Deep Singh

This may sound like a stupid question but are there any cars that can seat 5 adults (or 3 adults and two baby seats)? I don't mean one adult squeezed in the middle at the back with nowhere to put their legs because of the transmission tunnel!

People carriers also excluded please

Sonic'

Shogun, not strictly a car though but

big enough, wide enough and flat floor too, plenty of leg & head room too

I would doubt that there arent many cars (if any) that dont have the transmission tunnel through the middle

Andy M3

Depends on your budget really - Volvo's are well designed for people, new shape Range Rovers are handy too

TopBanana

It's a good question. My wife's Volvo V70 doesn't seat 3 adults across the back. (Or more importantly, two kiddie seats and an older child)

We might look at the Mercedes R class when we next change.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Austin Princess, flat floor, 3 seats, massive legroom......


Ill get me coat.

SimonD

We just about squeezed one baby seat, one booster seat and one adult into the back of a Saab 9-5 but I wouldn't do it on a long journey. The Saab is about as wide as you'll get in a car plus it doesn't have much of a tunnel because it's a front driver.........still couldn't recommend the feckin' thing though! .
Your best bet would be a SUV, the Disco probably has the best interior space but that seems pretty extreme to carry just five people. Plus if Land Rover reliability is anything to go by it is even less likely to get you there than the Saab!

........they don't call them people carriers for nothing!!!!!!

Funkii Munkii

How about the Fiat Multipla

3+3, Hideous but ...... no it's hideous can't think of any nice to say about it

Failing that a Ford Zephyr with bench seat up front

pitcha44

try a bmw e39 5 series there huge in side had 2 adults and baby seat in the back no probs at all

Brendan Hughes

Honda FRV? Yes it's a PC but...

I predict that the new laws for baby seats mean we'll get wider cars in the future. Or, as above, differently configured.

You can afford an R-class Deep

53

iTrader: (41)

1986 Citroen CX Familiale estate, nice cars.

Deep Singh

Thanks. I was trying to avoid the whole big 4x4, people carrier thing.
If I buy a nice one ie Q7, R class etc it will sap all my resources and so will be my main/only car and I don't think I'll enjoy driving it. Also 50% of the time I'll be on my own in the car and so will feel like a bit of a wally in a vehicle that big.

Pitcha, I've got a current shape 5 series and can't see the adult in the middle at the back being comfortable for more than very short journies. Where would their legs go? The adult in the middle would either be my wife or mother, neither of whom will be best pleased!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Try the new audi A6

Ours is the outgoing model and it managed 2 huge toddler baby seats and a high backed childs booster in the middle - probably on a par with the Saab above.

I'm sure the newer model is bigger, and if your kids are out of the toddler seats I'm sure an adult would make it in the back in betweem 2 boosters - good legroom as well

PS no matter how wide the car, sitting inbetween 2 kids for anything over a 20 minute journey is going to make any sane person 'not best pleased'

Edit, for some reason grandmothers are exempt from this rule!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

London Taxi?

TopBanana

Out eldest is anything but sane, should be alright then

RAJ27

I think it's all good putting in three kiddy seats in the back, but Deep is right even in my old E39 the transmission tunnel was bloody massive and no adult volunteered to sit in the middle.

The old Civic had a flat floor didn't it??

Deep Singh

I'm not driving around in a Civic mate! No offence to anyone who has one.

Maybe there is a different solution? Is there any reason why I can't put a rear facing child seat on the front seat and then one in the middle at the back. This will allow the two adults to sit on either side at the back. I can then keep my 5 series.

(My kids are 1 years old and one due early next year.)

Then all I've got to figure out is how I'm going to fit all their stuff (ie 2xprams etc) into the boot!

TopBanana

I've never seen an ISOFIX mount in the middle before?

NotoriousREV

We had an Austin Ambassador and could easily fit 4 teenagers in the backseat

Deep Singh

I don't use isofix, just the belt. I'll have a look later and see if the baby seat actually fits there.
Is there any reason I can't put one rear facing baby seat on the front passenger side?

TopBanana

I don't think so, so long as you disable the airbag.

RAJ27

Yep agree, very dangerous to have the baby seat in the front seat even with the air bag switched off. Your probably more likely to have a head on crash, then a side impacted crash. Don't risk it mate.

Brendan Hughes

Really dumb question, but won't one of the baby seats fit in the middle of the back? No legroom issues then. The adult may be squashed to one side behind a front seat, but at least with legroom.

Devildog

Sorry, but what utter nonsense.

In a head on crash it would be better to have the baby (especially its head) supported entirely by the babyseat back, than to have the poor thing cut into 4 by the belts and with massive whiplash injury if it was forward facing in the rear.

The only time you would be worse off in the front is if the front passanger compartment was crushed - in which case you'd probably all be dead anyway.

Brendan Hughes

Careful. Read his wording again. You're absolutely right on your point, but his point is also valid if interpreted that the driver can get too distracted looking at the baby's face in the passenger seat - and for anxious parents with a screaming child, that's all too easy, no matter how disciplined we think we are.

Brendan Hughes

Something American? Yeah 99% are crap, but there might be a 1% somewhere...

SimonD

Not sure if this is useful for you but our 18 month old has been happy in a Britax Freeway for 7 or eight months now. We've used in it various cars but the major advantage it has is that it is not too heavy or bulky and will fit with a lap belt only. The base is concave and sits very well in the middle of a rear bench. I didn't mention that with this seat we have also managed two kids and an adult in the back of my classic Impreza. Ok, it was a squeeze but it worked.
It was also handy for a 2006 Xmas trip to Oz. We used it for the youngest (then 9 months) in the plane seat for 22 hours!!............but that is another story.............never, never, ever again!!

Tart Man

Grit your teeth, take parenthood by the ***** (should have had the chop) and face it....if you need to seat lots of people comfortably without a transmission tunnel in teh way, you have to have an MPV. That's why they were invented.

New shape Zafira, C4 Picasso, Touran etc, a bouncy sick inducing Scenic

Unless its a midlife thing, in which case a V-class with a Brabus bodykit may suffice....

.....or a Merc Pullman

satancom

My omega was always comfy when full! Never had any complaints when driving people about from work!

Stainy

Just bought a new shape one for the wife. Excellent room inside (no, really, go have a look at one) and more gadgets than you can shake a small piece of wood at. Totally flat floor in the rear too. She loves it.