Looking for a 3-row family vehicle that actually works with two rear-facing car seats
Hi everyone,
I'm starting to look for our next family vehicle and I'm hoping to learn from people who have actually lived with this setup.
We currently have a nearly 2-year-old, and our second baby is due in about 4 months. Our plan is to keep our oldest rear-facing until around age 4 (following Cybex's recommendations), so for the next couple of years we'll have two rear-facing Cybex car seats.
Our ideal setup is:
Driver + front passenger.
Two rear-facing car seats.
At least two additional usable seats for grandparents, family, or friends.
My biggest concern isn't whether a vehicle has a third row—it's whether it's actually usable with two rear-facing seats installed.
For example, I watched a video of the Mazda CX-90 where a car seat in the second row prevented another second-row seat from sliding/reclining, making access to the third row almost impossible. That's exactly the kind of issue I'm trying to avoid.
I'm currently looking at vehicles like the Mazda CX-90, Hyundai Palisade, Chevrolet Traverse, Kia Carnival, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Kia Sorento, but I'm open to any suggestions.
For those of you who have gone through this:
Which vehicles worked well?
Which ones didn't?
Are there any "gotchas" that you only discover after living with them every day?
I'd really appreciate hearing real-world experiences rather than just spec sheet comparisons. Thanks!