whats the smallest car that'll take a proper up to 4yrs rear facing carseat (like the scandanavian ones, the ones with leg room)

[Cheriefroufrou]

thanks x

Honest John recommends a Suzuki splash, never heard of it! Small but tall apparently.

suzuki splash again only fits the rear seat I want in the front

does anyone know how that shape of car is on the motorway / in cross winds?

If the seats fit in a golf then would the Seat Leon be any good? I think that is the one based on a golf. Or the Seat Ibiza is I think based on a Polo I know somone with an Ibiza she has a hbb and a forward facing seat in hers.

great the leon and ibiza both fit the rear facing one in the back - thanks!, so just need to find out if the very tall up to 11 years boosters with head rests fit in the back of them?

googling the Leon, its got the same horrible narrow slanty rear window that gives you no info just like the new focus (plus v big pillar)

Prefer the look of the Ibiza so long as it takes the tall 4-11 booster

ibiza seems to have good reviews and good prices AND ITS NOT A GOLF!

An I understanding the thread properly? So far, you don't own the car or the car seat? So, why not choose the car and then choose the car seat accordingly?! It seems a bit bonkers to choose the car because of a car seat you don't actually own yet!!

Because I want both my children to be safe and thing that proper scandinavian style rear facing till 4 yrs styles are the best
and don't want my eldest on a plain booster with no side impact/head support
And I want them both in the bac

since we're buying a new car why end up with one that means we can't have those options?
Why buy any old car then be stuck with car seat options we aren't 100% happy with, seems bonkers to me that you wouldn't consider how many car seats and what ages you need to facilitate before buying a family car!

And I do already have the high backed booster seat but at the moment it only fits in the front passenger seat of my car, I would like him in the back of our new car beside his sibling

I had a Skoda Fabia and have now changed to a Peugeot 207 SW which I love. Both were able to handle the rearfacing Besafe Izi Combi. The best thing about the 207 sw is that it has the estate shaped boot so no lip.

both of those fit the rear facing one I want alberts, do they have enough head room in the back for an up to 11 yrs tall booster?

Skoda fabia looking like a good option too

i think besafe is one of the seats that has the largest foot print so may not fit in the back and allow you to drive.(unless you are tiny) I would try for the smallest footprint rearfacer i could find in your situation. Our besafe is in a volvo V70 and can't be behind the driver as dh can't put driver seat back far enpugh.

Thanks for the info on the besafe, TBH that is more of an advantage then anything else for us because it means more leg room for a 3 year old!

It could be behind the passenger seat? I'm short, DH needs more leg room, if we're both in the car I prefer not to drive. I have my seat up on top of the stearing wheel anyway

and my current car is SOOO TINY that even with forward facing seats the seat on front has to be a bit forward to allow leg room, I think we'll cope

I don't like the rear facers without the bar and the gap

Can you start from the other way around and find out what cars they put the car seats in on the continent/Scandanavia.

I have the pdf of the cars that fit the rear facing one, but also need to know about the head height in the back as DC1 needs an up to 11yrs seat, and I don't wanna have to put that in the front

and want small but also motorway friendly

so no low slanty backs like I have now

It may be that asll of those things are incompatible and then you will have to either compromise on the size of the car or the car seats. The nearest you would get would have to be an A class or a Note surely?

I don't think a Note would work with the cross winds on DHs commute, I think there will be options that tick all our boxes, I KNOW the golf is one as we've already got a high backed booster in my mums one, and its listd on the besafe list for both front and back, small enough for our town location and okayish on the motorway, I'ld just rather not "turn into my mother" so trying to build up a list of alternatives to start test driving

The Hi Way II has a gap but it doesn't have the bar - it is tethered though and has good leg room as DD2 who's a very tall 4y still fits in it easily (was 110cm & 19kg when I tested her in DD3's seat). It's also passed the Swedish Plus test which is the strictest car seat safety test in the world so it's SAFE!

Best bit is that it's got a small foot print and is narrow without losing out on comfort for the child.

I don't know about rear facing seats but I do know about hieght back boosters have two in dh kia seed. They are britax kidfix seats and you can extend them to the max, to take a child of 150cm easily. Economic on the motorway, dh uses it for all his work use. It is a eco dynamic

great tips, thanks!

I still think it's a bit of a bonkers way round. You can have the safest car seat on the planet, but if the back of your car crumples like a tin can at the merest hint of an impact, it's not going to do anything at all to protect your child.

Personally, I would be choosing my car on its safety (amongst other things), and then finding the best car seat to fit that car.

The cats, do you have any helpful suggestions or not?
or are you just here to tell me that I am wierd for considering the size and ages of the family I need to transport before buying a car?

I've already said that having done it the other way round I am now stuck with having no choice but putting DS1 in the FRONT as car seats for the stage he is moving into are too tall for the back of my car, I don't want the same again!