I could probably fit 2 car seats into my Civic coupe, but that’d be a real struggle getting in and out all the time. I imagine my Civic is probably as big, if not bigger than a Yaris hatchback, so I can’t see 3 car seats in the vehicle at once.
The Transportation Industry Use The “Seat/Mile” In Economy Calculations.
How about a Buick Estate Wagon or a Country Squire??
My youngest is 33. I love mini-vans for their practicality and efficiency. We can fill that sucker with stuff we need or want, and race down the road at 24 mpg, at 70 mph.
And, in Mexico, where people do what poor people do when they must, we have had up to ten people in there on short trips, like from church to home, where the choices are not good.
The best thing about it is the sitting up high with my feet hanging down. My best friend and I drove cross country once, and when we got home, he went out and bought a mini-van.
irlandes, was this you?
When our kids were small, we always had Suburbans. Now we have a Cadillac SRX, an absolutely superb car. Suburbans (and Tahoe, Yukon) are a much more solid vehicle than any minivan. Plus, we tow a ski boat & a motorcycle trailer, something minivans can’t adequately do. On top of that, we just find minivans to be so mundane. Finally, the only minivans that aren’t absolutely horrible to drive are foreign. Our family supports American industry, and cannot in good conscience buy from a foreign manufacturer…
Mazda 5 is also known for being especially tricky to achieve correct carseat installation/use in. You will find details on this by searching @ www.car-seat.org
As a SafeKids Worldwide nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, I disagree – I have a few families correctly/safety seat 3 kids in carseats in compact cars – there are many variables that nonCPSTs just aren’t aware of.
I have only had 2 minivans but loved both of them. And believe me, I’m not easy to please when it comes to vehicles. For example, I don’t like 4 cylinder cars, don’t like manual transmissions, don’t like 2-door cars, and don’t like Europeqn cars.
I have fit 3 carseats across a Honda Civic & Toyota Echo as well as many other more family-friendly sized cars. The countless Child Passenger Safety Technicians @ http://www.car-seats.org have an ongoing thread specifically for 3 across installation issues.
What is your current vehicle year, make, model?
What are your kids’ actual ages, weights & heights?
What carseats are they currently using?
What is your budget?
Chances are there is at least 1 option to try before you have to buy a minivan. Crashes are the leading cause of death (not to mention survivor’s injuries: brain damage, paralysis, amputation, etc.) because about 4 out of 5 kids are riding with an average of 3 potentially fatal misuse errors. Just like many assume that 3 carseats cannot fit in compact cars, most assume they’re using their seats correctly.
Tiffany, CPST
I drove a sedan for a long time and then, because of a need to transport things without their getting wet in the rain (I was living in Memphis), I wound up getting a minivan. THat was 3 vehicles back and they’ve all been minivans since.
The comments about the dual sliding doors and the access to the last saeat are right on point. Also the one about shopping for a one (or, maybe, 2) year old one. I’d also look at the Mercury Monterey’s; their the Mercury equivalent for the Ford Windstar.
One other point to consider is making sure that you have one with remote keyless entry that can not only open either side door but also that can open and close the rear hatch. (That last bit re: the rear hatch is the only thing I am missing on my current one and there are times when I really would love to have it. 
One last thing, having the rear “lift gate” form of a rear hatch can really be handy if you need to change a diaper when its raining . . . it serves as a really good hands-free umbrella and, if the rear seat is laid flat, you have a nice work space to do the “dirty work”, so to speak.
I guess it depends more on what cargo you have. A Prius can transport 3 car seats, but if you need to take them to tuba lessons, good luck.
Yes, you need a minivan. What if you gave birth to tentuplets? You would need the space!
Then you’ll need one of those passenger vans.
Tiffany Cpst, That May Work As A Stunt Or To Win A Bet . . .
. . . like when they’d try and see how many people they could cram into a VW Beetle or the old telephone booths. When I think back to all the trips we took with the kids in our Caravan, I would never have enjoyed any of them in one of our other cars, even our large cars and we would have been as relaxed, comfortable, and safe. The integrated child seats with built-in harnesses held the kids safely and securely and with the dual sliding doors were easy to access.
As I pointed out in an earlier post, when kids start grabassing the only thing that saves the day is separation and that requires room. I just can’t imagine a row of adjacent, grabassing kids, three across in a car, especially a small car. The distractions would make the situation unsafe at any speed. Either the kids or the driver or everybody would have to be sedated. If crashes are the leading cause of death then sticking a pile of kids together in a car gives one a leg up.
Talk about safety, I’d be scared to death hauling my kids around in one of those little things. What for, to save a couple bucks on gas? One of our large cars would work for short hops, but any trip of more than a few minutes and were taking the van. We live a half hour from town, one way, so almost all trips take a while.
Large cars transport a couple of adults safely. Vans transport kids or larger numbers of adults safely. Safety comes first for my family.
CSA, DAD
What exactly would be good as a stunt or bet? Safely & correctly fitting 3 carseats into a vehicle? That is not at all the same thing as cramming a VW bug with too many people.
Integrated child safety seats are not ideal for primary use. They are good for child care providers or carpooling, but lack side impact protection, are not as adjustable for sizing & comfort, plus then you’re left with nothing in an emergency or if kiddo wants to ride with someone else.
If the carseats are installed correctly & the children are buckled into them correctly & they only have appropriate/soft toys, then they cannot cause too much trouble even though they may be loud. Kids are loud in vans, too.
There are far too many families who cannot afford bigger vehicles without starving or forgoing medications, etc. Their kids are still safe.
What about a family of 7 in a minivan – are those 5 kids unsafe because their carseats are all next to eachother? No, of course not! In fact, real crash data tells us that there are less injuries when carseats are next to eachother than when there is empty seat space between them…
p.s. there are various parenting skills that help reduce backseat squabling. That makes for countless other thread discussions, though. One issue at a time. First things first, find a vehicle that fits the budget. Then the right carseats (easier to replace carseats than a car) & finally, each behavior issue one at a time.
I think CSA’s kids probably engage in more “grabassing” than the average well-mannered child. Perhaps he is saying that if you can afford a larger vehicle, you don’t have to discipline your children?
Is the common sense answer to “grabassing” the purchase of a larger vehicle?
A minivan is far and away your best bet. Here is why:
Best mileage and spacial characteristics for a vehicle which meets your passenger criteria
Power sliding doors are a god sent when you are holding a baby to place in a car seat
You are able to place the baby in the seat without bending down or reaching high into an SUV.
Higher driving position and quite safe
I have been forecasting vehicles sales for hundreds of organizations in the auto industry for over 20 years - trust me you want a minivan. There are 4 I would look at: Chrysler/Dodge, Toyota, Honda & Kia. Good luck! Forecast Guy.
Minivan would be fine. It would be a economical, practical, and smart choice for what you need. Three kids are quite a few!
Invest in a newer model and if you can make it go the distance over the next 10+ years, you’ll be very glad you did at the other end of it. By that point you can begin to think about looking at a wagon/CUV since you wouldn’t be worrying about car seats anymore.
We’re on our 3rd minivan. Best thing we ever had for hauling the kids and everything that goes with them. We’ve always liked the Dodge Grand Caravans. Just our preference. Good luck