My wife wants to trade in her 2011 Outlander SE for a 2013 Ralliart. She misses her 2007 civic SI so I talked her into looking at the Ralliarts. We check on the interior specs and actually the Ralliart seems to have more room than the Outlander, except for shoulder space. The closest Mitsu dealership is about an hour away so I was wondering if anyone with kids can let me know how well a rear facing car seat fits behind the passenger seat? Is there still enough room for the passenger to sit comfortably?

I can fit all 4 of us in my IX but my wife kind of eats the dash . This would be pretty much the family car. Any help would be appreciated.

 

They should be ~the same size... Only a test drive will tell... And remember - they are only in the rear-facing seat for a relatively short period of time (versus the time you will own the car)...

Consider a sportback for the additional cargo space (with kids) you will need

(and all the RA goodness for YOU! )

 

I originally wanted her to look at the sportback but I'm pretty sure that they stopped making them. We were thinking about a low mileage used one but the interest on the loan will be much higher than .9%.

 

They still sell Sportbacks, just not in Ralliart trim. The two trims you can get in the Sportback chassis are ES and GT. ES is a 2.0L engine and the GT has a 2.4L engine. Neither of them are turbo. To be more precise, they're not importing Sportback Ralliarts anymore. You might be able to find some new old stock somewhere, but i would imagine they've sold all the ones they've imported by now.

I have a 2010 Sportback Ralliart w/ Recaro option, the seats are larger than the standard seats that come in the current RA and lower trims. Even with the Recaros, I am able to get a rear facing child seat in to the back with plenty of leg room for the driver and passenger (5'10"). I mount the rear facing child seat in the center position and anchor it using the ISO mounts.

I favor the center rear seat position for child seats (forward and backward) as it allows front seat access to the child in the back, and it's more difficult for them to kick the back of the seats in front.

**Edit: With the child seat in the center, there's room for adult sized passengers on either side. They're a little cramped in the hips waist area, but comfortable enough for a 300 mile road trip.

 

Unfortunately, they're also hard to come by used, and because of the rarity when they're in good condition they go for a pretty penny. :/

 

I got 3 kids 1 in car seat the rest in boosters, don't expect the passenger to have any leg room but it does fit, we did the same thing out of the outlander into a ralliart, the best move ever. LOLOL. Briefly thought about an MR then I looked back and saw gummie bears and gold fish crackers al over the place, couldn't see spending that much knowing that!!!

 

Lol @ nemesis. Yeah, I plan on picking up a X mr next year for a dd so I think it'll be kind of weird to have a IX,X, and a Ralliart. The wife is getting pumped so I figure its going to happen anyway.

 

I have a 5 and 4 year old. We fit perfectly in my Ralliart.

 

My 4 year old and 7 year old girls fit fine in the back of the ralliart sportback. The recaros have a lot more forward/backwards adjustment than I first thought so the oldest sits on the passenger side with my wife. She is a little on the short side and will never read this. As stated above they are only in rear facing a short time so I would not base my decision on that, short term pain/long term fun type of situation. We have a 2012 outlander and a 2010 ralliart sportback. The 4 of us fit fine in the ralliart BUT I "feel" like there is more room in the outlander so the stats may be a little deceiving. Best of luck with your purchase.

 

I have a 2010 Ralliart Sportback with Recaros and two four year olds. Kids fit okay in the back with booster seats. Not a lot of room for front passengers if you are over 5'6". This is my commuter car so not used for long trips, the minivan is for that. Fine for commutes to daycare or school but wouldn't expect great comfort on long trips.

 

I bought the Ralliart Sportback as a family car too. I'm 6'5" and it fits Me, my fiance, her teenage daughter, and our 4yr old in a car seat plus a mid sized dog in the back just fine. I also have a roof rack so for long trips we put the luggage in a cargo roof carrier that bolts onto the Thule rack.

You should have no problem with a rear facing carseat but it will need to be behind the driver or passanger seats as the center is more lke a half seat and its hard for an adult to sit on either side next to the car seat if its mounted in the middle.

 

Thanks for all the replys everyone.

It'll be interesting to see what the difference is without the recaro's cause the dealership doesn't have any with them. I imagine that there will probably be less space because of the bulky stock seats compared to the recaro's. I guess if she gets it I'll just have to watch the for sale threads for X seats.

 

MY 5 and 8 year old girls on booster seats fit just fine. Cheers.

 

My wife and I plus 1 year old with a seat in the back no problem. Ralliart is very comfortable with space. Stock Seats non-recaro

 

Kids are just fine in the back with Recaros. You and the passenger on the other hands may find these kind of tight fitting, shoulder space can be a problem.