Well, I just found out my GF is pregnant.. I am freaking out, I need to know if or how well a car seat will fit in the back seat?? JK I'm not really freaking out here, but I guess I'm just curious if I'm gonna be able to keep the 8 or not ;(

I'm not to sure how one actually fits, but I know that the 8 has the anchors points for hooking the baby seats in. I think there are a few members that have baby seats in their 8

well that's good.. as long as they fit and its safe.. If not, I'm gonna have to get something else.. i definitely am not ready for a mini van yet, I'd prefer to stay with something somewhat sporty..

how are the back seats in an E46 M3? thats the next car on my list!

My 2yr old son rides in the back seat...as for a newborn, I see no problem, assuming either one of you are not over 5'7"...otherwise, the front passenger/driver will be pretty cramped to make room for the seats in question...as my son would say, "Go, go, go!!"

do you know any friends with child seats? test fit. it'll be a tight fit, but sitting erect penile unit for the passenger, and keeping passenger under the 5'7 recommendation should be doable.

They fit just fine. The 8 is my main baby-carrying vehicle, and her Graco Snugride fits just fine behind the passenger seat. Now, the passenger seat is a little cramped while it's back there, but since one of us always rides in the back with her anyway to keep her entertained, it's not such a big deal. And once she's old enough and big enough to face front, there'll be plenty of room in the front seat again.

We're looking at a Britax Boulevard for her next seat, so if anyone has any Britax experience, I'd love to hear that, in addition. I'm almost positive I've seen people write about ahving them in the 8, and I'll definitely test one first, but it'd be nice to hear before I get my hopes up too much.

im 6'3 and sat in the back seat relatively comfertably while my took his turn test driving an rx8 imo i had plenty of room but the guy in the seat in front of me was only like 5'11. so aslong as all your friends/wife/kids are not all 6 feet plus it shouldn't be a problem.

2 car seats fit fine in the back...

It's not my kids' daily driver... But it works well...

well that's good.. as long as they fit and its safe.. If not, I'm gonna have to get something else.. i definitely am not ready for a mini van yet, I'd prefer to stay with something somewhat sporty..

how are the back seats in an E46 M3? thats the next car on my list!


More room in an e46 M3 and it fits super easy (attached pic of my son in a 03 e46). I'll be testing my son’s car seat in an RX 8 next week so I'll let you know. I have seen pics here on the board of someone who had two car seats in one so they do fit and the 8 has full LATCH points and curtain airbags. One of the better sports cars if you occasionally have to tote kids I think. It probably just depends on the seat. My son’s seat is quite wide so that is a bit of a concern for the 8 with the center console.

I have a 5 and 9 year old who ride in the back on boosters. The only issue I have is because their legs are short and the seat is long, when their backs are against the back of the seat their legs can't bend at the edge of the seat so their feet are hitting the back of the front seats. More of a problem with the young one then the older one.

Also my oldest no longer needs a booster but I find that if he doesn't he sits to low to see out the side windows. If you add this to sprinted driving you get a kid that is car sick. Put him in the booster and it is not a problem.

When my sister was visiting with her baby we tossed her carseat in back no problem. Since my niece was about 8 months at the time, it was rear facing. With a larger, rear facing seat and my sister 5'10" in the passenger's seat, there was still room. It was snug, but everything fit just fine.

Ahh, here we go. My thread on the same subject. Might get some additional answers.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=85739

I have an easier time getting my son (a tall 2 1/2 month-old) in and out of the 8 than I did my 4 door accord. Gotta love the freestyle doors. The passenger seat has to be moved forward for his legs to fit, but my wife (5'8") fits OK. She prefers the seat all the way back.

Well, first, congratulations.

Second, yes, it'll fit. Get a reasonable sized stroller that folds down compactly, and you'll be fine.

They fit just fine. The 8 is my main baby-carrying vehicle, and her Graco Snugride fits just fine behind the passenger seat. Now, the passenger seat is a little cramped while it's back there, but since one of us always rides in the back with her anyway to keep her entertained, it's not such a big deal. And once she's old enough and big enough to face front, there'll be plenty of room in the front seat again.

