Child Car Seats in '07 Legacy LGT Wagon

[nx2000]

I have the Graco Snugride baby seat but are soon graduating to a Britax Roundabout.

 

We bought another base for the Snugride so there's one in the LGT wagon (my car) and one in the Impreza TS wagon (wife's car). With the car seat clicking into the base, we couldn't find a comfortable driving position in the Impreza so we put the baby seat on the passenger side. So the driver sits comfortably in their normal position while the passenger has to suffer.

 

This wasn't the case in the LGT as there is more rear seat room and we put the baby seat behind the driver's seat.

 

Moving up the next car seat, we were able to take the display models and test fit them in our cars. This was extremely helpful as we found that the Britax Marathon was huge (previously mentioned) and that the Britax Roundabout fit both cars better.

 

FWIW, the Britaxs were both highly recommended by Consumer Reports.

[hadvw]

I have the Graco Snugride baby seat but are soon graduating to a Britax Roundabout.

 

We bought another base for the Snugride so there's one in the LGT wagon (my car) and one in the Impreza TS wagon (wife's car). With the car seat clicking into the base, we couldn't find a comfortable driving position in the Impreza so we put the baby seat on the passenger side. So the driver sits comfortably in their normal position while the passenger has to suffer.

 

This wasn't the case in the LGT as there is more rear seat room and we put the baby seat behind the driver's seat.

 

Really? We had to put even our Snugride behind the passenger seat (LGT wagon) due to lack of space. Is there maybe a difference between LTD and non-LTD? We have the LTD, and since we're both tall (6'1"/5'9"), we like to keep the seats as far back as they'll go..

 

Now that our (almost) 20 month old sits facing forward, we put the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite behind the driver's seat in the LGT (still behind passenger for Mazda3 - my wife wanted to see our girl more easily). When #2 arrives in January, we'll have to put the Snugride back behind the passenger seat and once again, mom will be cramped..

[EL PAALO]

Recaro Young Sport.

[nycparkie]

I know this is an old discussion, but I am haaving the same dilemea. I am looking to purchase a LGT wagon, but I have a 2- year old and infant on the way, and the whole motivation for a new vehicle is that the infant rear facing seat doesn't fit in our Scion XA with a front passenger.

But according to the #'s the legacy has less rear leg romm than my sub-compact. WTF? I thought this car was a mid/full size sedan/wagon. More the size of a 3-series, not a 5-.

[Guest]

Use Britax Roundabout rear facing (the best seat) and you will have no problems. Skip on the infant carrier.

[DukeTrout]

nycparkie - You'll have no problems with any seat out there in a LGT wagon, unless you're trying to fit a rear-facing seat behind Shaquille O'Neal in the passenger seat. The (pre-2010) LGT is more of a compact than a mid-size, much less full-size car on the outside. However, they really did a great job with the layout and it has more room, functionally, than a 3 series or A4 in the back. I've been cramped in those back seats, and I'm only 5'10", whereas I'm completely comfortable in the back seat of a LGT.

 

You can just fit three car seats in a row in the back, if you are careful about the order you put them in so that you can access the seat belts. We also often take my mother-in-law skiing with us, and she does fine with the drive up the mountain between two car seats back there.

[__raj]

Use Britax Roundabout rear facing (the best seat) and you will have no problems. Skip on the infant carrier.

 

I use this seat and a Britax Marathon(larger) in our LGT wagon. Very happy and they fit fine rear and forward facing.

 

Remember rear facing is pretty short time in your cars life unless you have lots of kids, then again you won't be driving a LGT then either.

[hadvw]

nycparkie - You'll have no problems with any seat out there in a LGT wagon, unless you're trying to fit a rear-facing seat behind Shaquille O'Neal in the passenger seat.

 

I respectfully disagree. Then again, I'm the person who, at 6'1" and my wife at 5'9.5" both feel the '05-09 LGT could do with another 3-5 inches of leg room. Her Mazda 3 had more leg room for crying out loud (I was more comfortable driving it).

 

We had to really maneuver our Alpha Omega Elite (pretty common seat, I think) to get it to fit rear-facing. The top lip ended up between top of the seat and headrest, which was sub-optimal for degrees of tilt of the child seat. For an optimal fit, we had to move the passenger's seat up 2-4 inches, and my wife was VERY squished the whole time we did this with our first child. For the second, since we had a minivan by this time (we often take a 3rd teenager/adult), most trips were taken using the van.

 

However, now that the seats are forward facing (2 kids, one Alpha Omega, one Sunshine Kids up-to-100 lbs seat - we have tall kids) they fit fine with no problems. Not sure we could squeeze anyone over 4' into the middle though.

