But...the question wasn't whether it's a family car. My other car is a CX-9--THAT'S our family car, which fits all our stuff and performs car pool duty. But--I need to have a car that I know can take all the family members, and soccer/baseball/etc gear. For my 8 and 10 year olds (who were 3 and 5 when I got the car), my car works fine--as long as it's not a primary car.

But--if my kids were younger when I got it, and had a rear-facing car seat, I don't know that it would have even worked in that role.

 

I used to do it but it is so cramped back there with two car seats it's not even funny. Resorted to buying an SUV for that purpose. I'm not even that tall and my sone was complaining about leg room...

 

I have a new born baby, and for the rear facing child seat, it would leave no space for the front passenger unless the front passenger is very short/small otherwise you can see that person's face imprint on the front windshield when you brake.

 

Thanks all for the replies. Here is a little more detail on our situation.

We currently drive ’07 IS250 and ’04 Mazda 3 sedan. We are expecting our first baby in the spring, and will plan on having a 2nd (and final) kid in 2-3 years. We like to keep our cars 10+ years, so that is why we are looking ahead and asking about the IS250 and 2 kids.

We are definitely trading in the Mazda 3 for a new car by the spring. My issue is I’m not sure what to get right now. These are the options I’m deciding between:

1) Trade in Mazda 3 for a 3-row SUV (Acura MDX, CX-9, Pathfinder, etc), and grow into it. Keep IS250 for long-term and use the 3-row SUV as the baby hauler. Use IS250 for kids as rarely as possible.

2) Trade in Mazda 3 for a 2-row SUV (Acura RDX, Sante Fe, CRV, etc) and hope it can fit 2 kids. Keep IS250 for long-term and use the 2-row SUV as the baby hauler. Use IS250 for kids as rarely as possible.

3) Trade in Mazda 3 for a family sedan with big backseat & trunk (Camry, Accord). After having 2nd kid, trade in IS250 for an SUV/minivan.

A few more facts:
- IS250 only has 80k miles and is running great.
- We have a lot of family within 4 hours so we tend to take road trips often.

Which of the 3 scenarios would you recommend?

 

Damn, y'all got some big kids. I fit 3 adults in the backseat fine and comfortably.