| virsipe |
My wife and I currently have three kids (ages 1, 2, 4). We are thinking about another kid which obviously would have an impact on many things- one of which is the car. We purchased the car to fit our current kids and right now, we have three kids across the second row with all of thier car seats. While it is not an easy fit, it is not too bad and now actually seems pretty straight forward.
To add a fourth and a fourth car seat means that one kid would need to be moved to the third row- I guess our oldest who can climb the best. Since three seats would still be across the second row, he would have to enter through the trunk. This seems like it would be rather inconvenient.
What does everyone else do with four kids and a pilot or does everyone get something bigger. I am not convinced a minivan gets you any more real room which is important to use since we still have to haul around lots of kid gear.
Anyone out there with four young kids in a pilot? Thanks a bunch. |
|
|
| mmmmark |
quote:
Originally posted by virsipe
My wife and I currently have three kids (ages 1, 2, 4). We are thinking about another kid which obviously would have an impact on many things- one of which is the car. We purchased the car to fit our current kids and right now, we have three kids across the second row with all of thier car seats. While it is not an easy fit, it is not too bad and now actually seems pretty straight forward.
To add a fourth and a fourth car seat means that one kid would need to be moved to the third row- I guess our oldest who can climb the best. Since three seats would still be across the second row, he would have to enter through the trunk. This seems like it would be rather inconvenient.
What does everyone else do with four kids and a pilot or does everyone get something bigger. I am not convinced a minivan gets you any more real room which is important to use since we still have to haul around lots of kid gear.
Anyone out there with four young kids in a pilot? Thanks a bunch.
You might want to look at an Odyssey. The best thing is that you can get back to actually hook them in the third row easier in the Odyssey.
BUT, to answer your question, the second row seat slides forward which allows even an adult to get back to the third row. It doesn't fold like for example a Chevy Surburban's seats do, so the car seat should be able to set there and still allow the seat to slide and tilt slightly.
Anyone actually have four car seats? if so, chime in!
I'd definitely go down there and check actual sizes out. The biggest difference is that the Pilot has LESS room behind the third seat than does the Odyssey. |
|
|
| 5Gs |
| a minivan like the odyssey has way more room to maneuver inside. with 4 kids on the carseats, there's still plenty of room for all your gear, especially behind the third row. the pilot, with the third row up, doesn't have much room behind there. unless you want/need the 4wd capability of the pilot, it sounds like you're better off with the odyssey. good luck! |
|
|
| ptsmh73 |
| Having experience with both the Pilot and Odyssey, for 4 kids I'd recommend the Odyssey. ...God bless you as they get ready for college! |
|
|
| rocky |
The minivans lower floor and one foot increased length does make a big difference in amount of stuff you can stuff inside. As well as parental ease of fixing the kids into their seats.
With 4 a Minivan is a must. Or a Suburban |
|
|
| virsipe |
Thanks for the replies. I really hope to avoid getting the Suburban given its sheer size and mileage.
Since I am in California, I don't need the 4WD thing except when going skiing- but I don't think we'll be heading to Tahoe for a few years if we have a fourth!
It sounds like an Odyssey might be the way to go though with 4 kids. I guess I can always try the Pilot first and see what happens. Worst case, I get the minivan if the Pilot doesn't work. I'll have to check out the sliding second row seat and see if it gets me access to the third row. |
|
|
| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by virsipe
Thanks for the replies. I really hope to avoid getting the Suburban given its sheer size and mileage.
Since I am in California, I don't need the 4WD thing except when going skiing- but I don't think we'll be heading to Tahoe for a few years if we have a fourth!
It sounds like an Odyssey might be the way to go though with 4 kids. I guess I can always try the Pilot first and see what happens. Worst case, I get the minivan if the Pilot doesn't work. I'll have to check out the sliding second row seat and see if it gets me access to the third row.
There's not a lot of room for the kids stuff (strollers/etc) behind the third row of a Pilot. We've had both the Pilot and a Toyota Sienna with only one child. I can't imagine toting 4 kids and all their stuff in a Pilot. Automatic sliding doors rule when you're toting all that stuff too. |
|
|
| rocky |
| Lots of friends with 'burbs get low to mid teens around town and up to 24 on a run. |
|
|
| enzie54 |
| If you are willing to make a switch, look at the Acadia. I believe it has captain's chairs for the second row, which makes it third row more accessible, just like a minivan. |
|
|
| dj5 |
We had a '04 Odyssey before getting the Pilot. The Odyssey has much more room. Since we only have one kid, we didn't need all the room.
