The Dodge Challenger isn’t the kind of car I typically check for 3 across situations. It’s a muscle car, it’s driven by a lot of bachelors, and it only has two doors. However, I’ve gotten enough emails from parents (and responded to them) to realize that, even if it’s not the most popular family car on the road in the US, it’s definitely one that a surprising number of people use to transport their little ones around. And if that’s the case, you bet your bottom dollar I was going to make a 3 across car seat guide for it.

Despite its muscle reputation, the Challenger does come with a number of safety features, including ESC, good NHTSA crash scores, and side airbags. Think of it as the coupe version of the Dodge Charger, which is itself a testosteronized version of the Chrysler 300. However you look at it, it’s a full-sized pony car you can use to transport kids. The question was: how many, and how safely? That’s what I set off to find out.

Before doing so, however, why don’t we take a look at some basic tenets of car safety. When questioned by parents, I always suggest starting with rear-facing.

It’s the safest position we know of, and the longer our kids rear-face, the safer they’ll be, regardless of what kind of vehicle they travel in. I recommend keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until 8!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Dodge Challenger 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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Dodge Challenger

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Head Wise 65 (x3).

Graco Fit4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Contender (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

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

The 3rd generation Dodge Challenger is just under 198 inches long and just under 76 inches wide. On paper, that looks good. However, being a coupe, you’re going to struggle some whenever you try to get children into or out of that back seat, never mind car seats themselves.

The biggest issue is likely to be front-to-back room. Being a coupe, priority is naturally given to the front seats, which means you’re going to need to make sure that your rear-facing seats don’t take up too much room. You’ll want to consider the convertible car seat leg room comparison guide for convertible seats if you’ve got an exotic seat in mind.

Besides that, however, you won’t have any particularly unique issues besides those inherent to a coupe design. You’ve got LATCH anchors available, but use the seat belts to get more room. Try not to bump your head (or those of your offspring) while inserting or removing seats or children.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can buy my books here or do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Send me an email at carcrashdetective [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Volvo S80 is the current flagship sedan produced by Volvo Cars (although it’s due to be replaced by the S90 in 2016), and is designed to compete with a range of large and full-sized luxury sedans in the United States, including luminaries such as the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Acura TLX, and Lexus GS. It’s not as well known as some of the competition, but when it comes to value, it’s definitely competitive. It also naturally competes with its smaller sibling, the S60.

The S80 features a range of top notch crash scores and safety features, including side airbags and ESC, as well as frontal crash protection in the latest models. As a result, it’s not just favored by executives and business-types, but by families interested in one of the safest sedans money can buy. As a result, I got up close and personal with both generations of the S80 to see just how car-seat friendly they’d be for interested families.

Before looking at which car seats did and didn’t fit in the S80 in 3 across setups, it’s worth reviewing a bit of car safety, in terms of which kinds of seats to use and when.

For me, the most basic and essential part of car seat safety involves rear-facing. It’s the safest position we know of, and the longer our kids rear-face, the safer they’ll be, regardless of what kind of vehicle they travel in. I recommend keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until 8!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Volvo S80 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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

The second (and final) generation S80 is 191 inches long (except in the S80L, which is 196.5 inches long) and just over 73 inches wide, which gives you a decent amount of interior room to work with for 3 across situations. Due to the substantial doors and padding in the Volvo interior (for safety and comfort), the back row isn’t the widest, but it’s definitely wide enough as long as you’re willing to use your seat belts instead of LATCH for the installation. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH, and in some cases, safer, depending on the weight limits of your car seats.

Because the S80 is rather short as far as luxury sedans go, you might easily find yourself compromised on front-to-back space, especially if you’ve got taller drivers or passengers. If you’re interested in which safe seats take up the least space, you’ll definitely want to check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

The first generation S80 is 190-191 inches long, depending on whether you bought it before 2004 or after, and just over 72 inches wide, which is about comparable to most mid-sized sedans on the road today. Due to the substantial doors and padding in the Volvo interior (for safety and comfort), the back row isn’t the widest, but it’s definitely wide enough as long as you’re willing to use your seat belts instead of LATCH for the installation. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH, and in some cases, safer, depending on the weight limits of your car seats.

Because the S80 is rather short as far as luxury sedans go, you might easily find yourself compromised on front-to-back space, especially if you’ve got taller drivers or passengers. If you’re interested in which safe seats take up the least space, you’ll definitely want to check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

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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.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is an oddly-named yet dearly loved compact crossover, or small SUV, sold in the United States. It competes with a glut of vehicles in the compact SUV market, including the Chevy Trax / Buick Encore, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, and Jeep Patriot. Being a small VW, it shares a platform with the Golf, Jetta, Passat, and Audi Q3.

