skassamali

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. My wife and I currently have an 06 FX35 and an 05 G35. We are expecting twins in October, and being 6'2, I can't fit in the driver's seat in either vehicle with 2 car seats behind. We were considering replacing the G35 with the LS as it's a much a bigger vehicle. Does anyone on here have experience with 2 car seats in their LS? How about three (well 1 infant and 2 forward facing or booster seats)? I'd hate to buy this and then realize in 2 years we can't fit one infant seat and 2 boosters in the car. We were looking at a Highlander, but we'd rather not get another SUV if we didn't need to. There's not much posted on the web related to putting car seats in the LS, but I guess that's b/c most LS owners would rather not put their kids in it .

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Sajjad

2SAVVY

Well I too went from a G35 Coupe to the LS430 a few years after we had our son. I know for sure you can fit 2 car seats but not 3 (Just took a peek). No issues with forward facing or rear facing seats since there is alot of room. I can post a pic of our car seat if that makes it easier to visualize.

Hope that helps!

skassamali

That would help! Thanks! How about 1 rear facing and 2 boosters?

outdoorboy

I've got two boosters in mine, and would see it hard to fit a rear facing also. It would really depend on the boosters that your using. Some are wider then others. Also one thing to keep in mind is that the LS has a lot softer leather then most other cars. I've always used seat protectors under all of my kids seats, but have never put a car seat that has to be latched down (keeping constant pressure on the seat) in the LS. Other cars that I used the "latching" car seats had tougher leather. SUVs usually have a stiffer leather than cars. Just something I noticed when comparing cars.

2SAVVY

I'll post a pic this evening for you after I take the little guy to Tae-Kwon-Doe. This work thing is getting in the way of me taking pictures.. LOL

3 seat belts in the back so no issue with 2 boosters and 1 car seat (Front or Rear)

Good point by outdoorboy the width might be an issue with all 3 items in the car.

caddyowner

Won't you need two infant seats as your wife is expecting twins? I assume you would then have one older child that needs a booster.

Sorry, having raised six kids including a pair of twin girls who are now 29, it's minivan time for you. Your back will thank you when strapping those little ones into the car seats through a big, high minivan door rather than bent over into any sedan. Odyssey or Sienna, take your pick. I know, this is not the answer you wanted to hear.

Jabberwock

Agree get a Honda Odyssey or a Sienna. Multiple car seats in an LS430 makes me shudder to think about all the cracker crumbs and fries being lost in the cracks and folds.

GLIDESUL

I have 1 rear facing car seat in my ls. I'm only 5'9" but I just have enough leg room to be comfortable. As for 2 boosters and 1 rear that's gonna be tight. Minivan maybe calling

GLIDESUL

And don't forget about the baby stroller and baby bags trunk space will be done after all that. If we take the ls to the market or any serious shopping I have to leave the stroller home.

caddyowner

^^
I think our early 80s side-by-side twin stroller was about the size of Fiat 500.

danxp

2 car seats should be no problem... i've got two little ones myself...

i actually bought the ls instead of an SUV because of all the space, well, mainly the 20+ cubic trunk space... only way the ls could be better space-wise is if the rear seat was a 60-40 split... but i imagine they didn't do that because it would make the car less rigid...

anyway, i agree with the others about 3 car seats... if you need to have 3 car seats, the ls is not a convenient option... 2 is totally fine tho.

Remi

I have four kids (and an LS430) - you can fit three kids in the back no problem with two boosters, or a booster and an infant seat but it's really hard to put three car seats in the back. I tried two boosters and the infant seat and you could not buckle up the kids.

My other car is a Toyota Sienna :-)

skassamali

Our other car is the FX, and my wife is comfortable driving that as she's only 5'2. Trunk space was a concern, but there's the Baby Trend Snap and Go Double stroller that folds up really nicely. It's basically a frame and then the car seats snap on. It fit nicely towards the back of the 05 LS the dealer had for sale here. Now obviously this car won't fit the stroller plus like 2 or 3 suitcases, but we can always use the FX as the luggage carrier for the airport drop offs. I'm figuring for weekend trips the LS will be plenty roomy. We're thinking of the Peg Perego Viaggio (http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Pri.../dp/B004DIMORM) which is a pretty compact car seat. At 6'2, I don't think I'll ever have a car that has enough legroom unless I get a 4 door crewmax Tundra :-). Or a Hummer.

I know it's planning way ahead, but basically for the next 2-3 years, we'll only have the 2 car seats. If God blesses us with a 3rd child. I just didn't want to spending 20-22k on a car now, only to have to sell it then. Come to think of it, I don't an infant seat and 2 would fit across the FX either! So we'd have to end up selling that one at that time! The other car I was considering was the Highlander.

caddyowner

OK, so you have no kids now and are expecting twins. You may have a 3rd in a few years, hence the possible need for two booster seats and one carseat. Now it makes sense. Car choice depends on how long you plan to keep your vehicles. Having owned minivans in the past (and a full-size van and a couple 3-row SUVs), the LS driving experience is certainly better for commuting. In our family, I kept only one vehicle that could transport everyone and had one or more smaller cars for daily use.

CarGuy89

Disclaimer: I don't have any experience with child seats/children for that matter

If you're set on driving a flagship luxo sedan (let's face it, they're the best DD's on the planet), take a look at the long wheel base models such as the Merc S500, BMW 750iL, and the A8L. Those have a lot more rear legroom than the LS430 does.

A while back I was helping my grandfather shop for his next car, shortly after the LS430 was bought. We went to the local auto mall. On the way there, I noticed with my grandfather in the front (he's close to 6 ft), my grandmother (whose 5ft 4 maybe) had a good amount of room in the back (ie legs weren't touching the seats. We saw an 06 Merc S500 at a dealership and decided to give it a go. I did the driving (and loved it), noticed that with my grandfather at the front, my grandmother had way more room in the back. She was riding along cross-legged with a good foot or 2 of room left.

Now, you will risk losing the reliability of Lexus/Toyota, but it will offer the polished levels of daily driving the LS does should the LS be too small for your needs (and of course, you don't want to project the 'soccer dad' image).