Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

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 nearly two years that Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays, Cars.com photographer Ian Merritt and I 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.

We recently tested the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class and it fit three car seats in it. To be considered a fit, there must be enough room between the booster seat and infant-safety seat for a child's hand to reach the seat belt buckle.

Naughty or Nice: Headlights

Designers and engineers have a tough task when combining headlight styling and function. The lights must look good as the focal point of the car’s front design, but the driver still needs to see the road. Here are two examples of the opposite ends of the lighting spectrum. 
 
More Naughty or Nice Picks

Cars.com Announces Best of 2012 Award Nominees

Last year, the 2011 Kia Optima won Cars.com's Best of 2011 award for its outstanding combination of performance, practicality, style and value. This year, six new nominees will fight it out for our ultimate prize that will be revealed during the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Our highest honor will go to one of the following vehicles:

Naughty or Nice: Key Fobs

The holidays are upon us, and we've decided to spotlight the year's best and worst in the car world over the next 12 days. We're looking at automakers that wowed us, along with those that earned our collective ire.

We begin with the vastly overlooked key fob.

Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque looks more like a concept car than a production car. But this real-life model stunned our editorial team and onlookers throughout the Chicago area, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. To top it off, the Evoque is a comfortable highway cruiser and fuel efficient.

2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Review

Land Rover Brings DC100 and DC100 Sport Concepts to 2011 L.A. Auto Show

Land Rover has decided to bring its DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts to the L.A. Auto Show to gauge American interest for each vehicle. Both models are trims of what is the next-generation Land Rover Defender, according to the British carmaker. The production model could show up sometime mid-decade. 

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

The Defender is to Land Rover what the Wrangler is to Jeep: It’s the iconic core identity for the brand, and, ironically, it isn’t currently sold in the U.S. The DC100 and DC100 Sport (a canvas-roof trim) point to the future, with fancy off-roading tech such as sonar technology that measures water depth and sensors that calculate whether or not an obstacle is traversable.

For more info, check out our overview from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, where the models originally debuted, and continue below for more photos. 

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2011 Land Rover Range Rover

The 2011 Land Rover Range Rover HSE performed a miracle during Cars.com Family reviewer Sara Lacey’s weeklong test drive: It turned her kids into perfectly mannered children. While Sara couldn’t pinpoint what about the Range Rover brought out the best in her children, she suspects it’s the posh leather seats or the amazingly quiet ride. Or it could be the Range Rover’s V-8 engine and four-wheel drive. Whatever it was, Sara was happy for it.

2011 Land Rover Range Rover Review

MotherProof.com Car Seat Check Recap

The 2011 Land Rover LR4 is one of the few vehicles that can easily fit three child-safety seats in its second row. The SUV’s third row can hold another two car seats, easily making the LR4 the proverbial infant-mobile for large, young families. But how easy are those five safety seats to install? Continue reading at MotherProof.com to find out:

2011 Land Rover LR4: Car Seat Check
2012 BMW X5 and X5 M: Car Seat Check

Land Rover Defender Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

• Looks like: Land Rover wants to redefine off-roading for the 21^st century
• Defining characteristics: Plug-in hybrid capability
• Ridiculous features: Telemetry sensors might ruin some of the off-roading thrill
• Chances of being mass-produced: 100%; 50-50 if it comes to the U.S.

On Wednesday, Jaguar showed off a pure rear-wheel-drive sports coupe concept that points to a green, techy theme for the brand’s future models. Today, Jaguar’s sister company, Land Rover, gave us an indication of what it thinks its brand will stand for in the 21^st century — mostly green and techy like Jaguar, but with a rugged, versatile twist. All of these ideas are packaged into the venerable Defender model, a namesake for Land Rover.

For those who might not be familiar with the nameplate, the Defender is to Land Rover what the Wrangler is to Jeep. It’s the iconic core identity for the brand, and there are hints that the British SUV maker is open to the idea of bringing the Defender back to the U.S. with something that will look like this concept.

Reader Review of the Week: 2011 Land Rover LR4

The Land Rover LR4 received some minor changes for 2011. This week’s reader review is by “First Timer,” a Land Rover buyer from San Antonio. Compared with their other two luxury SUVs — an Infiniti and Acura — this reader enjoys the LR4’s power and comfort but isn’t a fan of the dated navigation system. Continue reading the full review below. Once you’re done, share your comments about your own car here.