The Odyssey is much easier to put kids in and get them out. With the size of your crew, I would highly recommend the Odyssey. |
|
|
| fireflock |
quote:
Originally posted by virsipe
. Since three seats would still be across the second row, he would have to enter through the trunk. This seems like it would be rather inconvenient.
We have 3 kids in carseats. 2 sit in the second row and #3 sits in the 1/3 portion of the 3rd row seat. With the other part of the split folded down there is still quite a bit of room for stuff.
We bought a hitch step to go in our trailer hitch and he (3.5yrs old) climbs in and out of the back without any problems. I prefer it to a mini-van because I can reach around and strap him in the seat without climbing into the pilot. With a van I would have to climb around inside between the captains chairs to strap him in the carseat.
It can be done and it's not as inconvenient as it might seem. |
|
|
| mkaresh |
quote:
Originally posted by enzie54
If you are willing to make a switch, look at the Acadia. I believe it has captain's chairs for the second row, which makes it third row more accessible, just like a minivan.
Three kids will fit in just about anything. I have three in a Mazda Protege5, no problem.
The fourth is the killer. I don't personally see a Pilot as viable, since the third row is quite tight. Newer competitors such as the Acadia, Mazda CX-9, and Hyundai Veracruz have larger third row seats.
A disadvantage with the Acadia is that you can't fold the second row forward with a car seat in it. In the others the seat just slides forward. This doesn't open up as large a passage, but a child seat can be in the car. |
|
|
| juz |
You may be able to put 2 in the third row and 2 in the second row, leaving the 40% second row spot capable of flopping forward. I know the bases from my car seats can be removed to allow them to take up less width so you may be able to fit 2 and still use the smaller folding portion.
At times I've had two car seats in the third row and one in the second so I could put another two adults in the second. |
|
|
| mikey159 |
quote:
Originally posted by virsipe
Thanks for the replies. I really hope to avoid getting the Suburban given its sheer size and mileage.
Since I am in California, I don't need the 4WD thing except when going skiing- but I don't think we'll be heading to Tahoe for a few years if we have a fourth!
It sounds like an Odyssey might be the way to go though with 4 kids. I guess I can always try the Pilot first and see what happens. Worst case, I get the minivan if the Pilot doesn't work. I'll have to check out the sliding second row seat and see if it gets me access to the third row.
The Odyssey is definately the way to go, but if the oldest could climb over the middle seat and you could then hear the click of their own buckle, giving them the impresion you are "trusting" them more as they grow up. You could make the Pilot last a bit longer and buy the Odyssey when it goes on sale or you find one you like. |
|
|
| virsipe |
Thanks. I was looking at the Odyssey, Acadia and Suburban over the weekend on the computer.
The Acadia is one nice-looking pilot-sized SUV. For the first time in my entire life, I think a GM product is actually pretty nice. It will certainly give the Honda Pilot a run for its money if it is a reliable vehicle. Did anyone see the back end - it has dual tipped oval tailpipes that make it look more lke a Cayenne or Toureg than a GM product. Unbelievable difference compared to prior GM SUVs.
The Odyssey's trunk seems small when you have all seats used. It has a larger hole in the bottom, but if you have a stroller, it seems like it might not be big enough to be able to put in groceries, etc.
The suburban on the other hand was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. They fixed the interior and it looks like it might be as nice (or much closer) to the quality of a honda. That is a huge improvement for GM. It is also huge- with the third row seats up, it has as much room in the back as our Pilot does with only two rows of seats being used. The mileage also is not that great (15/20 for the 4WD), but at least they are trying to improve the mileage (4 cylinders shut off on the freeway).
Anyway, thanks for the messages and thoughts. |
|
|
| jrinjax |
Just a little FYI from a Father of three; As the kids get older, the amount they fight/bother each other is directly porportional to the amount of space between them. I actually bought a new Ford Chateau Van just to travel in and the kids loved it, especially since they each got to bring a friend on vacations.
They are all out of college/married now and the empty nest is nice and quiet... and I sold the Van to a church so we could go with something smaller on vacations.
