Toyota Small SUV Carseat Experience????

We looked at the 07 Highlanders, but went with the 07 Pilot for more room. Beware though - there is still a short span between the front and middle seats. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old (both in car seats) and I get my seat kicked from my 2 year old. I keep the seat pushed up in front of my 5 year old, but he can still kick it. But, the upside - there is lots of room in the back and between their carseats. Drives great, except I only get around 17 MPG. I do love it. Another thing - I opted to get the dark red (maroon) and it is very hard to keep clean! I would do like the other ladies said, and test drive. Put both carseats in it to see if you and the kids will fit in fine.

I have the 2008 Honda CR-V (Toyota's model in that same class is the RAV-4). We like it for one car seat, but now kind of wish we had gone with the larger Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander, as we have taken several trips with our little one and needed to fold down the rear seat. With two car seats, that will be impossible! But, for everyday use, I love it! I had an Elantra prior to this car and love the higher stance of the CR-V. It makes getting my toddler in and out much easier. Plus, it has a very smooth ride--more like a car than anything else. As others have said, be sure to take plenty of test drives!

I think you mean a Honda CR-V? Or do you mean the Toyota RAV-4? Anyway, my husband and I purchased a new Honda CR-V last year. We test drove cars for probably two months before we decided on the CR-V. We test drove it last and were sold immediately. I have two children. A 2 1/2-year-old and a five-month-old. We have a very large Britax car seat for our older son which is installed on the driver's side, and we have a Graco infant carrier car seat with base installed in the middle. The boys ride side by side and there is absolutely no problem! What's great about the Honda is that it looks smaller than it is. The front seats didn't have to be adjusted at all; if anything, we could move them even further back, and my husband and I are not small people. It's incredibly easy to get both kids in and out of, and there are absolutely no vision problems. On top of all that, the cargo space is great, the interior styling is refreshing and hip, there's a sunglasses holder above the rear view mirror that flips out to reveal a mirror so you can view your backseat passengers. I use it constantly to watch the kids. Ours gets excellent gas milage for an SUV. Actual gas milage is 23-25 mpg in town and 29-32 mpg highway. The only possible issue is that with two car seats in the back, there's not much room for an extra passenger. Anyone else riding in the back would need to not have very big hips! What that also means is that there's really no room to grow with it. If you have twins, you'll have a bit of a problem. Also, with two car seats, you won't be able to fold the back seats up to fit any extra-large cargo; you'll have to take a car seat out. Anyway, we love our CR-V and wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. We test drove it back to back with the Toyota RAV-4 and there was no doubt in our minds which was better. The RAV-4 was nice, but the CR-V was just at the next level. Just one family's opinion.

PS-CR-V has the top safety rating out of all the small SUVs. When we bought ours, it was the only SUV on the market to receive a 4 star rating on rollover; it also received 5 stars in every other safety category.

I have a Toyota Sequoia and love it. I have 2 daughters in carseats and I also do home daycare and transport to schools. I can easily fit 4 carseats and an infant carrier in my truck. Still plenty of room for the kids legs.

My mom has a Hybrid Highlander and LOVES it. She can easily get both the girls carseats in there with PLENTY of room to spare. I'd highly recommend it. It does have a 3rd row but it's pretty cramped. I've driven it a few times and really enjoy it!

Hi E.. I had a RAV 4 when I had my son and the baby carrier didn't fit too well in the back seat with the bar down. My husband is a big guy and the front seat had to be pushed forward quite a bit so he could hardly fit in it. We moved up to a Highlander and it's a much better fit. My son is now in the stationary car seat but we still have plenty of room to get us, him, his stuff, and any other supplies in the vehicle with room to spare. It's a much better fit for us and we're hoping to add another car seat to ours soon. Good luck with car shopping.

I can't tell you anything about those cars in particular, but my suggestion would be to go to a dealership for a test drive. If you don't have an infant seat, borrow one to take with you. Put both carseats in and see how it works for you. That will give you the best idea of how it would work for you with two carseats, and you'll know how easy and comfortable it would be. Trust me, you wouldn't be the first to do that at a dealership, so don't be embarrassed. You have every right to know how a new car would fit your life before you shell out the money.

I actually have a Toyota Rav4 which is the next step smaller than the Highlander. My son is in a forward facing convertible carseat and we had my niece's booster in the back seat last weekend and there was plenty of room. The back seats actually slide forward and backwards so it allows for a lot more leg room. I'm pretty sure the Highlander has rear seats that slide as well, but I'm not sure about the Honda CR-V. The best way to check is to just make the sales person wait while you fit the carseats in. We always took our son when we went car shopping (definitely sped up the process because no one wants to deal with a bored 14 month old!) so we could see how easy it was to get the seat installed and get him in and out of it. Good luck!

