The Jeep Wrangler is one of the most iconic American SUVs, with a devoted following among weekend warriors and full time off-roaders alike. With the introduction of the 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, it has become a serious, if unconventional, competitor to more established family vehicles in the mid-size SUV market like the Chevrolet Equinox, Kia Sorento, Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and its stablemates the Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
For me, the biggest issues with the Wrangler from a safety perspective are the lack of side airbags as standard features and the lack of a strong roof due to the cloth or plastic tops they come with. That said, the 4-door versions are still among the safest vehicles on the road as measured by driver death rates, and I made it my goal to see how well they did when it comes to fitting 3 car seats across the back row. Before reviewing which seats did and didn’t work, though, let’s take a quick look at which kinds of seats should be used as well as when with our little ones.
First of all, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are safest when rear-facing. I recommend rear-facing as long as you can (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, it’s best to keep them restrained in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Keeping kids in safe positions for as long as possible gives them the best odds of survival in a collision.
Keeping these ideas in mind, I set to work to find which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would work best in 3 across combinations in the Jeep Wrangler. It’s my goal to make this list the most thorough on the Internet. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.
You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian car seat guide is here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.
These 3-across combinations do not apply to the 2-door version the Jeep Wrangler. The widths isn’t the problem; the difference is that the 2-door model only includes 2 seats and 2 restraint systems (seat belts or LATCH), making 3 across mathematically impossible.
2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
coming soon!
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Graco Contender (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).
Recaro Performance SPORT (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Graco Head Wise 70, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Head Wise 70, Graco Head Wise 70.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is 183 inches long and 74 inches wide, which is about typical for a 2-row mid-sized SUV. It’s narrower on the inside than you’d think, however, because of how the wheels are offset relative to the passenger cabin. That said, you can still fit a wide, wide range of seats inside one. Jeep also allows borrowing LATCH anchors, which gives you a few more options for LATCH installations than you’d typically find in a vehicle. That said, the seat belt system will still be your best bet for achieving a good fit.
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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.