Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

UPDATE 6/7/2013: 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.

The newest vehicle to make our list is the 2013 Nissan Armada. The largest of the brand's SUVs has room for eight passengers and easily accommodates three car seats across its second row.

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:

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

Family reviewer BreAnn Ahara is mom to three young girls and she's already dreaming of ditching her minivan for a three-row SUV like the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser. This eight-passenger SUV's starting price of $79,550 (including destination) means it's going to remain firmly in dreamland, though, BreAnn says. While she liked its ability to fit three child-safety seats across its second row, she didn't think this off-road-capable SUV's interior lived up to its price tag.

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser Family Review

What Does This Button Do?

I’ve been waiting for a button like this for some time: automatic doughnut mode. Engage and do your best impersonation of a winning NASCAR driver with smoky, tire-torching doughnuts until the tires pop. I wish that button did exist in something like the Dodge Challenger SRT8, but in the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser the button’s purpose is very different.

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser: Car Seat Check

There's nothing small about the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser. From its size — it can carry eight passengers — to its starting price of $77,955, this is a ginormous three-row SUV. The Land Cruiser does have two small numbers attached to it: 13/18 mpg city/highway. With a 5.7-liter V-8 engine, those fuel-economy numbers probably aren't too much of a shock, though.

Here's another number: three. Three child-safety seats fit across the Land Cruiser's second row, making it one of a handful of cars that can handle this feat.

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

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota improved its large Land Cruiser SUV for model-year 2013 in several ways: It has a more refined interior, comfortable ride and quieter cabin. The Land Cruiser’s not for everyone, though, says Cars.com Managing Editor David Thomas. Though this eight-passenger sport ute excels at off-roading, it doesn’t really work as a daily-driver, and according to Thomas, for nearly $80,000, it really should.

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser Review

Toyota: 19 New Models in 2012

Toyota had a rough year in 2011. Safety investigations and natural disasters presented challenge after challenge and wounded the company’s supply chain, sales figures and brand image. It's a new year, and it sounds like Toyota plans to stay busy.

The automaker is planning to launch 19 new vehicles in 2012 across its Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands, according to the Detroit Free Press. Executives detailed the plans to dealers last weekend at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas.

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser: First Look

• Competes with: Audi Q7, Infiniti QX56 and Land Rover Range Rover
• Looks like: Same old Land Cruiser, albeit slightly more polished-looking
• Drivetrain: 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission
• Hits dealerships: early February

After skipping model-year 2012, Toyota is updating one of its largest, most expensive and least popular vehicles with fresh styling, new standard features and more off-road capability for 2013. Its Lexus sibling, the LX, is getting similar treatment — the 2013 LX will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

Recall Alert: 22,000 Toyota Vehicles

Toyota is recalling about 22,000 vehicles from the 2008-11 model years because the tire pressure monitoring system in these vehicles was not properly calibrated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects the 2008-11 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra.

In the affected vehicles, the tire pressure warning light will not illuminate at the required minimum activation pressure. This could lead to tire failure and increase the risk of a crash.

Dealers will re-initialize the system to restore the proper calibration at no charge. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.