Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Tue 6 Sep 2016 12:45
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - FoxyJukebox

I curently regularly fit two childseats in the back of our trusted A3-but a new requirement is that an adult needs accompany them and sit in the middle( with a belt).

Am thinking of changing cars--over and above the child car seat fittings which are fine and common sense-what are the essential and legal technical specs I should be looking that will fit this "adult in the middle with a belt" need please?

plus-what vehicles nearest to the A3 or Golf equivilant have this "spec"?

All advice welcome-in summary-what cars should i be looking for that safely and legally accomodate 2 child cars seats and an adult in the rear

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Tue 6 Sep 2016 13:38
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - RT

If you use Isofix child seats, their fittings points are usually so far inboard, the protect the children, that it's impossible to get an adult into the middle - so stick with belt-secured child seats.

Rear seat width is vital, the bigger the car the better.

Premium brands often "sculpt" the rear seats to be comfortable for two in the back - making the centre hump uncomfortable - so budget/mainstream may be better - Skoda Superb would be an obvious car to check out, but quite a bit bigger than an A3.

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Tue 6 Sep 2016 14:44
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - Cyd

A proper 3 point belt and not just a lap belt and a centre height adjustable head restraint (not available on many cars or sometimes an optional extra)

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Sat 10 Sep 2016 11:38
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - Bromptonaut

Puzzled by requirement for an adult in back. Presumably this is a matter of preference or regs for (eg) childminder and not some new law?

A Berlingo would fit the bill with 3 full size seats, provided the isofix fiting is on outer seats. Sliding doors a boon for loading/unloading weeuns too.

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Sat 10 Sep 2016 13:04
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - RT

Puzzled by requirement for an adult in back. Presumably this is a matter of preference or regs for (eg) childminder and not some new law?

A Berlingo would fit the bill with 3 full size seats, provided the isofix fiting is on outer seats. Sliding doors a boon for loading/unloading weeuns too.

Maybe the OP needs to accomodate 3 adults and 2 children in car seats!

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Sat 10 Sep 2016 23:35
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - Ian_SW

The best bet is to get something which has independently sliding rear seats, and then sit the adult slightly behind the child seats to give then some shoulder room.

If you like VAG cars, it would be worth looking at a Golf SV which I think has this feature, and is oddly cheaper when bought nearly new than a Golf is!

Other 5 seat cars I can immediately think of which have this feature are still about the same footprint as a Focus/Golf etc are:

Skoda Yeti, Vauxhall Meriva, Citroen C4 Picasso, Honda Jazz. There are probably many more.

If this is a regular transport arrangement for any kind of distance, you might want to step up to a 7-seater (Zafira, S-Max, Verso etc) which gives other seating options

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Mon 12 Sep 2016 10:07
Audi A3 - 2 child seats and an adult( belted) in the rear - FoxyJukebox

Thanks everybody--really helpful. Good options

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