All posts by Mike

3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit a Chevrolet Cruze?

September 1, 2014 Mike

The Chevrolet “Chevy” Cruze (whose luxury equivalent is the Buick Verano) is one of the best selling small cars in the United States today, although it’s not quite as popular as the Honda Civic, Toyota Prius, or Toyota Corolla. However, it’s still a popular choice for small or young families looking for a safe and affordable vehicle to transport their children in, and like the Mazda 3 or Hyundai Elantra, the Cruze offers an alternative for parents looking for something beyond the typical Honda / Toyota fare. This is why it’s important to know how the Chevy Cruze rates when it comes to puzzling car seats inside it, especially when it comes to making 3 across installations possible or impossible.

You know the basics of best practices in car seat safety: rear-face as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-face as long as possible (ideally until 6, 7, or 8!), and then booster until a regular belt fits your child (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These suggestions help keep kids safe by helping keep them restrained in safer positions for longer amounts of time.

However, for this information to be helpful, you need to know if a particular car seat will fit in your particular vehicle. Here are my experiences fitting a range of seats inside various years of the Chevrolet Cruze, and I believe it to be the most detailed guide on the Internet. If you find my guide helpful, you can shop using the Amazon links below. I’ll periodically update each page as I try more seats in more positions.

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The guide to recommended Canadian car seats is here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2016, 2017, 2018 Chevrolet Cruze

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The current generation of the Chevrolet Cruze is just under 184 inches long and just under 71 inches wide, making it 3 inches longer but no wider than the previous generation. Because the internal design is more or less the same (although the cosmetics have been refined), fitting car seats in the current Cruze will be just about the same as fitting them into the previous Cruze. You’ll want to use seat belts to get all 3 seats in, and save LATCH for when you only need to install one or two seats.

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Cruze (J300)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian R120 / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Sureride, Graco Connext.

Evenflo Sureride, Combi Coccoro, Graco TurboBooster.

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation of the Chevy Cruze is 181 inches long and 71 inches wide, which makes it more challenging than the average vehicle to pull off a 3 across installation in. However, it’s definitely possible to do so. Be sure to use a seat belt installation for all three seats to make this a more feasible affair.

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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.

Diono Cambria Booster Preview Review…Bye-Bye, Monterey

August 30, 2014 Mike

I’m always interested in new developments in booster technology, and Diono, one of my favorite manufacturers for convertible car seats, has retired their Monterey highback booster and is set to roll out its replacement: the Diono Cambria Highback Booster. It’s been on sale overseas for several months now, but Diono has had shipping issues in the United States, and from contacting them, I can confirm that they’re finally ready to start shipping these to the general population in the next couple of weeks. Here is what we know about the Monterey so far:

What Are the Measurements?

It’s going to support children who weigh between 40 and 120 pounds, which is typical for most boosters on the market today. The height range is between 38″ and 63″, which is also typical. The maximum seated shoulder height as defined by the belt guide is around 21″, and the seat itself is 17″ wide at its widest point.

What About the Fun Features?

Creature comforts on the seat include the fact that flexible lower LATCH attachments are included. You also get a pair of cup holders, and you can use it either in a high back or a backless mode. I always recommend booster seats be used in high back modes, as they simply offer more protection and better bracing for children who don’t sit perfectly all the time than backless boosters ever will. However, whether you’re using it in the high back mode or in the backless mode, you’ll need to have head support (e.g., headrests) in the vehicle in which it’s installed.

Personally, I’m also a fan of the futuristic and highly ergonomic shape of the seat. It reminds me of the Cruiserfix Pro, a great booster seat in its own right.

Diono Cambria Booster Quick Stats:

Weight: 40 to 120 lbs.
Height: 38-63.”
Shoulder Height: 21″ to the belt guide.
Seat Width: 17″ at widest point behind seat.
Seat Depth: 14.”

Overall, I think this is going to be a good booster seat from Diono, even if it’s not a particularly groundbreaking one. You can buy it from Amazon here in a range of colors once they start shipping, which will hopefully be soon!

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3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Will Fit in a Scion xB?

August 29, 2014 Mike

The Scion xB is (was, since its discontinue in 2015) a small car popular with people interested in saving gas, reducing their environmental impact, buying affordable vehicles, and hauling large things with small spaces. It competes with other small sedans and hatchback wagons like the Ford Focus, Toyota Prius, Toyota Corolla, Kia Soul, Hyundai Elantra, and Honda Civic. It’s also a pretty popular vehicle with young families, which is why it’s important to know which kinds of car seats are compatible with the xB, especially when trying to install 3 car seats across in a Scion. Here are the results of my research, several scraped knuckles later!

I always like to begin by advocating best practices in car seat safety, regardless of the vehicle involved: rear-face as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-face as long as possible (ideally until 8!), and then booster until a regular belt fits your child (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep our kids safe by keeping them restrained in the right kinds of seats at the right ages.

However, for this information to be helpful, you need to know if a particular car seat will fit in your particular vehicle. Here are my experiences fitting a range of seats inside various years of the Scion xB. I’ll periodically update each page as I try more seats in more positions, as it’s my goal to make this the most thorough list for the Scion xB online.

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. Canadians can see recommended car seats here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Scion xB

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Combi Coccoro, Kiddy CruiserFix Pro.

Graco Snugride 35, Kiddy CruiserFix Pro, Diono Radian / RXT.

Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Chicco KeyFit 30, Kiddy CruiserFix Pro.