Hi E.. If you mean the Toyota RAV-4 (and not the Honda CRV), then I can attest to both. I have a 2004 HL and a 2008 RAV4 and my husband sells Toyotas. The HL will definitely have more room in the back seat for legs, has the ability to split the middle row, and you can get the 3rd row in back if you like. They are equal in safety. If you haven't already found a salesman that you feel comfortable with, please consider calling my husband at Weiss Toyota (S. County) at ###-###-####. His name is Mike Collins and has worked there for 10 years. He would be happy to help you install carseats and test-drive both vehicles. Good luck!

I have a 2006 Pilot and my parents have a 2005 HL. My mom secretly likes my Pilot better b/c there is a little bit more room and the layout has more places to stuff things. The new HLs have the center stow-and-go which would be REALLY nice. I am head over heals in love with my Pilot and am dreading this spring when we might have to sell it due to job situations and 2nd baby coming in the picture. Either way, I have been really happy with going bigger than the small SUVs b/c of all the room in the back for the stroller, and baby gear that goes with babies on road trips.

Good luck and be sure to test drive for sure! I was dead set on the HL b/c I loved my parents but when we put them side by side (we had my mom meet us in a parking lot and we really did compare them side by side), I changed my mind. Oh and I have always been a VERY small car gal and was pleasantly surprised how easy the Pilot was to drive...as is the HL whenever I used to "borrow" it. ;)

before I forget, for the price difference of the HL hybrid, there is only a couple of mpg difference, it would take a TON of driving to make it worth the difference. I have heard rumors they are going to quit making it b/c of that. Toyota and Honda have figured out how to get the same power from 6 cylinders as Americans have out of 8. I usually avg 20ish mpg. If you don't get 4wd then it is a little more efficient.

I have a 2001 highlander (from what I understand they are slightly bigger now) and my husband and I LOVE it. In fact, when his car gives out he wants to take mine and get me a new one. I watch my niece from time to time and have no problem putting both car seats in the car and have no view obstructions. It is roomy, comfortable and SO nice to drive. They are also very reliable - one of the top rated SUV's by consumer reports and we have had NO problems other than regular maintenance. Make sure you test drive - if you go to a good dealership they should allow you to put car seats in to see for yourself. Good luck.

Buy American...our economy depends on it + excellent deals right now.

I have a Ford Freestyle (now known as a Taurus X) and have had two baby seats in it at once. Tons of extras on this car. Sits low to the ground on a Volvo chassis, 3rd row available (which can take a 3rd baby seat), 5 star safety, more storage space than a Cherokee, great mileage, tons of features designed for (by) women. I love mine. Second Ford I've had and only had to change the oil on both...they've been great. There are used Freestyles...I just searched on line for my sister.

Again, buy American!!!

Hi E.. We have recently tested and looked into many different SUVs, as you are. We ended up purchasing a 2009 Honda Pilot. We have had it since July, and LOVE IT! One of the other mamas said that their Pilot didn't have much room in the middle row, but they changed that for 2009. We have a 3 year old, and a 1 year old. And they both fit in the middle row great. Our 3 year old sits behind the drivers seat, and her dad is 6'4", and neither of them feel squished. It can seat 8 people, or you can lay the back row down and have tons of cargo space! We have owned many vehicles and have never been as happy as we are with our Pilot. And the Honda Pilot is made in America, so you are creating jobs for people right her in the US.

test drive, test drive, test drive! test drive with the carseat on both sides in the back, test drive with each of you driving, this is a huge purchase, so make sure it's right.

You mean a Toyota Rav-4/Highlander and or a Honda CR-V. I owned a Toyota Rav-4 with my first baby, and it was fine. It was not fine when i became pregnant with my 2nd baby. My poor hubby....he's 6 feet tall....he felt like the human pretzel.

So I wrote down a list of items i needed in a car. Leg room for hubby, storage for groceries, ample room for a double stroller, capability of supporting 2 car seats with 5 point safety harness. With this list I ended up getting a Dodge Grand Caravan. The first caravan I got had the stow & go feature. I loved that feature, but the engine was not as peppy as my little Rav-4. But that was the 2005 model. I now own a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT and the handling is much better.

I loved my Rav-4 ( a moment of silence for my beloved Rav-4), but with baby #3 on the way, i am sooooo glad i have a 7 passenger vehicle that can support 3 carseats!