|
Not too much of an issue for us, the astra has 3 proper diagonal belts in the back so all will have proper restraint . Mind you the way they will be squeezed in there will probably mean they couldn't move anyway....
|
I'm also looking into medium sized cars that can accomodate 3 or 4 children plus 2 adults.
The ones I've narrowed down to are a honda FRV- can seat 6 had independently movable centre seats still has a decent sized boot with the seats occupied
.
The Mazda 5 - can seat 7, but no boot space. I didn't like the 5 that much, the drivers seat didn't go back far enough and the access to the rear seats was a bit of a squash.
I think I may plump for the new CRV and make others drive in their own cars if we are going anywhere together.
I got a quote for the new CX7 which is absolutely lovely (test drive this weekend) but at £410 a month is a bit too much (even fully serviced, insured, taxed etc)
|
|
these sound good, a little too much on the expensive side for our budget though- looking to spend around 5k hence the meriva. Like the look of the FRV and CRV though...
|
We had an identical dilemna and eventually plumped for a Galaxy which has three proper rear seats (plus two in the boot which we have removed).
Most cars only have a slimline middle rear seat on the bench which will not accomodate a child seat if you have a booster on either side of it.
The problem with a lot of these compact MPVs eg Zafira, Verso etc is that the third child essentially has to sit in the boot - not much good if you get rear ended at speed...
|
Despite your comment about the Picasso, my understanding why so many have been snapped up is because of the fact it is able to take three children abreast comfortably in the rear.
The original model is based on the Xsara - its length is 14ft and 5.74ft wide.
That's slightly shorter and narrower than my VW Bora.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
|
Another option is sourcing some slimline booster seats - a colleague of mine did this in order to fit three restraints in the rear of his Scenic RX4
|
The Fiat Multipla has three-abreast seating, and is a bit wider than most, so you may get your three child seats in the back and still have room for an extra passenger when the occasion demands. The back seats move fore and aft to allow more bootspace, so this might help with spacing too.
A Scenic or (I think) Picasso are out because the centre seat is narrower than the outer two. Same goes for current-model Astra 5 door AFAIK (brother has one, but no children to put in it so I can't say for certain...).
A work colleague has fitted three child seats into the back of a Mk1 Focus and a Mk1 Galaxy; his three children are all under 3 so the sizes of seats required should be similar to yours, 3T.
|
I'm amazed your colleague got three restraints in the rear of a Focus. My seats (Klippan & Britax) wouldn't fit in the rear of my Vectra C...
I had a quick look at some interior shots of the old shape Picasso (on ebay) - rear seats all looked same size to me so that may be a good choice if you like Citroen
|
|
picasso is sounding better , quite cheap for a big lump of metal aswell. How durable are they?- would prefer derv as I have an aversion to french and petrol together
|
|
When she's driving-three in the KA-two in the back;one in the front;when your'e driving ,three in the back-why change?
|
|
If you are taken with the Picasso idea, you may find that she feels more confident and less hesitant in the higher driving position. Any new car will take some time to get used to of course, and the dashboard of the Pic seemed strange for a couple of weeks, but I enjoyed driving mine and it worked very well ferrying the children around. As they get older the higher position is also helpful for reducing travel sickness... Watch for bits of plastic trim falling off though. I wasn't hugely impressed by the quality.
|
When she's driving-three in the KA-two in the back;one in the front;when your'e driving three in the back-why change?
Good point, she was wanting to change next year anyway, otherwise we would have kept hold of it although not too easy fitting all the baby kit in a Ka, the boot is not exactly cavernous! I changed my car at beginning of May, pregnancy discovered end of May- would prob have made a different choice with my car had we known!
|
As per my earlier posting the Picasso has proved popular, IIRC, because it will take three child seats in the rear. Details of the Xsara Picasso can be found at:
www.citroen.co.uk/level3/modelpage.asp?pagetype=Xs...o
Be warned - it's a very slow loading website...:-(
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
Another possibility (although I'm not sure about how big the centre of the three rear seats is) could be the Skoda Roomster.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
|
You can buy padded clippy things (sorry, hard to describe) that bring the diagonal part of the adut belt down to the right place on a childs shoulder, so if an accident does happen the pressure from the belt is in the right place and not on the childs face/neck.
One of those could solve the problem.
