New Prius Owner with baby seat

We have the Evenflo Triumph Deluxe installed behind the right passenger seat (not the middle). We call it our son's "throne" and he loves it. It fits great in the Prius with the front seat all the way back (and was fine in our CR-V and Civic too). The Prius headrest fits well with this, almost "clamping down" onto the top. We fit two small-to-moderate sized adults in the back seat along with the car seat which is acceptable for shorter trips but not longer ones. In this sense the Prius seems to have a little less horizontal room than our old CR-V did, and the middle seat is less comfortable. Thankfully I do not qualify as "small-to-moderate" and always get to drive on such trips.

We have never tried mounting this carseat in any other position (e.g. middle seat). I could not imagine that anyone except a small adult or slim teenager or smaller would be comfortable on either side with this carseat.

 

Yeeeah. Ummm... I am not sure what to tell ya on this one.

We have a Britax Marathon in the middle seat. Now, my skinny-minny sister (22yr, size 0) can actually sit on either side of the seat and she said she's O.K. My nephews (ages 6 & 7) weren't bothered by the cramped quarters. But a full size American would have some issues.

Suffice to say, it's the ONLY reason we didn't trade in our VW Passat wagon for the Prius. Granted, it usually just sits in the driveway 6 days a week, but it IS a vehicle we can comfortably call the "Family Truckster." :lol:

On the plus side, I haven't had to haul my MIL around when hubby, son and I are driving somewhere. She will gladly follow in the vehicle behind us.

 

Hmm -- I currently have an Evenflo Triumph in the middle (rearfacing), but will be switching to a Britax this week (DH needs to install...). I will follow up with you once we've tried it -- the Britax seats are rather big. With the Evenflow, we could still have adults (of European size) sit on either side for in-city rides.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(europhile @ Aug 29 2006, 09:39 AM) [snapback]311095[/snapback]</div>

What's considered "European size"? Here i'm picturing either an extremely skinny Frenchman or a wide chested, beer guzzling German (i know, stereotypes are bad...) seems to me that, even though America is obese, we still have similar scales as other countries, just top heavy, so to speak.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Aug 29 2006, 09:57 AM) [snapback]311103[/snapback]</div>

Sorry -- I guess I added to the stereotype. I really meant to say people within a normal body-mass-index range (19-25 or so).

 

The problem with using the middle seat is that it is on a hump so the seat would have to have a narrow base to keep it from rockng back and forth not to mention not squeeze the person on the left or right. It would be okay for short trips but nothing long term. The center seat does off the latch system if you figure out some way to prevent the seat from sliding to one side or the other. So far both of our forward facing child seats are too wide.

 

We have Britax seats (top rated by Consumer Reports, IIRC). I know you were asking about hte center position, but I have one of them installed in the side rear seat and it fits so beautifully, easily and snugly it's as if it were designed to go right in there. Perfect!

 

Just a quick follow up on the Britax -- it is way too big for the middle, didn't fit as well as the Evenflo. So I would have to install it on the side, if I wanted to use it. I will keep the Evenflo in the middle (it's a good fit), and the Britax will go in the other car. Britaxes are overrated anyway and way expensive.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(europhile @ Aug 30 2006, 03:41 PM) [snapback]311723[/snapback]</div>

I'm going to comment here...

I was in a major collision (t-boned ~45mph) with my son in his Britax Marathon in our previous VW Passat. We were both trandported to Shock Trauma for multiple injuries and I heard from doctors and police officers multiple times say that they can't believe that my son lived through the collision, much less have fewer injuries than I did. They all said it must've been the car seat, coupled with the fact that it was properly installed.

Those words made it SO much easier to replace the car seat with another $270 Britax Marathon. Something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. And that car seat payed for itself in spades that day.

Lastly... we installed the Britax in the middle of the rear seat, with the LATCH anchors as well as the strap anchoring in the back. It was easy and it's SOLID. Both hubby and I tried every which way to budge it and it's not going anywhere. I feel perfectly safe transporting myself and my son in our Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(europhile @ Aug 30 2006, 12:41 PM) [snapback]311723[/snapback]</div>

You're of course welcome to your feelings about Britaxes... but when it comes to my children the most important factor to me in car seats is the crash test results. And the Britax seats were top rated. So $100, $300, $500, it doesn't really matter to me... sign me up!

I haven't tried installing the Britax in the middle, but as I posted above, the seat fits like a GLOVE on the side!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(esskay @ Aug 31 2006, 02:31 AM) [snapback]312033[/snapback]</div>

That's good to know. I'll have to move it to the side next weekend when I am transporting two toddlers to the ocean (my son and his beloved cousin.) We have it in the middle and it fits perfectly.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 31 2006, 06:37 AM) [snapback]312114[/snapback]</div>

Fair enough indeed... but we have two kids, and with the older one on one side we can't really fit the car seat in the middle.

But actually in any case, more often than not my wife transports the kids in our Odyssey...where there is enough room for the younger one in the middle position and her brother in a monster sized Britax next to her.

 

O.K... one last time....

We had an impromptu passenger on our way back from the Labor Day festivities. My mother hitched a ride back with us, and sat in the rear with the car seat in the middle. We quizzed her (after this thread, naturally) about her comfort, did she feel cramped etc... And she said she was actually just fine. She said it was a little tight getting the seat belt buckled, but after that she was fine. She's 5'4" and about a buck thirty. So average size adult female. So there you have it!

 

We have both a Britax Boulevard which, while large, allows seating on both sides (my husband took that one for the Subaru) and a Evenflo Triumph which fits in my '04 Prius perfectly in the middle. We have plenty of room in the car!

Best,
Victorria


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(643DP @ Aug 28 2006, 03:41 PM) [snapback]310684[/snapback]</div>