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:

Most-Watched Videos of the Week

The 2014 Acura MDX managed to hang onto the No. 1 spot once again this week on our list of most-watched videos, despite a flurry of competition from entries new and old. The 2013 Honda Civic and 2013 Toyota Sienna landed at Nos. 2 and 4, respectively, in their debut week, while our popular three-month-old 2014 Toyota Tundra video muscled its way back to the No. 5 spot. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2014 Acura MDX
2. 2013 Honda Civic
3. 2013 Land Rover Range Rover
4. 2013 Toyota Sienna
5. 2014 Toyota Tundra

2013 Toyota Sienna: Car Seat Check

Toyota's minivan was redesigned for 2011 and not much has changed since then. We tested a top-line version of the Sienna; the Limited has seats for seven on standard second-row captain's chairs and a third-row bench seat. Click here to read how a Sienna with a second-row bench seat handled child-safety seats. In both rows, there was plenty of room for our car seats and plenty of bells and whistles to keep both Mom and the kids happy.

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.

2013 Toyota Sienna Video

Resist all you will, but you just won't find this sort of family-friendly versatility and comfort in a crossover. Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger gives the 2013 Toyota Sienna high marks for its cushy seats, abundant passenger room, surprisingly peppy acceleration and class-leading maneuverability. That's in addition to lots of cool features, particularly a second-row retractable footrest that turns the seat into a veritable La-Z-Boy. Still, a noisy V-6 engine and difficult seat-removal process for maximizing cargo space are big annoyances.

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle Earns Five Stars from NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested another batch of new or redesigned-for-2013 vehicles and out of the four newbies, only one was awarded the agency's highest score.

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle received an overall rating of five stars. The coupe earned four stars in frontal testing, five stars in side-crash testing and a four-star score in rollover tests; the convertible model has not yet been tested. The three others recently tested earned four stars overall: The plug-in Ford C-Max Energi, the tiny Toyota Prius c hybrid and front- and all-wheel drive versions of the Toyota Sienna minivan.

NHTSA plans to crash-test 54 model-year 2013 vehicles — 33 passenger cars, 16 SUVs, one van and four pickup trucks. NHTSA says that the crash-testing will account for about 85% of the volume of new vehicles sold for the year.

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Recall Alert: 3,235 2009-13 Toyotas

Southeast Toyota Distributors is recalling 3,235 vehicles spanning model-years 2009-13 due to problems with the occupant sensing system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were modified by Southeast Toyota Distributors to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or head-restraint DVD system. During the installation process, the passenger seat occupant sensing system may not have been tested. This could cause the airbags to not deploy or to deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size, increasing the risk of injury. 

Toyota Drops Four-Cylinder Sienna

The only minivan with a four-cylinder engine is losing it for the 2013 model year. Toyota's Sienna will only be available with its 3.5-liter V-6 this year.

"The four-cylinder was discontinued on the Sienna due to low customer demand. Less than 5% of Sienna buyers were choosing the four-cylinder," Toyota communications representative Sam Butto told Cars.com.

The minivan will again be offered in five grades: base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. All-wheel drive is available on LE, XLE and Limited trims; the Sienna is the only minivan to offer it.

Other model-year 2013 Sienna news includes a newly standard three-zone automatic climate control system for LE models and a standard blind spot warning system for Limited and XLE trims.

Base versions of the 2013 Toyota Sienna start at $27,280, including an $845 destination charge. Model-year 2012 versions started at $25,905, but that was with the four-cylinder. Prices have actually gone up only slightly: model-year 2012 base V-6 versions started at $27,145.

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2013 Toyota Corolla Priced at $17,025

When the 2013 Toyota Corolla goes on sale later this summer, it will start at $17,025, including a $795 destination fee. That's a $100 increase in the MSRP and a $35 increase in the destination fee.

The 2013 Toyota Corolla is available in L, S and LE trims. For the 2013 model year, all Corolla trims get a new front grille. The LE trim gets a chrome grille and a chrome-accented beltline. Photos of the updates won't be available until September, according to Toyota North American representatives. Both LE and S trims get a 6.1-inch touch-screen display with USB connectivity and Bluetooth streaming audio, standard. The S trim sees a $240 price increase, and the LE trim gets a $270 price increase.

Recall Alert: 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2011 Toyota Sienna

More than 500 2010-11 Toyota Corollas and 2011 Toyota Siennas are being recalled due to the potentially flawed installation of aftermarket navigation, overhead entertainment and Bluetooth systems by Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world’s largest Toyota franchise distributor with 173 dealerships in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

During the installation of aftermarket non-Toyota Bluetooth, overhead entertainment and navigation systems, an installer at the facility was found to not be following instructions. On the 518 affected vehicles, the retention clip for the A-pillar trim may have been damaged, which could allow the trim panel to come loose and potentially injure vehicle occupants in a crash. Southeast Toyota estimates that approximately 25% of the vehicles listed have damaged A-pillar covers.

Southeast Toyota dealers will inspect the A-pillar trim panel and replace it if necessary free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners can call Southeast Toyota at 800-301-6859 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Recall Alert: 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna

Toyota is recalling 210,000 2011-12 Sienna minivans because it displays an incorrect vehicle capacity weight label, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects all Siennas produced since Jan. 4, 2010. After recent testing of a 2011 Toyota Sienna, NHTSA discovered that the minivan failed certain conditions to meet the standards displayed on the capacity weight label. Following the label’s maximum cargo and occupant ratings could lead to overloading, which could possibly cause tire failure, according to NHTSA.

Toyota will send owners corrected labels that can be placed over the old label free of charge. A revised owner’s manual will also be shipped, too.

Toyota hasn’t provided a start date for the recall. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more information.