Is there a 5 seat car that supports 3 baby seats and 2 Adults???

[FoRahman]

My wife and I are expecting twins later this year (at which point our first child will be 2 years and 3 months old) and is currently using a harness back supported booster seat. I am currently looking for a car that has 5 seats as I would rather avoid purchasing a 7-seater.

My options are BMW 5 Series Estate, E class Estate, BMW X5 or a Mercedes ML (all 13 or 14 plates). Anyone know which of these cars will be best to support our family and whether we can or cannot (space-wise) use two ISO-fixes for the twins with any of these cars and then an infant seat or adult in the middle rear seat?

@Mrshue that’s an impact shield seat - I wouldn’t put my child in one ever - more than one study has shown children are ejected from them when the cars rollover and the forces on the abdomen are ridiculous. No car seat expert would ever recommend one.

Isofix can be used as a secure point on high back boosters beyond 18kg because the child is held in with the seperate seat belt taking the excess weight off.

Ok. This one

And yes they do say it’s safer. Just down to human error. That around 67% of belted seats are incorrectly fitted

However. It’s JUST as safe as a properly fitted belted one. It’s just that nearly 3/4 of belted ones are incorrectly fitted.

cybex-online.com/en-gb/car-seats/solutionmfix

Ok. Here’s one without an impact shield. That goes up to 36kgs.

We have the M-Fix (fabulous seat btw!) But as I stated above the isofix is only used to secure the seat in these cases - there is no excess strain on the isofix points hence why unharnessed seats can use beyond 18kg.

@mrshue that one is used as a high backed booster from 18kg - a high centile child will hit that way before they are safe to use a high backed booster. In HBB mode the isofix is just holding the seat in place so that it doesn’t go through the windscreen if you crashed with no child in it. The only option for a child over 18kg under the age of 4 is a 25kg belted seat. All of the rear facing ones would be a safer option than the cybex seat.

@welshweasel
You are wasting your breath

@stophuggingme do you reckon

I’m at work waiting for patients to turn up so thought I’d engage...

@welshweasel

Yep
Seatbelts are the work of the devil

Anyone else here have Multimac and would recommend yes/no...pros and cons pls

Brick wall < me 🤕 🤣

There are whole threads on it - worth a search.

Not the cheapest, best or safest option but I'm sure it'll work well enough.

@FoRahman not all vehicles are compatible so you need to start there
I have a friend who has one and swears by it

@BlueEyedFloozy that will be the seatbelt then

Multimacs not the safest?.judging by this t thread...everyone will have an opinion on whats safe and what isn't. BTW I have requested to join that FB group.

@FoRahman tell me one perceived benefit of the multimac? I just don’t get it - if you already had the car, had no option to change it (weird company car rules or something) then I would maybe understand, but you haven’t bought the car yet. Just buy one that will fit 3 normal seats in the back!!

@welshweasel I get to buy a 5 series estate rather than a 7 seater. BTW please do not turn this onto a 'Selfish man, why is it always about you' type of thing...I am exploring all avenues and ensuring my kids are safe too but do appreciate I may have to end up buying an S-Max.

I totally get you wanting a nice car - I drive a Tesla and prior to that an Audi - I’m not suggesting you buy a crap car - just that there are plenty of performance cars that would fit 3 seats across and not require you to buy a multimac!!

I’m 100% sure you’re never going to buy an s max

The lack of rear facing options for younger children means it's not the safest option.

You can't argue with physics I'm afraid - it's not down to opinion.

Forward facing = more stress on the neck in an impact which can result in serious injuries.

@welshweasel Unfortunately I may not have an option but to get an S-MAX. haha..But thank god someone understands me (well you would driving a Tesla) :)

There are lots of 7 seaters that aren't "mum buses". Volvo XC90? Or for a smaller budget the Skoda Kodiaq - lots of car for your money and they get great reviews. Having extra seats when they're older so you can bring friends home from school for play dates is invaluable

Try this link OP, it details by vehicle make and model which positions you can put isofix bases and how many you can fit in:

www.besafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/BeSafe-iZi-Go-ISOfix-car-list-2018-11-09.pdf

We have a Jaguar F-pace that fits 3 car seats in the back.

@SorryDidISayThatOutLoud more details please :) What ages are the children please...forward facing or rear? iso fixed or not?