Superb 3 kids across back seat

kgroarke

I am thinking of getting a 21 skoda superb but not sure if it will have enough space for what I need.

I have a 5 year old (booster) and 2 year old who is in a FF car seat.

We are planning on having a third child and I am trying to figure out whether you would fit two car seats (isofix) at each door with a booster seat in the middle. I know there are adapters you can get to move the two isofix's closer to the doors, which creates more space for the booster in the middle. There are also inflatable slimline boosters which take up less space.

Is this a possible option?? Has anyone done something similar?? if so how have you found it in terms of journeys with 3 kids?

Should I just go with something like an mpv for a bit more space and comfort in the back??

Gregor Samsa

I have a 2017 Superb and 3 children. The kids are a bit older now, but we've been through the "two child starts and a booster" dilemma.

It's a big car with an insane amount of legroom in the back, but it won't fit two proper child seats and a regular booster seat across the back seats. We rented a 2015 Superb in Iceland in 2016 when my kids were 3,3 and 7. The two 3 year olds went in proper child seats on the outside, and the 7 year old went on an inflatable Bubble Bum booster in the middle. They're very compact and only really suitable for temporary use, and even still it only barely fit and made it very difficult to fasten the middle seatbelt.

Our other car is a Ford S-Max. At the time we needed 7 seats (needed to transport the 5 of us and a grandparent regularly), but an added benefit is that it has 3 independent full size seats in the middle row. It took the 2 baby seats and a proper booster no problem.

padre78

We did this a few years ago with a Superb and an A6, it is possible but just takes a bit of messing to get the right combination.

We didn't use the isofix connectors though, I don't think it would have worked using them as they are very central. All seats can be installed in a car using the seat belt alone and it works fine, we actually never used the isofix fir any of the kids.

We did get booster seats with backs that was slimmer than others, can't recall the name atm though, it might have been britax? We also got extensions for the seat belt buckle from a dealership which made it easier as well.

Don't be afraid to go to a shop and ask can you see will they fit.

As for the journeys......they can be great fun😁😁😭😭. We've driven to France and the UK and apart from the usual bickering it wasn't too bad..... we're all still alive and talking anyway 😁.

Best of luck.

MrMusician18

Multimac is the only thing that I know that can do what you're after.

Mad money though.

spuddy

This may be of help:

https://www.evanshalshaw.com/blog/used-cars-that-can-fit-3-child-seats/

kgroarke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121909050#Comment_121909050

That's a good shout, so did this work for your family as a long-term solution without becoming annoying?

I really like the superb as it has a big boot, just not sure would it feel cramped with 3 in the back Over say a peugot 5008.

I'll be doing a 120km return journey each day for work so didn't fancy getting an MPV

padre78

Yeah, it worked for us. Our eldest doesn't need one anymore and the second one is borderline. It's only a few years that you're going to need it.

Personally myself or the OH didn't have a major issue apart from the almost obligatory "I'm pulling over and letting you all out" every now and then 😂.

I can't stand most of the 7 seaters on the market so that was never going to be an option for us. I am in the market now for something like a Kodiak as all 3 of the kids are getting bigger.

kgroarke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121909058#Comment_121909058

Just had look at the multimac, not a bad option as it looks quite tidy.

not sure if I would regret not going for the bigger SUV for overall space. I would prefer to drive the superb over an SUV on a daily basis to work when it's just me driving 120km return trip to work...

Birka

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121910601#Comment_121910601

Would any SUV that you have in mind have a bigger boot than the Superb? There's no competition on rear legroom either - the Superb has lots of it. The estate (Combi) has 660 litre boot capacity without folding the back seat. The Superb saloon has 625 litres. Not only is the estate boot a more usable shape as the back of the car doesn't slope as much, the estate is a slightly shorter car than the saloon so marginally easier to fit into a space.

One advantage of the SUV format is that some of them are a bit more family friendly, with rear window blinds, seatback tables and multiple USB ports in the back.

taxAHcruel

Not sure if it helps but I went car shopping with a friend once and his goal was a car that could have two isofix seats in the back but still comfortably fit an adult between the two.

Almost no car in his price range we tested could do it. And we tested some really big cars. We brought along two seats to do the testing so we were not just testing it with eyes.

In the end the car he bought that was able to do it was a second hand Renault Scenic. I sat in the back of that between the two isofix seats and was perfectly comfortable in the space. Was so happy with the find in fact he pretty much bought the car on the spot and is still using it 7 years later.