JR |
|
|
| mkaresh |
The Acadia is quite a bit larger than the Pilot, in terms of both internal and external dimensiions. When developing it GM focused on providing more cargo space behind the third row than anyone else.
It really is quite shocking how seriously Honda owners here and on the Odyssey forum have been considering the Outlook and Acadia. |
|
|
| larryziegler |
quote:
Originally posted by mkaresh
The Acadia is quite a bit larger than the Pilot, in terms of both internal and external dimensiions. When developing it GM focused on providing more cargo space behind the third row than anyone else.
It really is quite shocking how seriously Honda owners here and on the Odyssey forum have been considering the Outlook and Acadia.
Ask those Acadia/Outlook buyers again, once their vehicles hit 75,000 miles. That's the true difference. Granted, for those that lease 3-4 years, and put less than 50,000 miles, this won't hold true. I do love the look of the Acadia myself.....then thinking of GM/Ford/Chrysler long term quality brings me back to reality. |
|
|
| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by larryziegler
Ask those Acadia/Outlook buyers again, once their vehicles hit 75,000 miles. That's the true difference. Granted, for those that lease 3-4 years, and put less than 50,000 miles, this won't hold true. I do love the look of the Acadia myself.....then thinking of GM/Ford/Chrysler long term quality brings me back to reality.
GM has a 5 year/100k (vs Hondas 5year/60K) powertrain warranty now so that helps a lot. I put 20K miles a year on the Pilot and generally keep vehicles for 5 years (=100K). My full ownership would be covered under warranty unlike the Pilot. Of my last 4 vehicles purchased new, I have lemoned an 2003 Acura and a 2004 Toyota while my 2004 Chevy truck as not had a problem. The 2005 Pilot has been reliable so far.
CR notes that the new GM designs (Lucerne/Caddy DTS/Tahoe) are showing to be very reliable. Given that GM models typically tend to be heavily discounted and the reliability gap has closed significantly, I see the new GM vehicles as a good alternative. |
|
|
| mkaresh |
The new Tahoe might be solid, but I wouldn't rely on CR for this. It was introduced about a month before last year's cut-off date, so they're basing their verdict on a few weeks of ownership per respondent, at most.
This has yielded wildly inaccurate results in the past, for example with the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline went from off the charts in its first year (same situation as the Tahoe) to "merely" average this year.
You can read more about this issue here:
Consumer Reports adopts one of my less intelligent suggestions |
|
|
| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by mkaresh
The new Tahoe might be solid, but I wouldn't rely on CR for this. It was introduced about a month before last year's cut-off date, so they're basing their verdict on a few weeks of ownership per respondent, at most.
This has yielded wildly inaccurate results in the past, for example with the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline went from off the charts in its first year (same situation as the Tahoe) to "merely" average this year.
You can read more about this issue here:
Consumer Reports adopts one of my less intelligent suggestions
I don't think most people would rely solely on CR reliability data to judge long term reliability on a first year vehicle. It is at best indicating decent initial quality. I give much more weight to forums and friends/coworkers/relatives experience until there are a number of years of reliability data. |
|
|
| tfrain |
quote:
Originally posted by larryziegler
Ask those Acadia/Outlook buyers again, once their vehicles hit 75,000 miles. That's the true difference. Granted, for those that lease 3-4 years, and put less than 50,000 miles, this won't hold true. I do love the look of the Acadia myself.....then thinking of GM/Ford/Chrysler long term quality brings me back to reality.
Amen to that my brother!
All GM SUV's as long as I can remember have this annoying sound like a jet plane is taking off after about 10K miles. They all seem to do this and it annoys the everliving crap out of me. Dealers never fix it. Quality issues aside (and I would never put them aside) - I wouldn't buy a domestic because of that one factor right there. |
|
|
| sagaliba |
quote:
Originally posted by virsipe
I am not convinced a minivan gets you any more real room which is important to use since we still have to haul around lots of kid gear.
Most minivans (including Honda's own Odyssey) definitely have more room than the Pilot. This is especially true in space behind the 3rd row (Pilot hardly has any). I owned a minivan for 10 years, hauling kids and their friends plus family trips, love it. In addition, minivan is longer, so I can haul 8 foot timber with tailgate closed, a big safty plus, IMHO.