 

I'm sure the '10+ model has more room, but try it out before you buy. You do NOT want to get stuck with no more room than before when you paid lots of $$$ to get more space.

 

Just MHO.

[nycparkie]

Thanks for the info. But from the differing interpretations of 'enough room' I will check myself and report back. i wonder if these infant seats need to be so big to meet regs? With the movement being towards smaller cars one would think the seat companies would try to feed that market. It is amazing that a family wagon could not even fit a infant seat.

 

Maybe the seat companies are in bed with the Truck/SUV heavy manufactures i don't want to drive a boat.

[Leonardo]

When she was a baby, We had the Peg Perego and now we have the Britax Marathon in out cars (total of four seats as we have 2 kids):

http://www.egiggle.com/images/products/1_14163_FS_Britax-Marathon-Car-Seat.jpg

Perfect match for the unlimited cloth seats might I add)

 

 

My son is not moving from it to the Britax Parkway booster seat:

http://www.babyearth.com/images2/products/additional_medium/10-8409-01c.jpg

[__raj]

My only other advice about car seats is research prices hard on line. Case in point a Britax Marathon in the current fabric runs about $280. I purchased a black/grey like above for $170(discontinued fabric) shipped to my door. I also did not have to struggle with the over sized box and carrying it to my car.

[nycparkie]

Well I was able to test it out and looks like it will fit. Not too comfortable for the front passenger but manageble for the 10 months until the infant moves foward facing.

[TSiWRX]

mycparkie, most stores - even the large chains like Babies-R-Us, should be willing to let you "take out" their display seats, one at a time, to your vehicle, provided that you leave some kind of collateral.

 

In all honesty, that's really what you've got to do - and I see you've already started doing so!

 

But for those who are wondering "why?" - it's simple:

 

Everyone sits differently, and although we here who are parents or otherwise have had extensive experience in this area can go on and on about what worked and what did not, the truth is that what works for some may well not work for others. Some people like more leg-room. Others like to have a recline to their seat. Or there may be a way to fit a seat in with the headrest positioned "just so," but maybe that position is unbearable for someone's neck? Get my drift.....?

 

So, get yourself and your most often in-car front seat passenger/co-driver out to the stores together, and do some first-hand experimentation.

 

What I will say is that the fourth-generation/BL/BP is far from accommodating, in this respect, and that it will likely take a bit more work for you to come up with an acceptable compromise (i.e. convenience, ease-of-use, safety ratings, etc.), particularly as you have dual needs (an infant and a toddler). Look at the differences between my wife's '09 Forester XT and the interior of my '05 Legacy:

 

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/608038-post8.html

 

The SH-chassis Forester just feels so much bigger inside.....

 

 

---

 

 

As for your question regarding "regs," currently, AFAIK (and know that I have been out of the shopping range for infant/toddler seats now for a couple of years, so I am no longer as "current" as I would like to be - although I'm about to become active again, in that respect, when Anna hits booster age), yes, to a certain extent, the side-impact protection capabilities of such seats do somewhat relate to the seat's bulk, due to the padding/shaping necessary. Also, given that about a year ago, there was a movement of ERF ("Extended Rear Facing") for toddlers, if you do decide to go this route, finding a convertible seat for which you and your primary passenger/co-driver can reach an acceptable driving/riding seat adjustment becomes even more important (hence the need to try things out, first-hand).

[Brock Samson]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I inherited some sort of Graco bassinet style seat for free, but it absolutely will not fit behind me (6'5") at the right angle, and my 5'10" wife is very uncomfortable with the passenger seat moved far enough forward to fit. We'll probably ditch the freebie in favor one of these recommended models after test-fitting.

 

36.5 weeks right now...poor wife looks like she's about to asplode.

[Johnnyc192]

I like the Peg brand, as long ias it fits tight, you have a safe car, think of all the air bags you have in it!

[TSiWRX]

^ The airbags don't necessarily do anything helpful for the little ones.

 

As for the "tight" fit? It's not so much about the fit being "tight" - i.e. "wedged in" - rather, that the seat or seat/base combo be secure, and *properly* installed. Typically, having to wedge the seat into place will mean that something is not optimized.

[Brock Samson]

OMG TSi- "(please don't tell my daughter I was playing with it! )"

 

I spit my coffee out all over my computer monitor after reading this. Thanks for the pics and info, the amount of giant plastic crap you have to buy for your first child is pretty intimidating.

[TSiWRX]

^ Yep, "giant plastic crap" is right!