

[BWidget]

Take your car seat and your stroller to the dealer. Get your salesperson and anyone else around to test the fit and configurations.

[NetWhiz]

WE have 2 Marathons in the 2nd row and still have room for an average adult. If we need more, middle seat comes out and 3rd row goes up. I do wish the HL had a split 3rd row, but one can not have everything. I will NEVER get a minivan (as I am the main driver of the kids since I am a SAHD). I would go with a full size van as I drove one for many years in high school/college. If we have a 3rd, then I might have to go get a Sequoia.

[2010]

Originally Posted by NetWhiz

I do wish the HL had a split 3rd row, but one can not have everything.

Ahhh...split 3rd row. That would have been a dream. Structurally I don't know how they could do it but somehow Honda managed to get it approved via the Pilot...

[naturoses]

Yes, I want my third row to be split too My Rav4 had a third row split, I do not know why ONLY highlander is not split in comparison to other mid-size SUV's

[luck123]

Just a note on car seat placement...safest place is the center 2nd row, furthest away from all impact zones. 2nd best spot is behind driver, supposedly because in case of emergency maneovers, most drivers will instinctively steer to left thus putting more space between them and point of impact. This is what we were advised by at several clinics held by local fire and police when our son was an infant. Seems logical, and we ALWAYS kept him in the middle rear, and made other accommodations (ie. another car) if we needed more space. That said, that was in two consecutive Suburu Outbacks....we never tried a baby seat in the HL, and not sure how well a baby seat will fit in the center of the HL with its configuration. Regardless, there won't be much room for bigger adults with seat in the HL, but if average size adults on short trip, probably doable.

Agree with previous poster....bring seat to dealer and test to make sure it is secure, then get your wife on one side and you on other....that's what we did when we were shopping for new vehicles.

Cheers.

[tagheuer]

Originally Posted by steepfrig

We have a Graco car seat located in the 2nd row directly behind the front passenger seat. You can fit two adults in the row beside the baby, but it is tight. I definitely would not recommend that for long trips. Alternatively, you could put the 4th adult in the 3rd row of the Highlander, and there should be plenty of room for everyone. Note, however, the many comments on this forum about how the 3rd row is not as comfortable for normal-size adults on long trips. If you use the third row for an adult you will have very little room left for a stroller. Basically, you'll be able to fit an umbrella stroller or perhaps the the Graco Snap-n-go stroller. Don't even think about trying to fit a jogging stroller or other large size stroller into the back with the 3rd row in use. I doubt it is possible.

We like the Highlander for our family with one baby - and it works fine. The one knock against the Highlander is that when we are traveling with the baby, it is very tight to pack everything in the back (assuming) the 3rd row is down and the space is used for luggage. Once you add the pack-n-play and perhaps the bouncy seat and a stroller, there's not much room left for your luggage, etc. I think the Highlander will suffice for now -- but once baby #2 is on the way, we'll start looking at minivans. We'd never fit two kids + strollers + luggage for a long car trip and vacation with our Highlander.

I'm not sure I understand, you say the midsize Highlander is too small for two adults and two tiny children?

my wife and are I both about 6 foot, and we have two twin boys, 2.5 years old. The kids sit in Britax Marathon carseats. We often take road trips, and have plenty of room for us and the luggage (third row folded flat, of course).

Its got what, almost 40 cubic feet of cargo space? We fit two pack and plays, a double stroller (Mclaren umbrella), and a couple of duffel bags, no problem at all.

Why does a family of four need something larger than a Highlander?

[toy08]

I agree, the Highlander should be enough for a family of four. I have my child sit in the middle of the 2nd row. My parents would sit on opposite sides and didn't have a problem fitting. #2 is on the way and the third row will probably be utilized more to handle all of us.