2018 Volkswagen Atlas Helps Ease First-Time Parent Jitters

2018 Volkswagen Atlas Helps Ease First-Time Parent Jitters
2018 volkswagen atlas

i'm prepared for parents with more than one kid to glare with a judging look at the computer screen over the next 400 words it's a look i'm especially familiar with after five months of parenthood. my current kid-hauler is a 2012 subaru impreza hatchback that doesn't recommend installing a child seat in the middle backseat, a position that's reportedly the safest seat in the car.

so when i latched my kid into 's purchased 2018 volkswagen atlas' second row that not only has the middle spot open but is equipped with the coveted middle-seat latch system, well, i felt those first-time parent jitters subside briefly, anyway, for the length of this trip.

related: best of 2018: volkswagen atlas

the atlas' second row with a middle-seat latch system is uncommon, even among the famliest of family haulers, including 's other long-term test car, the 2017 chrysler pacifica minivan. there are, of course, ways to secure a child seat to the pacifica and other cars' second-row with a seat belt, as that's what's recommended with heavier kids/car-seat combos. but as an anxious first-timer, i don't want to mess with belts and i want the kid in the middle seat. irrational? probably.

2018 volkswagen atlas

our car-seat installation team gave the volkswagen atlas straight a's in its car seat check test, and it's one of the only three-row suvs tested to score 10 out of 10. my chicco keyfit 30 infant seat's latch connector grabs onto the atlas' seat-mounted anchor almost telepathically. there's no digging for the anchor deep inside the seat and finding any number of things besides a metal hook, or holding up a little flap of cloth while locating a deeply hidden anchor. in my usage, i didn't even have to be accurate with the car-seat base connectors' placement they just slid into place with a solid, reassuring clank.

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the latch system, after all, is there to minimize user error during child-seat installation. user error is a good way to summarize the first few months of parenthood, so it was nice to make at least one decision without fear of causing serious long-term emotional scarring. as for the subaru, i recognize that it's overkill to replace a tiny hatchback with a massive three-row volkswagen atlas for just one kid but you should see all the gear we carry around to grandparent visits. add in the feeling of security and ease of use from the second row plus all the reasons it was 's best of 2018 and it's why i'm seriously considering buying ours at the end of testing.

2018 volkswagen atlas

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