----------------------------------------------
Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
|
|
Not aiming at anyone in particular but there are a lot of people who don't appear to value their child's life very highly.
|
You can buy padded clippy things...
...One of those could solve the problem.
Well it might, if
(i) it counted as an approved booster seat under the current law - which it doesn't; and
(ii) it weren't for the potentially fatal internal injuries that can be caused by an incorrectly routed lower strap. (See my post above.)
The laws of (a) England and (b) Physics say that a child should travel on a proper booster, so don't bodge it - buy one!
|
How about an R-class Merc?
has a ride in one last week, very nice!
Seriously though I used to get three little ones, 1 backward facing, one forward facing, one on a booster seat, a travel cot, kids seat, moses basket etc etc in a 5 dr Metro. Why the problem with space.
|
|
Ahh, but the Metro was magic. I managed to get a whole double bed in the back of those once (many many years ago). Still not too sure how I managed it!!
|
>>Still not too sure how I managed it!!>>
Neither am I...:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
(i) it counted as an approved booster seat under the current law - which it doesn't
Yes, it's allowed for the centre seat in the back under UK law.
(ii) it weren't for the potentially fatal internal injuries that can be caused by an incorrectly routed lower strap.
Why does a booster seat ensure that a belt can't be incorrect? Any belt must be fitted with care to make sure it sits in the right place and is the correct tension around the waist. So what advantage does a booster seat have?
|
HJ,
a minor point - you say that all 6 seats in the FRV can slide back and fore... actually, its only the middle seat in the second row that can do this (plus, obviously, all the seats in the front row). The outer 2 seats on the second row can recline to various angles, or fold flat, but don't slide.
We've had an FRV for 2 months now, and are very happy with it. There are a few minor oddities in the design (for instance, to cycle through the display on the computer, one has to reach around or through the steering wheel to push a little button buried in the speedometer dials), but as a whole it works very well for us. The 6 seat layout is perfect - we are a family of 4, and sometimes need to carry a couple of visitors (usually grandparents), but very rarely ever need to go up to 7 passengers. One can get 6 people in and still have the use of a good sized boot. The engine is excellent, and the car cruises wonderfully. Most of the time we keep the middle seat in the front row folded down, which leaves one with a huge center tray for things to pass back to the children in the rear, with armrests on each side. The dashboard gearstick took a few days to get used to, but now I quite like it. My only niggles are that I dislike the rather jerky first gear, and I wish that I could raise the front-end of the drivers seat a touch further to give better leg support.
I realise that the OP didn't want a car as big as a Scenic/Picasso, and this is similar sized. However we both find it pretty easy to manoeuvre around (though the rear parking sensors (standard on our model, though I don't know if that is the case across the range) are probably essential for parking) and one could easily get 3 proper child seats in it.
--
\"Archie\"
|
>Why does a booster seat ensure that a belt can't be incorrect?
Why? To protect the child from internal injury caused by the belt transferring energy to the soft parts of the abdomen in an accident.
How? If you look at a booster, you'll see it's thicker at the front than at the back, so raising the child's knees a little and naturally tilting the child back into the seat. The horns at the side then guide the lower belt over the pelvic bones and prevent it from sliding up over the abdomen. The booster also positions the child better relative to the diagonal belt - and allows a better view out - but the correct positioning of the lower belt is its primary function.
Without a correctly shaped, hard booster, a child in a seat shaped for an adult will naturally slide down and forward, tilting the pelvis upward and under the lower seat belt. This is why a booster is required and a rolled-up blanket will not do.
The legal requirements, with some reasoning (although a deplorably inaccurate use of the word 'stomach'!) are all here: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/childcarseats...m
There is no mention of Sim-O's clippy thing. It may be a bit better than a seat belt alone in the case where 'two occupied child seats in the rear prevent the fitment of a third', but it should be strictly for occasional use. My boys would have liked to take a friend along on a day out last week. Our car won't take a third seat in the back - and there's no override for the front airbag - so I said no.
Sorry if this sounds patronizing or sanctimonious, but I've gone for spelling it out as plainly as I can because it really matters, and there's some truly appalling ignorance and recklessness out there. No-one who even aspires to being a responsible parent should need the law to tell them to do this stuff - and to read enough to understand why it's important.
|
|
|
