Car for 3 car seats???

[korina]

Hi there,

Not sure if this is the best place to post, but I just need some ideas now that we have number 3 on the way...

We have a 2005 Commodore sedan, and while I know that 3 car seats will fit, I feel that it will be a little cramped, especially as I intend to have the new baby in the centre seat as I personally feel it is safest.

I have been doing a bit of research and like the sound of the Ford Territory 7 seater, but I don't know anyone who has one so I can't ask them about it...

Does anyone out there have one of these? Can you please tell me what the fuel consumption is like and whether you would buy one again if you had the choice?

I'd also love to hear any other car suggestions so any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks so much !!! :)

[twinmummee]

My SIL has 3 boys and when number 3 was born all 3 were under 4yo. She has a Commodore wagon and there seems to be plenty of room. She was going to put the youngest in the middle but number 2 was very curious as a 2and a 1/2 yr old so she had to put bub on the side and his biggest brother next to him....

[lovelymum]

sorry to jump in on your question, but I am facing a similar problem, only we have a mazda 3 sedan and I am wondering if anyone can tell me if I will fit in three car seats (two baby seats and I booster) maybe what brands we could look for. I am not at all keen to change over cars as ours is still quite new!!

[Lissa7]

Hi girls,

We had this problem recently as we just had DD3 in July. We have a new Mitsubishi Pajero 7 seater and as big as they are getting 3 seats in the back proved to be a big headache!!!!!!!!

Anyway to cut a long story short I called Britax and they were sooooo helpful, the lady got me to measure the back seat and this is what we come up with which works great for us, although it is still a tight fit!!!!

DD1 (4yrs) in middle on a safe n' sound booster with h harness
DD2 (3yrs) behind me in a safe n' sound highliner with h harness
DD3 (14 weeks) behind passenger in a safe n' sound capsule (once she out grows this she will go into our safe n' sound platinum)

Hope this helps, I suggest calling them they will save you the headache of shopping around.

Oh by the way they will fit fine in a territory I have a few girlfriends that have them and they have a similar set up to me and they have no problems at all.

[FiveInTheBed]

KIA carnival...see my avatar!!:D

Don't like the idea of a 4wd after having a family freighter.

[korina]

Thanks so much for the feedback so far!! :D

Keep it coming please, especially if you know about the fuel economy for the Territory or have other car suggestions (thanks for the Kia tip.. probably put that on our list too !!!)

[Ffrenchknickers]

We have a Pajero and the 3 seats fit easily :)

[Leeny]

I believe in heavier traffic, the ford territory often uses up to 15 litres per 100kms.. Highway driving, its down around the 11-12 litres per 100 kms..

So not the most economical car in the world, but not as bad as others I guess :)

Fuel economy is the only bad thing I've heard about the territory, but these days it can be important if you do a lot of driving I guess :)

[MumOf4Monsters]

Hi :wave:

I just bought the new Ford Territory 2 months ago and i'm absolutly in love with it!
I can't fault it at all!

Ford state that you will get 100km per 12.5 litres, which is pretty accurate. I get around 500km's to a 60 litre tank which is roughly the same as my old Falcon. It has excellent highway fuel economy. I drove from Brissie to Gladstone (just over 500km's) and had just over a quater of a tank left. Bear in mind that this is the fuel economy for the rear wheel drive. The all wheel drive would use up more fuel.

You will definately fit three carseats across the 2nd row of seats. The thing i also love about the territory is that you can slide the second row of seats forward or back. I like to have my seat right back when i drive so i can adjust the 2nd row back so that the kids are'nt squished.

there are heaps of consoles and drinkbottle/cup holders throughout the car, which is great for the kids. Oh and don't forget about the wine bottle holders on the sides :o

When i first got the car i was a little worried about the boot size (I have the 7 seater) It does look really small, but i do a full shop for 6 of us and fit all of my shopping in the boot, (except if i buy a box of nappies). The boot is huge when the extra rear seats are folded down and it's really quick and easy to put the seats down too.

The car drives really well. I've also got a people mover which is horrible to drive. I find that driving the territory is just like driving my old falcon, it's pretty zippy for a large car.

Alrighty sorry this is sooo long :ecomcity:....as you can tell i love my territory and oh yes i would highly recommend them and would definately buy one again!

Feel free to message me if you have any more questions!

[missyjayne]

Hi,

I agree re: the territory's - they're fabulous! unfortunately don't have one my self, only a ford escape atm, but on have one dd for now so it's ok. I have friends who have the territory.

3 car seats will most certainly fit in the territory, also when i used to nanny one of the families i worked for had three in car seats and had a volvo station wagon 4wd thing, sorry for the lack of technical terms on that one i'm not all that familiar with volvo's although volvo's have stigma attached to them this was a great car and there were no worries fitting the three in. On the other hand, my aunt drives a commodore sedan and fits three car seats in just fine also.

so in summary
Territory
Volvo 4wd
Commodore (I presume the falcon's would be the same size wise)

M.

me25
dp28
dd6

[korina]

Katie - I like the Pajero's, but I don't think the budget will stretch that far unfortunately! I would love a diesel !

Leeny, Mumof4Monsters & Missy - thanks for the feedback on the Territory. Good to know you've had great experiences with them! We probably stand a chance at picking one up at a reasonable price. By the way, as far as fuel economy goes, our 2005 Commodore sedan currently returns anywhere between 16l and 17l per 100k's for city driving - awful. We live about 4 k's out of Perth city, so this is really the only number we're interested in. So sounds like the Territory will actually be a little more economical than our current ride!

[Me]

We have a territory and have never had the need for 3 seats in the car, but have had 2 maxiriders(quite wide for car seats) sitting side by side with no problems and plenty of room on the other side for an adult(or an extra car seat I'm sure).

They are lovely to drive. Ours is rear wheel drive, and more economical than our old santa fe(hyundai awd - mid sized). If you've got it in the budget, try to get the reverse parking sensors, just makes it a little easier to reverse park and gives you that peace of mind when reversing in a car park that there is no-one behind you.

They are wide though, so if you have a small garage, you may want to take this into mind(there is no way anyone would be able to get out of the back seat of ours on the drivers side because of the way we need to park in our tiny garage!).

All in all, a great car IMO.

[headoverfeet]

I'd go the Kia too, its what I am getting.

[jpm3]

i have a 7 seater Ford territory and i love it, i have 3 seats across the back and ocassionally i pull up the back 2 seats when i am taking extra people in the car. it's hard to fit a pram in the car once the back seats are up, but i guess most 7 seaters would loose boot space...
it's pretty good on the fuel, no complaints.
i would buy it again.

[desperatetofall]

I'd recommend the Citroen C4 Picasso. It's a 7 seater and very economical being a diesel car and best of all, because it's a European car it has the highest safety rating, which is most important when you're driving your precious ones around. When it comes to safety, I won't take any chances. Hope this helps.

[farmerswife]

Thanks for the fanastic thread ladies!! Bub #3 is due in July and i got on here tonight to post this exact question and now i have my answer, so easy!! :D:D:D