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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

Car seats

Question for all those with Rear Facing car seats...

39 replies

pookamoo · 06/03/2011 19:37

(Stage 1 and above, e.g. the Besafe or Britax type).

What car do you have, and how much leg room do you have in the front seat behind your DC's car seat?

We currently have a VW Polo that we would like to replace, and need to fit a Besafe IZI in the back seat, preferably behind the front passenger. There isn't room for it in the Polo, that much we know!

DH has asked me to get suggestions from MN as to what car we could look at getting. We're looking for a smallish 5 door diesel car, but any suggestions petrol or diesel would be great.

Thanks!

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mybootsaremuddy · 06/03/2011 20:17

Not a small car but our friend has a VW Passat estate and a Britax TWE behind passanger. There is HEAPS of leg room for front passenger(dh is 6'2 and fits fine).

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lindsell · 06/03/2011 20:22

We have a ford focus estate and the britax two way elite fits fine behind either seat or (where we have it) in the middle resting on the back of both front seats. Leg room is fine for me/dh but neither of us are tall. I think a tall bloke with long legs would feel a bit squashed!

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Loopymumsy · 06/03/2011 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

raindroprhyme · 06/03/2011 21:58

We have a Volvo V70 and a besafe izi.
We solved the leg room problem by putting it in the middle so both seats in the front can be fully back (dh is tall).
Might be an option in something bigger than a polo.
HTH

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nicm · 06/03/2011 22:28

would it be cheaper to change the car seat? i can get my KISS in my mums polo with enough room in the front seat.

:)

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thisisyesterday · 06/03/2011 22:42

we have a volvo v70 and can fit the besafe izi behind it and the britax 2 way elite

we do have to have the seat a bit far forward for the besafe, but can just about fit in. I am 5' 8 and I'm ok with it, but if you're much taller you might want to re-think the seat

fwiw we were told not to put anything in the middle that uses a support leg if you have the raised bit there. the in car safety centre advised us to contact Volvo if we wanted the besafe in the middle because although the manual says it's ok in the V70 it doesn't specify which seats

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pookamoo · 06/03/2011 22:48

hmmm, nicm, we haven't actually got it yet, but it is coming from a friend (totally sound, not been in any accidents etc) so the car seat is likely to be a lot cheaper than new!

We have the same seat (besafe) in my car (the new car is for DH's work) which is a Ford Focus estate and much the same as Lindsell it's fine if the passenger isn't tall. DH sits in the back behind me if I am driving on long journeys (as I am a shortarse and have the driver seat far forward!

I'm surprised about the Volvo, thisisyesterday, I would have thought the Swedish cars would fit the Besafe pretty well, given that they are also Scandinavian.

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pookamoo · 07/03/2011 10:36

bump for the daytime people...

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JumpJockey · 07/03/2011 10:43

We have a Besafe Izi in a Golf, behind my seat (passenger) and there's enough leg room to get in and out, was getting a bit hard when I was 7 months PG but now it's fine!

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raindroprhyme · 07/03/2011 10:44

Wehave been through this before thisisyesterday dealer confirmed it was fine to have seat in the middle and both Volvo and Besafe confirmed this.

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GingerbreadGiraffe · 07/03/2011 10:48

Pookamoo

I've spent ages researching this exactt thing.

We have a rear facing for my 2 yr old in a Volvo S60 and consequently Im sat so far forward it is silly. Im 5 10 and its not great.

We are looking at new cars now. Depends on budget but the cars like Ford SMAX have loads of room and the Merc B class look good space wise. Look at what car website- I think you can get dimensions inside and out for every model there. Bear in mind that some big cars arent as big as they seem. E.g. saloons arent good, unless long wheelbase, most standard estates arent either.

Re volvos- best space wise is the XC60. the XC90 has less (for a car seat like this) and the V70 wasnt great either.

If I was choosing - I'd go with B class or XC60- neither are cheap though.

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GingerbreadGiraffe · 07/03/2011 10:50

Rain- if you have the seat in the middle does that not then mean both driver and passenger seats have to be shifted forwards?

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raindroprhyme · 07/03/2011 12:25

No Gingerbread both can be fully back.

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tigermummy35 · 07/03/2011 20:46

We've just got the BeSafe and have a Renault Megane Estate. Still loads of room up front :)

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arabicabean · 08/03/2011 09:10

I have the Besafe Izi isofix seat in the new Mercedes E class estate. Good amount of leg room in front passenger seat.
I did change cars when going from the 0+ seat, as I used to have a sports car.

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lenats31 · 09/03/2011 22:07

The Besafe Izi Combi Isofix does fit in the VW Polo, but the front passenger seat will have to go all the way forward. The rear seats slope a lot in the VW Polo, so you will have to use th recline position all the time.

I would take a look at the Fair G 0/1 isofix, which requires far less room

Some photos from my site about rearfacing seats:

www.sikkerautostol.dk/2010/09/izi-kid-x1-fotos/

The Izi kid X1 is basically the same seat as the X3. You can see photos of it in upright and in recline position in the VW Polo

Now the Fair G 0/1 for comaprison:
www.sikkerautostol.dk/2010/09/fair-g-01-fotos/

Showing this seat in both upright and recline position. This seat can be installed forward facing on a different isofix base. So it is iofix both ways.

Lena

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lenats31 · 09/03/2011 22:20

The thing with the middle seat and the Besafe seats are that the support leg must be able to reach solid floor on both sides of. The Besafe seats have a split supportleg, so it needs to cross over the hump and rest firmly on the carbed on either side of it. If it doesn´t reach the floor, the middle seat is a "no go" for the particular car that you are trying to install it in.

The Besafe split support leg does not cross safely over middle humps in all cars.

Lena

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lenats31 · 09/03/2011 22:27

Peugeot estate cars from 307 onward
Ford Mondeo Estate
Ford S Max (ONLY if you can fill the underfloor storage or reinforce the lid)

VW Passat Estate

Are very good cars for rearfacing car seats incl. Besafe

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lenats31 · 09/03/2011 22:29

My Besafe car lists DO state what seating positions in each car that are good for the seats.

Lena

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FannyLogan · 09/03/2011 22:35

We have one in a Clio, the front passanger seat is pretty much unusable except in an emergency.

We also have one in a BMW 320 touring. Passanger seat is fine, but a bit bigger than you were looking for!

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wifeofdoom · 09/03/2011 22:42

Peugeot 307 - passenger seat fully forward I'm afraid!

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thisisyesterday · 09/03/2011 22:56

lenats yes, that's what the people at the in-car safety centre told us about the besafe

the leg doesn't touch the floor when it straddles the "hump" in the middle. also the brace that goes against the car seat doesn't sit flat

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GingerbreadGiraffe · 10/03/2011 07:12

Thanks rain and tiger.

We have the britax so now I see its the biggest of them all (more or less) - I think I need a besafe!

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thisisyesterday · 10/03/2011 13:43

the besafe is far bigger than the britax!

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lenats31 · 10/03/2011 18:59

The fact that the front brace does not sit flat against the seatback is no safety issue at all. If that was a safety issue, then the seats would be unsuitable for most cars that are on the car lists. But THAT sweeping leg support is an issue.The leg support and space requirements are the reasons that this seat is not for you.

It´s fine in the Peugeot 307 Estate

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