User1998

I think the only ‘car’ that can do that is a Tesla Model S. Otherwise you have to buy an MPV

spuddy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121912007#Comment_121912007

From experience I can say the VW Touran will do that too, not a very exciting choice mind!

kgroarke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121911965#Comment_121911965

Thinking of the peugot 5008, so yes bigger boot and just the extra space between seats. Starting to think it's the more sensible option for getting the 3 car seats in the back.

The only doubts I have about the 5008 are reliability of the engine and automatic gearbox as I will be putting up at least 15,000km annually. Thinking would a kodiaq be more reliable?

Birka

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121914901#Comment_121914901

I had two current model 5008s, a diesel and a petrol. They're a very versatile car, good to drive and very adaptable with a decent warranty. The auto box is a proper torque converter box and is very smooth. Its an Aisin box so should be reliable - I've not heard of many issues. Cons are that the 5008 is expensive. The small steering wheel takes a bit of getting used to. The wet belt issues with the petrol engine have been mostly resolved but it remains very sensitive to oil change intervals and oil spec. The diesel's long service intervals are best taken with a grain of salt and the 'severe schedule' servicing routine followed. If you buy one, keep it serviced in main dealer so that you've some chance of goodwill if anything goes wrong.

One of my kids and another passenger got car sick in it a lot. The kid still does a bit in the Superb to be fair. I used to feel a kind of diagonal pitching movement in the 5008 on rough roads (I often drive in a boggy area so roads aren't great) which may contribute to upsetting delicate stomachs. The rear suspension is torsion bar which brings a few compromises in terms of ride/handling but helps with space.

The Superb can be squishy and bouncy too so it's not perfect either. Depreciation is probably heavier on the Superb as a seven seater is always in demand and people don't really appreciate estate cars. If it stays reliable, and it should with proper maintenance and a little luck, the 5008 is probably a better buy for you.

Two isofix seats may not fit side by side in the 5008 - you need to make sure you buy ones that are compact enough but it can be done, giving easy passenger access to the third row.

kgroarke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121915582#Comment_121915582

That's great information about the gearbox, I wouldn't know a whole lot about cars so that's helpful. I have recently had to fork out €1700 for a gearbox selectors that went in my DSG '16 Pasatt (140k miles on clock)!

That's why I am hesistant on buying an automatic Peugot and putting up approx 15,000km per year on it. But maybe I am not giving the 5008 enough credit. It will be used for a lot of motorway runs to work so hopefully won't give any trouble over the long-term.

It just seems like a very low powered engine to drive such a lump of a car, I wonder would a 2 Litre diesel automatic be more reliable in that sense?

Birka

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121938825#Comment_121938825

I much preferred the Peugeot auto box to the Skoda DSG. I had a DSG courtesy car the other day and was reminded of all the little features that I didn't really like about it. Lots of people love them though and the wet clutch DSG boxes on the bigger engines tend to be much more reliable once the gearbox oil gets changed on schedule.

Diesels tend to mask any lack of power with their higher torque. I took our 1.5 diesel 5008 fully loaded with roof boxes, towbar mounted bike rack and 6 people (two toddlers admittedly) and their luggage to France and did approx 1400 km with no issues. It's no rocket but it's more than adequate. The 1.2 petrol 5008 wouldn't be quite as capable under heavy load. Same goes for the 1.5 petrol Superb vs the 150 bhp 2.0 diesel. The 1.5 Peugeot engine is economical and refined. I'd emphasise what I said about the oil changes though - 15,000km is as high as I'd go between changes.

All that said, engine power is very much a personal thing so a test drive is advisable.

kgroarke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940604#Comment_121940604

The only reason I mention the power is because when speaking to the owner of the gearbox garage, when fixing my DSG, he said that lower power engine gearboxes on big vehicles will often give trouble more than the higher powered as the gearbox is under pressure etc.

That made me think the 1.5 Diesel 5008 could be underpowered in that sense, but I suppose its not a DSG gearbox.

Good advice to keep the oil changes regular, does the 5008 gearbox need any oil changes? Plan kn test driving one soon

Squatman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121915582#Comment_121915582

cant comment on a lot of this, but am drawn to two things. you mention luck is required for peugeot reliability, and you also mention higher depreciation on hte skoda. I would agree with the luck, peugeot never had the best reputation for reliability (had for comfort, not reliability). And peugeot always had a reputation for high depreciation. so i would personally think both of these are key factors when selection a car.