We're looking at a Britax Boulevard for her next seat, so if anyone has any Britax experience, I'd love to hear that, in addition. I'm almost positive I've seen people write about ahving them in the 8, and I'll definitely test one first, but it'd be nice to hear before I get my hopes up too much.

I think Britax's are built for vans or SUVs. They are huge and heavy. They will fit in your car, but they are unwieldy, and if you don't have protective covers, will ruin your rear seats. I have Britax Marathon, Graco Sport, and Graco Booster that I routine swap between my RX-8 and my daily driver. Britax now is a permanent fixture of my daily driver because that thing is just too unwieldy. Graco Sport fits the best. Graco Booster is a little wide, so it tilts to one side due to the fact that RX-8 rear seat are also "buckets".

Seats fit great and ride comfortabley. I have a 2 yr old and a 4mth old and we just took a 600 mile trip in my new 8. No complaints from my wife or the kids. Just make sure that you put the rear facing seat behind the shorter person in the car. Congrats to you and your Girlfriend.

Just look at my avatar :-)

Seriously, don't sweat it. My wife, myself and my daughter (now 2) have gone on vacation no less than 5 times in my RX - trips as long as 600 miles one way. No problems. Diaper bag fits comfortably in the footwell behind my wife, baby seat fits securely behind her, and luggage and bedding fits nicely in the trunk.

This car is not only practical but very comfortable on long drives, even when babies get restless and start whining. Just make sure you put a couple of pads under the car seat to prevent it from denting or spills from damaging the leather. We use 2 household Chamois and a couple of changing pads and it does the trick nicely.

britax seats dotn fit in the 8 - at least the one si looked at- didnt like the color choice either:)

razorama i have that same pic :) plus one thru the handle of the rear facing carrier- its handle was also rotor shaped:)

I have a 4 month old and he loves my 8 - so does his car seat - your suicide door was kewl and all - but once u have that kid and put him in and out- u r gonna appreciate that thing like nothing else - warning : during the first period he will have to have his car seat face rear - it is a pain for the person in the front seat depending on how big your car seat is - my gf is short - so I have no problem - but I tried sitting in the passenger seat while he was behind me - and i swapped out for a back seat......

and my gf was driving cause I was drinking heavily - that is usually only time I give up driving rights - lol

ru

I've put my nieces in car seats in the back seats and they are great.. there's a latch system with anchors and everything. the kids love it too.

i think this seat would allow your kid to get in the action

http://www.saferacer.com/reyospchse1.html

RE: Britax seats-- at various times, I've had 4 different Britax seat models in my 8-- roundabout, marathon, parkway (booster), and husky (booster on steroids with full harness... this beast is basically the biggest seat Britax makes... I think they changed the name to regent in more recent years). All fit in the car no problem. The husky did require a little thinking and squeezing to get it through the door opening and into the seat, but once there, no problems.

I've even taken the 8 loaded with two car seats, a trunk full of weekend stuff, and two dogs (OK... they're pugs-- more like 2 half dogs) on weekend trips to the local mountains (2 hr each way) and the bay area (5+ hours each way). Kids (and dogs) did fine.

I think Britax's are built for vans or SUVs. They are huge and heavy. They will fit in your car, but they are unwieldy, and if you don't have protective covers, will ruin your rear seats. I have Britax Marathon, Graco Sport, and Graco Booster that I routine swap between my RX-8 and my daily driver. Britax now is a permanent fixture of my daily driver because that thing is just too unwieldy. Graco Sport fits the best. Graco Booster is a little wide, so it tilts to one side due to the fact that RX-8 rear seat are also "buckets".

I've already got a bunch of foam on the seat under the car seat base since no matter what you do you get marks without it. I'll just put more in there and on the back of the seat as well.

The dents will come out, I had huge dents in the seats of my Murano but they came out in time.