I recently replaced my minivan with the Pilot, mainly because the 4wd it provides, and that my kids have grown up now, so I do not need the room as much. |
|
|
| LiveWireRacing |
The Pilot is outstanding at what it does. If you're looking to haul passengers, the new Odyssey is perfect. The only problem for us, with 7,5,2 year and newborn passengers is the Odyssey Touring gives up one seating spot. It's definitely easier to get into the Odyssey than the Pilot, especially with the 7 passenger Odyssey. The ride on the Odyssey is less truck like too. Plus, the Michelin run flat tires/wheels look great and work even better.
Good luck. Both choices are good ones. |
|
|
| TheEaglePilot |
quote:
Originally posted by LiveWireRacing
Plus, the Michelin run flat tires/wheels look great and work even better.
I haven't used these, but I've read a number of complaints about them, re: ride and replacement cost.
Chris |
|
|
| LiveWireRacing |
quote:
Originally posted by TheEaglePilot
I haven't used these, but I've read a number of complaints about them, re: ride and replacement cost.
Chris
Maybe we're lucky. We're approaching 50K miles on these tires and they have another 10 to go. Replacement is expensive if your dealer doesn't have the right tire changing machine. I guess it's still expensive for just the tires at around $900 to replac all four. But, the one time my wife blew a tire on the freeway and drove the 20 miles to the dealer without having to stop...it's worth the price to me. |
|
|
| ptsmh73 |
quote:
Originally posted by LiveWireRacing
RE: Michelin PAX tires "...Replacement is expensive if your dealer doesn't have the right tire changing machine."
You must have "the right" tire changing machine, or you can't work on the PAX tires. We are approaching 40K and they are not long for this world. I am very disappointed in the mileage on these tires, especially due to the replacement cost. Your looking at about $200 per tire plus installation, so it will easily be $1000.00 to change them out. I've looked, but cannot find, anyone with regular wheels because of the digital TPMS in the Touring wheels. I'd rather get regular wheels and buy a donut spare. The PAX tires are terrible. |
|
|
| jl_ss |
quote:
Originally posted by ptsmh73
You must have "the right" tire changing machine, or you can't work on the PAX tires. We are approaching 40K and they are not long for this world. I am very disappointed in the mileage on these tires, especially due to the replacement cost. Your looking at about $200 per tire plus installation, so it will easily be $1000.00 to change them out. I've looked, but cannot find, anyone with regular wheels because of the digital TPMS in the Touring wheels. I'd rather get regular wheels and buy a donut spare. The PAX tires are terrible.
40K+ out of run-flats is incredible compared to the Toyota Sienna run-flats. The Sienna averages less than 20K out a set and they're just as expensive. |
|
|
| LiveWireRacing |
I try to run about 35psi in all four tires and have them rotated about every 7-8K miles. Seems to treat the tires well.
Like I posted. My wife hit somthing on the freeway that completely trashed the sidewall. The tire pressure warning came on. She called me and I told her to drive to the nearest Honda dealer. They swapped the wheel/tire. Perhaps you'll be luckier than us and your wife will never get a flat. Perhaps not. If it means the four kids and Melanie won't have to worry about getting home with a flat tire, the added insurance is well worth the money to me.
40K miles is good mileage for most tires, anyway. These will still have plenty of tread by 55K miles but I'll change them out then. |
|
|
| BillG |
quote:
Originally posted by LiveWireRacing
The Pilot is outstanding at what it does. If you're looking to haul passengers, the new Odyssey is perfect.
As another Pilot + Odyssey owner... I agree completely.
We have three kids (ages 4,3,1). It is much better suited to family duty that the Pilot.
That deep well behind the third row of teh Ody is deceiving. We stand our double stroller up on one side and use a bungie cord to hold it in position. Doing that frees up a lot of room. You might be surprised how much you can fit in there. |
|
|
| paspilot |
Just went camping with 2 kids, and another family with just one kid. Stuffing 3 kids and stuff- never mind a stroller into a Pilot with the 3rd row seats up isn't going to happen.
