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:

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan: Car Seat Check

In terms of passenger room and cargo space, minivans are king. When you add comfort and family-friendly features to the list, the Dodge Grand Caravan reigns supreme. Plenty of room and easy-to-use Latch anchors mean installing child- safety seats is easy.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Dodge's People Haulers Get Blacktop Package

More Dodges get the sinister-looking Blacktop Package as the 2013 Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey can now be equipped with the option’s blackened exterior features. The Dodge Charger, Challenger and Avenger were previously the only cars privy to the blacked-out look that includes gloss-black-painted wheels, grilles, headlights and more.

It doesn’t take much to equip Dodge’s people haulers with the Blacktop Package. Pricing starts at $295 on the Dodge Durango Rallye and R/T, which includes a gloss-black grille and gloss-black 20-inch aluminum wheels.

Volkswagen Routan Still Hangs by a Thread

Volkswagen's Routan minivan — yes, the one originally touted by actress Brooke Shields — is on life support. Production of the Chrysler Town & Country-based minivan, which is assembled through a joint partnership between the two automakers since mid-2008, has been suspended since July at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, plant. Volkswagen spokesman Scott Vazin told Bloomberg News it's still up in the air whether Chrysler will continue building the Routan at Windsor, though VW's agreement with Chrysler extends through 2014.

Unsurprisingly, VW dealerships have few Routans in stock. Volkswagen doesn't report inventory by individual model, but Cars.com has just 992 Routans in its national new-car inventory — a fraction of the Honda Odyssey (22,912 new-car listings), Toyota Sienna (14,373) and Dodge Grand Caravan (14,597) minivans available.

Volkswagen sold just 836 Routans in November and 9,923 through the first 11 months of 2012. Chrysler has sold more than 23 times the Town & Country and related Dodge Grand Caravan minivans while CEO Sergio Marchionne questioned the need for two near-identical models in the same showroom. Year-to-date sales for the Chrysler twins are up a combined 25.1%; sales for the Routan are down 16.9%.

Three-Row SUVs Don't Measure Up to Minivans' Family-Friendliness

A little over two years ago, I was pregnant with my second child and shopping for a new family car. Seeing our obviously growing family, the well-meaning salesman brought us over to a minivan. The second those power doors slid open, I quickly corrected him: "No, no. This is only my second baby. I am not driving that."

Fast-forward two years and two babies later, and I'm now driving a minivan; I've jumped the fence from "No way, no how" to "No, really; it's awesome."

So, how does that happen? How do those who were once emphatically against a minivan suddenly give in? The push always seems to come from baby No. 3 and that few vehicles can fit three child-safety seats across the second row. That leaves two viable options: a minivan or a three-row crossover/SUV.

Luckily, I review family cars for a living, and after nine months of test-driving the two options, my husband and I reached our conclusion: minivan, hands down.

This is why:

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: Cheaper base model; new standard and optional equipment across the linep
• Price change: American Value Package model lowers its base price by $1,000.
• On sale: This fall
• Which should you buy, 2012 or 2013? If the base minivan appeals, it's even cheaper for 2013.

For 2013, Dodge is lowering the Grand Caravan's starting price by $1,000; prices stay the same for the other versions. The 2013 Grand Caravan in base American Value Package trim starts at $20,990, including a $995 destination charge. The base AVP model again joins SE, SXT, Crew and R/T trim levels.

Power still comes from the 283-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6. Standard features on the lower-price entry model include seven airbags, second-row in-floor storage bins, third-row Stow 'n Go seating, power windows, locks and mirrors, remote keyless entry and cruise control.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan

Let’s hear it for the ultimate family hauler: the minivan. The Dodge Grand Caravan effortlessly hauls up to seven people and has room to spare for their gear, according to Cars.com Family contributor Courtney Messenbaugh. This budget-friendly minivan has tons of features — tailgate seating and Stow ’n Go seats are just two — that will make anyone forget their minivan hangups.

2012 Dodge Grand Caravan

Recall Alert: 2012 Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Grand Caravan

Chrysler is recalling 471 model-year 2012 versions of its minivans to address liftgate problems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Certain Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravans with power liftgates use a faulty liftgate pinch sensor. This could lead to the liftgate closing on a body part and an increased risk of injury.

The affected vehicles were manufactured from March 9 through March 12, 2012. You can check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.

Chrysler will notify owners later this month, and dealers will inspect and replace the affected parts free of charge. Owners can call Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Related
2012 Chrysler Town & Country Review
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Review
Check Out Other Recalls

Daily News Briefs: May 7, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today:

• There's growing evidence that the Dodge Grand Caravan is on the chopping block, according to sources speaking with Automotive News. Although Chrysler maintains strong leadership in the minivan arena, controlling about 40% of the segment, the automaker is debating whether to focus on just one minivan and develop another small crossover or SUV instead of a derivative minivan. Chrysler told Margaret Zewatsky, a product manager for R.L. Polk & Co., that the 2012 model year would be the Grand Caravan's last. UPDATE: There will be no changes to the Dodge Grand Caravan's status until at least the 2014 model year, according to Patrick Hespen, a Chrysler spokesman. Right now, the company aims to sell the Chrysler Town & Country for more than $30,000 and the Grand Caravan for less than that. If the automaker decides to have just one minivan, it would need to complement both price segments, according to Automotive News. We should see a new minivan, similar to the Chrysler 700c concept, sometime in 2013, says the trade publication.
• Portable navigation maker TomTom wants to become an available option on more car models as opposed to just an accessory, according to Ward's Automotive. The company provides an in-dash navigation system for the 2013 Mazda CX-5 crossover (part of the Technology Package, which costs about $1,255 on select trims). TomTom also provides navigation options in the Fiat 500 and Toyota 4Runner, and its map content has been licensed for use in North American BMW vehicles, Ward's says. The company is also negotiating with Mazda to provide navigation units to all next-generation Mazda models, the publication reports. One way TomTom aims to forge more partnerships is through its celebrity voice guidance feature, which includes the voices of Snoop Dogg, Homer Simpson and Darth Vader. This feature can be purchased for a nominal fee in addition to the navigation unit.
• Mazda North American Operations will lose 107 employees in California, according to Automotive News. The employees accepted voluntary buyouts — which includes a separation payment, a lump-sum payment and job location assistance — and they make up about 15% of the 700 employees at Mazda's U.S. headquarters. The job cuts are part of Mazda's ongoing restructuring process to shore up its operations in North America and abroad amid growing losses. Mazda lost $505 million in North America in the last fiscal year and $397 million the year before that. The Japanese carmaker lost $1.3 billion altogether last fiscal year, according to the trade publication.

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan

It may not be what the cool kids want to drive, but Dodge's minivan has all the stuff to make it a comfortable, versatile family hauler. What's even better is that the Grand Caravan is also good enough to convert former minivan naysayers into fans, according to Cars.com Senior Family Editor Kristin Varela. Affordable prices, loads of creature-comfort amenities and impressive cargo solutions should make it appeal to even the trendiest moms and dads.

2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Review