My 7yo and 3yo ride in the back no problem. They are not in the infant carriers though but still in car seats. FWIW, I was told by my dealership that the RX-8's front passenger seat has a weight sensor built in so if the person sitting in it does not weigh enough then the their airbag gets disabled.

I bought my 8 a couple months after my son was born and we had a Graco Snugride when he was small. It was a pain for the front passenger if I used the base because that thing makes it a lot bigger, so I used it without the base in the 8.

When he was too big for the Snugride, I got a Britax Roundabout. This thing is a nice convertible seat (and expensive). He was rear-facing in it for a number of months, and it fit in the back without too much constraint on the front passenger.

Since he turned forward-facing in the Roundabout, there's no restriction on space for the front passenger, as long as I'm willing to let his feet hit the back of the seat. I'm thinking about a protective cover for the back of the passenger seat 'cuz it's leather.

BTW, I wouldn't recommend a Britax Marathon. We had one for a while (but not in the 8), and it was too big and very difficult to get my son secured. I never felt like he was 100% safe when he was in it.

Put masking tape on the silver lining on the center console. You will get scratches there because the little folks always play with the cupholders and the storage area with their toys.

They fit just fine. The 8 is my main baby-carrying vehicle, and her Graco Snugride fits just fine behind the passenger seat. Now, the passenger seat is a little cramped while it's back there, but since one of us always rides in the back with her anyway to keep her entertained, it's not such a big deal. And once she's old enough and big enough to face front, there'll be plenty of room in the front seat again.Agreed - Elara I think that's the best way for 2 parents to ride with 1 infant.

cgseanp, when I bought my RX-8 my youngest daughter had already switched to a front-facing car seat, but I carry *3* kids in mine so DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE UP YOUR SPORTS CAR JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONE KID!!! Check the manual - it's not required. ;) Besides, like Bill Cosby says, "the parents with only one child, that doesn't really count anyway." ;)

Bigger problem for you cgseanp - other parents will hate you for styling around in an RX-8 while they drive vans and boring sedans. Laugh in their face when they criticize. :mdrmed: or do this :bootyshak Jealously is so transparent.

My 7yo and 3yo ride in the back no problem. They are not in the infant carriers though but still in car seats. FWIW, I was told by my dealership that the RX-8's front passenger seat has a weight sensor built in so if the person sitting in it does not weigh enough then the their airbag gets disabled.FWIW - that's not true in the USA models. Are you UK?

funny- i love it when i get to tell people that this is the car i got BECAUSE we were goign to have kids:)

One kid should be no problem as long as the passenger does not mind giving up the leg room. Remember current thinking is rear facing for the first year and rear facing seats to much more room.

Problem is not unique to RX8. Just take the car to some place like BabiesRUs and test fit until you find one you like and put it on the kids gift registry as you will need it to come home from the hospital.

Now try to fit two rear facing car seats in for twins. My wife's Explorer let's me drive at 5'8" but not my son-in-law at 6'4". And forget about using the middle section of the back seat or the third seat unless the passenger can leap over plastic barriers.

funny- i love it when i get to tell people that this is the car i got BECAUSE we were goign to have kids:)


Me too- I had a coworker ask me the other day if there were a lot of single people at our office because there were so many sports cars on the top deck of the parking garage...I just laughed, since that's where MY car is always parked...

I have a 5 and 9 year old who ride in the back on boosters. The only issue I have is because their legs are short and the seat is long, when their backs are against the back of the seat their legs can't bend at the edge of the seat so their feet are hitting the back of the front seats. More of a problem with the young one then the older one.

To fit car seats into the vehicle is not a problem. To fit your kid into the vehicle is more of a problem.

I have my kids, 3 and 4, on booster seats and that's the problem that my 4 year old is facing right now. I think it is in the design of the seats, the seats are deep and 'reclined', to allow adults to sit in the back. My son has to twist his feet to get them in and still his feet are against the back of my front seat - he's too tall to have them extended and too short to have them folded in. You have to be pretty tall, around 10 years old to fit properly into the back seat.