3 seats across the middle row is too tight to get to the buckle latch between the car seats. It works for us with 2 kids and the grandparents or a few guests on a short trip- but it's not going to do the family vacation. |
|
|
| Don Willems |
| I like the way you think about the Acaida |
|
|
| mkaresh |
| I fit three across in the back seat of a Mazda Protege5. They'll easily fit in a Pilot. |
|
|
| tfrain |
I recently made a deal for a friend on an odyssey. I went over to check it out and Really, really like it. The space behind the 3rd row is cavernous and the leather and seats are very nice. It is very spacious. I don't really see that there is all that more room width wise or even in the 3rd row, but there is definitely more room behind the 3rd row. Another thing is my son's carseat in the middle of the Pilot - we can still move the 40 side of the 60/40 split seat in order to get back to the 3rd row. With their kid in the middle of the odyssey, you can't move either seat.
I towed my trailer over to a friend's land the other day to get it out of the way for my son's birthday party. I don't think the odyssey could have done this due to the terrain and weight of trailer.
There are pros/cons to each. All in all, I'm very happy with the Pilot, but if the situation changes in the future and I can afford to have something myself that can tow, we might end up getting an odyssey, especially if we end up with 4 kids. |
|
|
| pointech |
quote:
Originally posted by fireflock
We have 3 kids in carseats. 2 sit in the second row and #3 sits in the 1/3 portion of the 3rd row seat. With the other part of the split folded down there is still quite a bit of room for stuff.
I have 3 kids. We tried this seating arrangement, but our oldest is still in a booster seat (8 years old and only 50 lbs). In the 1/3 seat the booster slightly covers the seat belt buckle so she can't do it herself. We also have an Odyssey which has no problem with any seat. The Pilot is surprisingly NOT carseat friendly.
Tom in Virginia |
|
|
| tfrain |
Some days I think we screwed up in getting the Pilot, but right now I don't really know that we have an alternative. I may talk to my wife about getting an Odyssey as we plan on having a few kids (3 or 4).
I love the Pilot though, and she does too. I hate to wait until we absolutely have to get an Odyssey and then trade in as we would have paid all that time on the Pilot and then start over with another payment. We keep vehicles forever.
Can other's with more than 2 kids chime in about this?? Is it working for you? I'm really looking for those that the pilot serves as the primary kid hauler (as opposed to Dad driving the pilot and Mom driving an odyssey). |
|
|
| sjlee |
quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
Some days I think we screwed up in getting the Pilot, but right now I don't really know that we have an alternative. I may talk to my wife about getting an Odyssey as we plan on having a few kids (3 or 4).
I love the Pilot though, and she does too. I hate to wait until we absolutely have to get an Odyssey and then trade in as we would have paid all that time on the Pilot and then start over with another payment. We keep vehicles forever.
Can other's with more than 2 kids chime in about this?? Is it working for you? I'm really looking for those that the pilot serves as the primary kid hauler (as opposed to Dad driving the pilot and Mom driving an odyssey).
Why would you consider trading in your Pilot now to get an Odyssey that you won't need for at least two years? Enjoy the Pilot now and trade it in if you feel you need to get something more suited for hauling people instead of cargo.
Your concern is that you'll pay off the Pilot right around the time you'll need to get an Odyssey. Well, if you trade in your Pilot now, depending on how long you've had your Pilot, you may end up still having to pay off (out-of-pocket) a portion of the balance on the loan.
The Odyssey is definitely more suited for hauling people around. There's more interior room, and you can access any row of seating without having to climb over any seats.
Besides, I don't care what Honda says, the Pilot is not really an 8 passenger vehicle. The third row is strictly limited to kids... and getting three in there is nearly impossible.
With the Odyssey, you can fit 7 adults. With the Pilot, five adults is the limit... maybe six if you can convince/trick an adult to squeeze into the third row. The problem with the third row is that there is very little legroom. |
|
|
| sjlee |
quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
Another thing is my son's carseat in the middle of the Pilot - we can still move the 40 side of the 60/40 split seat in order to get back to the 3rd row. With their kid in the middle of the odyssey, you can't move either seat.
This doesn't make sense to me. Having a carseat in the middle of the Pilot means (to me) that it is in the middle spot of the second row.
The Odyssey only has two seats in the second row, so if a carseat is in either seat, you can always access the third row from the other side. In addition, you can always remove the center console of the second row so that you can have a walkthrough between the seats or move one of the seats over to give you more room.
