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:

GM Expands Safety Alert Seat to 2014 Sierra Lineup

Sometimes drivers need a little kick in the pants to keep them focused on the road — literally. GM's Safety Alert Seat does just that. The system, which sends subtle vibrations through the seat bottom cushion to alert the driver to potential road hazards, will be optional on the 2014 GMC Sierra. 

The Safety Alert Seat works with other safety systems such as rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and forward collision alert systems. For example, when the lane departure system detects lane wandering without a turn signal, it sends a pulse to the left or right side of the driver's seat.

GM says the new Sierra, which goes on sale this summer, has "available advanced active safety features never offered to full-size pickup truck owners." We first tested the Safety Alert Seat on the Cadillac SRX crossover; it's also available on the ATS sedan. According to GMC spokeswoman Kelly Wysocki, the Chevrolet Silverado will get the system as well; she couldn't comment on its availability in other GM vehicles, however.

To read about Cars.com editor Kristin Varela's experiences with the system in the SRX, click here.

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PickupTrucks.com: GM Releases 2014 Silverado, Sierra Specs

Cars.com's sister site PickupTrucks.com notes that GM's announcement of performance specifications on its new half-ton pickups follows the automaker's tendency to feed us only morsels of info at a time. There's still plenty to chew on for those hungry for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra now that testing is completed on a new 5.3-liter V-8, one of three optional engines. According to reported figures, the half-tons will lead their pickup pack in fuel economy, payload and towing capacity — while preliminary pricing shows modest increases and in some cases none at all.

Check out PickupTrucks.com for the details.

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J.D. Power: Lexus, GMC Owners Happiest With Dealer Service

Cars.com may have recently had a string of less-than-pleasant dealership experiences, but according to the results of a J.D. Power study released today, customers are generally happy with the way they're being treated at car dealerships. On top of the luxury brand list is Lexus for the fifth year in a row; GMC ranks the highest out of mainstream brands.

The 2013 U.S. Customer Service Index Study reports that overall customer satisfaction with service at dealerships has gone up 10 points this year (797 points on a 1,000-point scale) and 29 points since 2011. J.D. Power reports that out of the 30 brands ranked, 28 have improved in service satisfaction.

To determine the scores, J.D. Power polled more than 91,000 owners and lessees of model-year 2008-2012 new vehicles who take their vehicle to the dealership for maintenance or repair work. The study examines five areas of customer service: service quality, service initiation, service advisor, service facility and vehicle pick up.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 GMC Acadia

Right, we get it: You wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan but need the space for your family. The GMC Acadia, updated for 2013 with a new massive grille, continues to be a big, spacious, maneuverable three-row crossover that will comfortably accommodate your spouse, kids and all that comes with them, says Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. But noting par-for-the-course acceleration, ride and interior, as well as subpar gas mileage, Thomas thinks that before you pay the Acadia's premium price, you may want to consider similar crossovers — or even, gulp, a minivan. Read Thomas' review below.

2013 GMC Acadia Review

GM's Large Crossovers Earn Five Stars from NHTSA

GM's updated-for-2013 people movers just earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's top score. The 2013 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia were awarded an overall rating of five stars.

The large crossovers, which share a platform with each other, earned five stars in frontal and side tests and four stars in rollover tests; front- and all-wheel-drive versions were tested. The upscale GMC Acadia Denali received the same scores.

GM's seven-passenger crossovers got refreshed for 2013 with updated styling, more safety features and a new multimedia system.

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GM Vehicles to Have 4G Wireless in 2014

General Motors vehicle owners will enjoy greater in-car connectivity starting next year when the automaker rolls out its first wave of cars and trucks equipped with 4G LTE mobile broadband delivered through AT&T. The embedded technology will first be offered on most model-year 2015 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles available in the U.S. in 2014, according to GM.

"With mobile data speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G technologies, increased responsiveness, and the ability to support simultaneous voice and data connections, a built-in 4G LTE connection will enable advances in a wide range of in-vehicle communications and entertainment capabilities," the automaker said in a statement.

According to GM, specific benefits of in-car 4G include Wi-Fi hot spots, streaming video in the backseat, real-time traffic and navigation updates, and faster application downloads. The 4G LTE structure is integrated into the vehicle's electrical system and includes an external antenna to maximize coverage and connectivity. A smartphone will not be necessary for connected services, GM stated.

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GM's New Framework Could Add Apps Galore

The weather map displayed on a small screen showed what anyone could gather from looking outside. I sat inside a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, tucked into a brick-lined gallery in Chicago during a recent auto show. The digital map cast most of northeast Illinois with a blue overlay — snow. Outside the gallery, the white stuff came down thick.

Sam Johnson, lead engineer for Chevrolet's MyLink multimedia system, had fired up The Weather Channel's app in the Malibu's center display screen. It works similarly to the smartphone app. He also had online radio aggregators iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Slacker on hand. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Through GM's new system, dozens of car-specific apps could be available through the automaker's touch-screen systems: Chevrolet's MyLink, Buick and GMC's IntelliLink and Cadillac's CUE. GM announced the new framework at January's Consumer Electronics Show. I saw it in action at this month's Chicago Auto Show. It's similar to the Car Connectivity Consortium's free-form MirrorLink initiative, of which GM remains a member. But here, The General gives the marching orders.

2013 GMC Acadia: Car Seat Check

For 2013, GMC's people-mover got a face-lift with updated exterior styling and a freshened interior. We recently tested its corporate cousin, the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, and found it roomy enough for a couple child-safety seats, but pesky Latch anchors complicated installation. Did we have the same problem with one of GM's other three-row crossover, the GMC Acadia?

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.

Insurance Study Finds GMC Sierra 1500 Best for Safety

A new study of insurance rates for injury protection and medical payments ranked the GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck highest for occupant injury protection. The Fiat 500 ranks lowest.

Insure.com studied prevailing insurance rates across hundreds of ZIP codes from six major auto-insurance carriers: Allstate, Farmers, Geico, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. The firm analyzed premiums for injury coverage, including provisions for uninsured motorists and lost wages, on more than 750 new cars.

Besides the GMC Sierra 1500 (SLE/SLT/Work Truck), the best rates came from the Porsche Cayenne, GMC Yukon (SLT/Denali), GMC Sierra 2500 (SLE only) and GMC Terrain (SLE1 only) — all trucks or SUVs. On the other end, multiple trim levels of the Fiat 500 and 500c (cabrio) rated worst among injury-protection rates. The Kia Rio5 (LX/SX), Toyota Corolla (L only), Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Mercedes-Benz CL600 joined the small Fiat among the worst cars for injury-related insurance rates. Four of those five are compact or subcompact, and three of them start under $17,500.