I will have to think of some sort of protectant for the backs of the front seats for fall and winter months so they don't mess them up too much. Anyone have any ideas? Good thing they don't ride in my vehicle too often, but it's giving me a headeache already. At worst, I will have to pick them up from a babysitter on my way home.

I have my kids, 3 and 4, on booster seats and that's the problem that my 4 year old is facing right now. I think it is in the design of the seats, the seats are deep and 'reclined', to allow adults to sit in the back. My son has to twist his feet to get them in and still his feet are against the back of my front seat - he's too tall to have them extended and too short to have them folded in. You have to be pretty tall, around 10 years old to fit properly into the back seat.Odd, my 3-year-old doesn't have much problem there. Do you use one of the chair-style booster seats or the cushion style? I use the chair style (looks like a stripped-down, slightly oversized toddler car-seat) and my daughter is able to get a pretty good knee bend.
I will have to think of some sort of protectant for the backs of the front seats for fall and winter months so they don't mess them up too much. Anyone have any ideas?Couple of things -

I taught the baby to take her shoes off. At just 26 months she understood, "shoes off in dada's car," and she's take off her velco shoes if I didn't do it for her.

Another member bought oversized slippers for his kids to put over their shoes when they ride in the back.

At Wal-Mart I noticed seat-back protectors (in 3 colors: gray, black and tan) which tie onto the seat and cover the back. I bought one to install in front of the baby, but didn't put it on yet.

The middle daughter rides behind me. She turned 8 shortly after I bought the car. In nearly a year she's never put her feet on the back of my chair - she seems to get enough knee-bend to keep her feel deep in the footwell.

Alot of it has to due with the booster, I don't see the problem so much with car seats. I just put a car seat in at a dealership yesterday and while it wasn't the easiest to put in it did fit (the built in head rest on the back seat is going to get a bit compressed). I was surprised I still had a fair amount of room from side to side with it in. I thought it would rub the center console but it diodn't.

For boosters sometimes kids legs are not long enough and the edge of the booster hits them mid-calf instead of under the knee and then their feet are up against the back of your seat. There are a bunch of plastic protectors that just strap on to the back of the front seats which you can just wipe off if they get dirt on them.

Odd, my 3-year-old doesn't have much problem there. Do you use one of the chair-style booster seats or the cushion style? I use the chair style (looks like a stripped-down, slightly oversized toddler car-seat) and my daughter is able to get a pretty good knee bend.

I use the cushion style and here lies the problem as the child has to move all the way back for back support. The chair style brings you forward 3 or 4 inches.

Couple of things -

I taught the baby to take her shoes off. At just 26 months she understood, "shoes off in dada's car," and she's take off her velco shoes if I didn't do it for her.

Another member bought oversized slippers for his kids to put over their shoes when they ride in the back.

- that's a neat idea.

At Wal-Mart I noticed seat-back protectors (in 3 colors: gray, black and tan) which tie onto the seat and cover the back. I bought one to install in front of the baby, but didn't put it on yet.

The middle daughter rides behind me. She turned 8 shortly after I bought the car. In nearly a year she's never put her feet on the back of my chair - she seems to get enough knee-bend to keep her feel deep in the footwell.

Thanks, some great ideas. I went with the cushion style booster seats as I thought of them being very easy to remove, temporary setup, and right now alond with seat mats, they are in my trunk until I need them. You couldn't do the same with regular chair style seats. As someone mentioned before, they are not perfect, as they don't sit flat 'cause of the deep and narrow buckets or the seat being wide. But I guess you learn to live with what you have.

I think on the weekend I will put my kids through the drill and try few different setups to see what works better.

If you're thinking of a travel system (where a base stays in the back seat and the infant carrier snaps into either the back seat or a stroller so you don't have to keep moving baby and possibly waking it) we ended up getting a Graco Spree 510 travel system. Not the greatest looking, but it does the job well and when the stroller folds up it fits into the trunk. You can purchase an extra base for any other vehicles as well, so putting baby in the back is literally a snap.

As long as your passenger has a shorter inseam there is no issue with having this seat in the back, and when baby isn't along the base does not effect the front seat.