Tips and Tricks:

This final generation of the Scion xB is 167 inches long and 69 inches wide. Make no mistake; it is a small car. However, it’s definitely possible to do 3 across successfully in it, especially with the use of seat belts for each seat. Because of how short the vehicle is front-to-back, if you’re going to rear-face with a Radian, you’ll definitely want to consider the angle adjuster so there’s enough room to keep the driver and front-passenger happy; it’s cheap and it makes a world of a difference in a car as short as the xB.

2004, 2005, 2006 Scion xB

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Graco HeadWise 70, Baby Trend Flex Loc, Graco My Ride 65.

Tips and Tricks:

This generation of the Scion xB is 155 inches long and 67 inches wide, which means fitting 3 across will be more of a challenge than it is in nearly any other sedan on the road. It’s definitely possible, though, as long as you’re using the right seats. Once again, you’ll absolutely want to use seat belts to have a chance with these installations; save LATCH for when you’re only dealing with one car seat.

As is the case with the following generation xB, because of how short the vehicle is front-to-back, if you’re going to rear-face with a Radian, you’ll definitely want to consider the angle adjuster so there’s enough room to keep the driver and front-passenger happy; it’s cheap and it makes a world of a difference in a car as short as the xB.

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Tyler J Alitz, 20, in Concordia, KS, Killed in Car vs. Pickup Crash

August 26, 2014 Mike

Who:
Tyler J Alitz, 20, was killed in Concordia, KS, just after 4PM on Wednesday, 5/21/14. He drove a 2000 purple Toyota Avalon and collided head-on with a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup that hauled three vehicles on a trailer. The pickup was driven by Kyle Glassman, 27, from Duncan, OK. Duncan received non-life-threatening injuries.

How:
Per police reports, Alitz was northbound on Lincoln St / Highway 81. For unknown reasons, he crossed the center lane to impact the southbound Ram. He was not wearing a seat belt and required extrication. Glassman was wearing a seat belt and also required extrication. Alitz died on the way to the hospital.

Why:
This is another sad case of driver error leading to a preventable collision, and a lack of seat belt use leading to a possibly preventable death.

The 2000 Avalon is a safe car, as described here. It weighs 3468 lbs and comes with a “good” IIHS frontal score. It was impacted by a 2014 Ram pulling a 3-car trailer loaded with a van and two mid-sized vehicles. Let’s estimate the weights as 5090 lbs for the Ram, 7500 lbs for the trailer and 11,400 lbs for the 3 vehicles towed. That sums to 23,990 lbs, or 692% of the Avalon’s weight. As a result, the Avalon automatically faced 692% more force in the collision than it would have colliding with another Fusion, placing it at an incredibly severe disadvantage in the collision.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~55 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 3.29MJ of energy into the Avalon. The Avalon frontal impact test simulates 251KJ of energy (an Avalon impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Avalon faced 1310% of the force it would have experienced in the type of crash the vehicle was rated for. Death was sadly a near-certainty. The images suggest a severe amount of intrusion into the vehicle, and there appears to be very little survival space left forward of the B-pillar. His odds of survival would still have been incredibly small even with seat belt use, but they would still have been significantly greater, particularly given the fact that Alitz was still alive when extricated from the vehicle.

We may never know why Alitz crossed the center line. We do know that his momentary instance of distracted driving and lack of seat belt use led to the untimely end of his life.

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3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit in a Dodge Journey?

August 25, 2014 Mike

The Dodge Journey is one of the newest mid-sized SUVs / crossovers on the market, offering an alternative to a market full of SUVs like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Ford Edge, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s a sharp looking SUV and one of the only mid-sized SUVs out there that offers a 3rd row, along with SUVs like the Pilot, Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Flex, and Volvo XC90, which made me curious about how it does when it comes to successful 3 across car seat installations.

You know the basics of best practices in car seat safety: rear-face as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-face as long as possible (ideally until 8!), and then booster until a regular belt fits your child (which typically happens between 10 and 12).

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Dodge Journey

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Evenflo Tribute, Peg Perego Convertible, Evenflo Sureride.

Chicco KeyFit 30, Graco Nautilus, Britax Marathon / Boulevard.

Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Marathon / Boulevard, Diono Radian / RXT.

Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.

Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Evenflo Amp.

Graco Snugride 35, Britax Advocate, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Advocate, Diono Radian / RXT.

Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Marathon / Boulevard.

Britax Parkway SGL, Evenflo Sureride, Britax Parkway SGL.

Graco Affix, Evenflo Sureride, Graco Affix.

Tips and Tricks:

This is the only generation of the Dodge Journey, and it is 192 inches long and 72 inches wide. Achieving 3 across installations should be relatively straightforward at that width in the 2nd row, but achieving even 2 across will be significantly more difficult in the 3rd row jump seats.

It may also be slightly easier to achieve a 3 across installation in the 2009 and 2010 model years than in the 2011 and later model years due to slight updates in the Journey’s interior trim linings.

It’s also important to note that in the Dodge Journey, there are no tethers in the 3rd row if a 3rd row is present, and there are only 2 tethers in the 2nd row. Some parents also state that the 3rd row Journeys are wider than the 2nd row Journeys, although I haven’t been able to verify this.

Furthermore, the center seat is the one I find most tricky for a good install with particular seats, due to the plastic hinges present as well as the locking latch plate on the seat belt itself. The buckle stalk is also fixed in place and rather short, which can also make things tricky.

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35,000 Americans will die this year on the road. You don't have to be one of them. A car seat and car safety blog to promote best practices for families.