In other words, The Tiguan’s got company among families interested in fuel-friendly and safe transportation. As a result, I took it upon myself to figure out just how friendly and safe of an SUV it was when it came to fitting 3 car seats across the back row. Sure, it has good crash scores (except for the small overlap frontal test result, which is marginal as of 2016), ESC, side airbags, and all of the other basic safety elements we’ve come to expect from a vehicle made in the 21st century, but the car seat question’s one you just can’t take for granted.

Before we dive into which seats did and didn’t work in the Tiguan, though, why not join me for a quick read of what’s important to do and when (and why!) when it comes to car seat ages and stages.

For me, car seat safety starts with rear-facing. It’s the safest position we know of, and the longer our kids rear-face, the safer they’ll be, regardless of what kind of vehicle they travel in. I recommend keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4 or later!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until at least 5!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Volkswagen Tiguan 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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Peg Perego Viaggio Flex 120 (x3).

Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

The second generation Tiguan is significantly larger than the initial generation and has been split into short- and long-wheelbase versions. The LWB variation is the only version available in North America. It comes in four trim levels: S, SE, SEL, and SEL Premium, and all FWD versions have a standard 3rd row, which is optional in AWD trims. The LWB Tiguan is 185.5 inches long and 72.4 inches wide. The additional length makes front-to-back space much more amenable to car seat installation in the 2nd row, but it’s still too short for anything rear-facing in the 3rd row; you’ll want to stick to booster seats and forward-facing seats. The width  is slightly easier than that in the 1st gen Tiguan, but you’ll still want to stick with narrow seats and seat belts over LATCH to optimize available space.

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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.

The (now-discontinued) Nissan Quest is the unsung hero of the minivan scene in the United States. It seems like everyone’s got a Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Chrysler Town & Country, or Dodge Grand Caravan (its twin), but very few folks seem to have a Quest. Those who do, however, tend to appreciate the fact that they cost a lot less than most of the other more popular minivans, and do just about as well of a job in getting the family from point A to point B. The biggest flaw in the Quest at the moment is its poor small overlap score, which Nissan will hopefully correct soon.

I borrowed a current generation Nissan Quest this week to see how it did when it came to fitting 3 seats across the 3rd row. Nissan is unique among the current US minivan crop in that it only permits 3 across seating in the 2nd row. The Grand Caravan and Town & Country only seat 7 the way the Quest does, but their 3-across area is the 2nd row. It’s not a big deal; it’s just something unique about the Quest. At any rate, before looking at what I was able to stuff into that 3rd row, let’s look at some good ideas for when to use which kinds of seats in the Quest or in any other vehicle.

The safest configuration we know of when it comes to vehicle safety is rear-facing. This goes for adults as well, but it’s uncommon to find rear-facing seats for adults outside of trains. That said, rear-face your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for as long as possible (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). We want our little ones in the safest positions we know of for as long as possible to give them the greatest advantages 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 Nissan Quest. 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.

The Dodge Caliber was a sportily-styled compact crossover wagon sold by Dodge from model years 2007 to 2012. It came after the Neon and was replaced by the Dodge Dart in 2013. It shared a platform with the Mitsubishi Outlander, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot.  Unlike the Dart or the crossover SUVs I just mentioned, the Caliber never really took off in the US, but many parents continue to email me asking which car seats will fit 3 across in a Dodge Caliber, and I figured it was high time I put together a 3 across guide to help all of the parents who haven’t emailed me yet.

The Dodge Caliber still makes a decent family vehicle; it wasn’t very roomy inside, but it could seat 5 and it was more capable than a compact sedan due to the hatchback.

Before looking at which car seats did and didn’t fit in the Caliber in 3 across setups, it’s worth reviewing a bit of car safety, in terms of which kinds of seats to use and when.

My first recommendation for all parents is to start their kids out rear-facing (it’s also the law), and to keep rear-facing long after the law requires them to. Specifically, I suggest keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until 8!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Dodge Caliber on the Internet, covering every model year of the crossover / wagon ever made. 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, although I’ll prioritize vehicles currently manufactured over ones.

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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Dodge Caliber was a small car at just under 174 inches long and just under 69 inches wide. In fact, it’s one of the narrowest vehicles I’ve ever had the displeasure of fitting car seats into. Many folks think you can’t do 3 across in it, but you defnitely can; you need the right seats, though, and you absolutely need to use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system, which will work nicely for 2 seats but not at all when trying for 3. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH, and in some cases, safer, depending on the weight limits of your car seats.

Given the length of the Caliber, if you’re concerned about making things work in terms of front-to-back space, you’ll also want to check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

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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.