Check out the picture from Honda's website to see what I'm talking about...
http://automobiles.honda.com/models...delName=Odyssey |
|
|
| TheEaglePilot |
quote:
Originally posted by sjlee
I don't care what Honda says, the Pilot is not really an 8 passenger vehicle. The third row is strictly limited to kids... and getting three in there is nearly impossible.
I dunno. Unless you're using your Pilot to haul a basketball team, I think eight is quite possible, though seven is better.
One of the selling points of the Pilot for me was that I can actually get into the back seat, at 6'4". (Unlike any Toyota third row, Subaru Tribeca, etc.) I can even hold my head up. Now, would I want to ride there for long? No. But if you're carting kids, smaller women, etc., its quite feasible.
Chris |
|
|
| tfrain |
I, nor my friends, have any problems with the 3rd row in the Pilot. I think it is actually pretty comfy with the 2nd row moved up a notch and not reclined. Like it was said, I wouldn't want to be there for 10 hours on a trip, but it is ok.
We keep vehicles. I hate having a carnote. This is my first new car and first car note. I do not want to have a car note in perpetuity. I want to pay it off and keep it for 10 years after that. If I trade the pilot in in a couple of years, I will have paid all these notes for not (at least in my mind). We have had the Pilot for about 3 months, and I have added the towing package myself. It has about 3K miles on it, so I could probably get out of it for about what I put in it, but I do love the thing - it drives great and tows pretty well. I just wanna have something and keep it with no trading.
I posted a photo on here somewhere a month or more ago - the pilot's 2nd row - the middle seat is not really in the middle of the car. it is cheated slightly over towards the drivers side. If you look in your pilot, you will see that that middle section (the seam between the 60/40 split) - the seat bottom is not exactly in the between the two front seats. There is more room for me beside my son's carseat on the passenger side than the driver's side. This allows me to move that seat out of the way to access the 3rd row. Check it out and you'll see what I mean. |
|
|
| tfrain |
go to this site, which is a flyover of the pilot interior. pause it when it shows the 2nd row - you'll see what I mean how the middle seat is offset slightly to the driver's side in reference to the front two seats.
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/895/videos/209# |
|
|
| fireflock |
quote:
Originally posted by pointech
I have 3 kids. We tried this seating arrangement, but our oldest is still in a booster seat (8 years old and only 50 lbs). In the 1/3 seat the booster slightly covers the seat belt buckle so she can't do it herself. We also have an Odyssey which has no problem with any seat. The Pilot is surprisingly NOT carseat friendly.
Tom in Virginia
All of my kids are still in carseats (age 3,2,0) - did you have any luck finding a booster seat that is narrower?
We can also fit 2 britax marathons in the middle row with a booster in the middle (ie. all 3 kids in the middle row). It's tight, but they fit. I do wish the 3rd row had latch.
We spent some time hauling all 3 in a dodge minivan a few weeks ago. Uggh what a pain in the @@@. We put 2 britax seats in the captians chairs, and a graco convertable seat in the 3rd row latch. No matter who you put where, having an adult climb into the back row each time to strap someone in is for the birds. I'll take the Pilot anyday. I assume the Odyessy is bigger (and easier) than the dodge minivans. |
|
|
| sjlee |
quote:
Originally posted by TheEaglePilot
I dunno. Unless you're using your Pilot to haul a basketball team, I think eight is quite possible, though seven is better.
One of the selling points of the Pilot for me was that I can actually get into the back seat, at 6'4". (Unlike any Toyota third row, Subaru Tribeca, etc.) I can even hold my head up. Now, would I want to ride there for long? No. But if you're carting kids, smaller women, etc., its quite feasible.
Chris
It doesn't have to be a basketball team... I'm talking average sized adults (average height being 5'9" for men and 5'4" for women; average weight being 170 lbs for men and 135 lbs for women). I can see one adult in the third row... maybe two, but three? |
|
|
| sjlee |
quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
go to this site, which is a flyover of the pilot interior. pause it when it shows the 2nd row - you'll see what I mean how the middle seat is offset slightly to the driver's side in reference to the front two seats.
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/895/videos/209#
I understand the layout of the Pilot. My question was with regards to your comment about how you couldn't get to the third row of an Odyssey if there was a carseat in the second row. |
|
|
| pointech |
quote:
Originally posted by fireflock
All of my kids are still in carseats (age 3,2,0) - did you have any luck finding a booster seat that is narrower?
