Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

UPDATE: Parents are often searching for the automotive holy grail: a car that's not a minivan and can fit three child-safety seats across the backseat. It's a short list.

In the more than three years that Cars.com editors have been installing car seats into test vehicles, we've come across only a handful of cars that can hold three car seats across a backseat.

For 2014, the Jeep Grand Cherokee received interior and exterior revisions, but that didn’t affect this two-row crossover’s ability to fit three child-safety seats across its backseat.

As we come across more cars that fit three child-safety seats, we'll add to this list. For now, here are the cars from our Car Seat Checks that can fit three car seats in the second row:

Affordable Sedans Add High-End Features to Backseats

Nothing makes a person feel neglected like sitting in the backseat. Unless you are being driven by a chauffeur, most rear passengers in a sedan feel more like second-class citizens. Until now.

A recent automotive trend has my kids jumping for joy: seat heaters for rear passengers. This feature seems to be an indicator that things are movin' on up for those in the back. What's even better is this feature, once common only in luxury cars, is now available in cars that cost less than a bazillion dollars.

New SRT8 'Core' Models Drop Features, Price

Dodge's and Chrysler's high-performance SRT8 models receive a substantial price drop courtesy of a new breed of high-performance trim levels called the Core models. Challenger SRT8 and 300 SRT8 Core models strip convenience features like leather, moonroof, high-power stereo and fog lights in search of a lower price discounted as much as $4,780 than their full-featured regular models.
 
The trend started with Dodge's special edition Charger SRT8 Super Bee that — compared to the regular SRT8 — used the less-expensive radio, standard hood, cloth interior instead of leather and ditched the adaptive adjustable suspension in favor of a fixed firmness suspension.

More 2013 Chicago Auto Show Coverage

Five Cars Perfect for Golf Foursomes

The Ryder Cup starts this week at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., and signals that — for much of the country — golf season is at an end. But before you pack up your clubs for the season — or if you're lucky enough to live in a state conducive to year-round golf — here are five cars that are perfect for a golf foursome thanks to a roomy cabin and most importantly, a giant trunk.

Is the 2013 Chrysler 300 a Real Luxury Car?

It seems the Chrysler brand has been in an awkward marketing position for decades. The brand, which share's its name with its corporate owner, has tried to present itself as a stylish, almost premium brand ever since Celine Dion sang in the automaker's Super Bowl ad.

Segmenting Chrysler in this way versus Dodge's more aggressive looks makes sense but the approach hasn't worked — for Chrysler or Ford's shutterd Mercury division — since Dion belted out that Super Bowl commercial.

Things started to slowly change once Fiat bought Chrysler in 2009. The brand is becoming a real luxury marque in a similar vein to Buick's recent renaissance. While Buick has a slate of new models to help change perceptions, Chrysler has less to work with in its lineup.

The Chrysler 300 has slowly changed with the brand, and the 2013 model is arguably the brand's first true luxury nameplate.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Chrysler 300S

The 2012 Chrysler 300S’ exterior is the first clue that this full-size sedan isn’t for the mundane, says Cars.com Family reviewer Courtney Messenbaugh. This sophisticated-looking car is set apart by its blackened chrome grille and C-shaped LED running lights. With its piano-black dash and circular gauges highlighted by blue lighting, the interior keeps pace with the exterior. It’s a tossup as to what Courtney likes the most in this sedan: the standard Beats by Dr. Dre audio system or the three sets of lower Latch anchors in the backseat.

2012 Chrysler 300S

2013 Chrysler 300: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: Leather upholstery and heated front seats are now standard 
• Price change: $1,245 more 
• On sale: Next month 
• Which should you buy, 2012 or 2013? Unless you can get a really good deal on a 2012, there’s much more value waiting in the 2013 model

For the 2013 model year, the Chrysler 300 gets a significant increase in luxury features and now offers all-wheel drive across the whole trim range.

On the 300, cloth upholstery is now a thing of the past; all models now come standard with genuine leather. Heated front seats are also newly standard. And for the first time, the 300C is now available with Chrysler’s Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 alongside the Hemi V-8, blurring the distinction between the two.

2012 Chrysler 300S Video

The 300 has been Chrysler's flagship sedan for eight years, and its 2012 redesign moves the sedan into full-fledged luxury territory, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. For the 2012 model year, the large sedan became even richer with three new trims, including the blingy 300S. The 300S is Chrysler's "street" variant of the sedan, featuring massive 20-inch wheels. But do such big rims affect ride comfort?

Related
2012 Chrysler 300S: Car Seat Check
2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, S and Executive: Up Close
Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Chrysler 300

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Chrysler 300

Chrysler aimed to take the 300 into luxury territory with the sedan's 2011 redesign, but its aging five-speed automatic held the 300 back, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. Model-year 2012's new eight-speed automatic, top-line S trim level and snazzy interior help solidify the 300 as a player in the luxury segment, Wiesenfelder says. 

2012 Chrysler 300 Review

Jeep Liberty, Chrysler 300 Used Prices Drop More Than 10% on Cars.com

Average used prices for the Jeep Liberty and Chrysler 300 dropped by 15% and 11%, respectively, over the course of a month when prices for late-model used cars as a whole held steady.

The average asking price on June 1 for a Jeep Liberty from the 2009 to 2011 model years fell by $3,435 to $19,534; the Chrysler 300's asking price sank by $2,501 to $20,373. The average price on Cars.com for all used cars from these model years rose about one-10th of a percent, or $27, to $22,381.