Nothing that meets my wife's safety requirements :)
The backless ones are not as wide, but also not recommended.
Tom in Virginia |
|
|
| jonaz |
| Dont understand what the big deal is. My wife picks up her 5 nieces and nephews, plus our twins. Thats 7 kids plus her. We have two car seats in the middle, and one car seat in the third row (narrow seat on the right). Piling the kids in, is fairly easy. If we have another set of twins one day (which I hope we do), having our Pilot will never be a issue. |
|
|
| tfrain |
How do you move the seats for access to the 3rd row? Do you have boosters that can unbuckle in the 2nd row? I see an issue when we might have two convertible seats in the 2nd row where you can't get to the back - how do you guys manage it? I see us possibly having 4 kids two years apart, which would put prob. 3 of them at a time in convertible seats.
quote:
Originally posted by jonaz
Dont understand what the big deal is. My wife picks up her 5 nieces and nephews, plus our twins. Thats 7 kids plus her. We have two car seats in the middle, and one car seat in the third row (narrow seat on the right). Piling the kids in, is fairly easy. If we have another set of twins one day (which I hope we do), having our Pilot will never be a issue.
|
|
|
| tfrain |
If you put a convertible carseat in the MIDDLE of the 2nd row in an odyssey, you can't move the two side seats up to get to the back row. I'm talking about an EX-L with the additional middle seat thing, not the touring. My friends have their daughter in the middle location as it is the safest, and I do the same in the pilot.
quote:
Originally posted by sjlee
I understand the layout of the Pilot. My question was with regards to your comment about how you couldn't get to the third row of an Odyssey if there was a carseat in the second row.
|
|
|
| sjlee |
quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
If you put a convertible carseat in the MIDDLE of the 2nd row in an odyssey, you can't move the two side seats up to get to the back row. I'm talking about an EX-L with the additional middle seat thing, not the touring. My friends have their daughter in the middle location as it is the safest, and I do the same in the pilot.
I understand now. I thought they had the console in the second row, not the additional seat. Since it is so narrow, I can see how a carseat would block the other two seats.
If you do that, one option would be to remove one of the two outer chairs in the second row, which would then give you access to the third row. Seems like a good trade-off... get rid of one seat to be able to access three additional seats. |
|
|
| tfrain |
| I just thought about something that would solve it - removing the middle seat thing and just moving the outboard seat over to the middle. You would then have a passthrough to the 3rd row right at the door. I forgot all about being able to do that. I'll have to suggest that to them. |
|
|
| BillG |
quote:
Originally posted by fireflock
All of my kids are still in carseats (age 3,2,0) - did you have any luck finding a booster seat that is narrower?
We can also fit 2 britax marathons in the middle row with a booster in the middle (ie. all 3 kids in the middle row). It's tight, but they fit. I do wish the 3rd row had latch.
We spent some time hauling all 3 in a dodge minivan a few weeks ago. Uggh what a pain in the @@@. We put 2 britax seats in the captians chairs, and a graco convertable seat in the 3rd row latch. No matter who you put where, having an adult climb into the back row each time to strap someone in is for the birds. I'll take the Pilot anyday. I assume the Odyessy is bigger (and easier) than the dodge minivans.
What you're saying is true for your kids at ages 3,2, 0.. but keep in mind that it won't be too long before the 3 & 2 year olds will learn to buckle themselves in.
Our 3 & 4 year old children can do it. We have their carseats on the outboard sides in the third row. They can get themselves in the car, in their seats, and buckled up properly.
The older kids can access their seats more easily in the Ody because they can climb in themselves and walk right to their seat. The Pilot is higher, harder to climb in to, and harder to access the third row. |
|
|
| BillG |
quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
I just thought about something that would solve it - removing the middle seat thing and just moving the outboard seat over to the middle. You would then have a passthrough to the 3rd row right at the door. I forgot all about being able to do that. I'll have to suggest that to them.
We have the Ody EX-L and that is exactly how we usually keep our seats. Plus seat is out. Passenger side captain's chair slid over to the middle.
This allows kids to climb in on their own from curbside. Also, it makes it easier for Mom & Dad to access the third row when needed. |
|
|
| tfrain |
| I just sent them an email with that suggestion.... |
|
|
|
