How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?

How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?
2019 volkswagen tiguan; photos by christian lantry

this car seat check was written in august 2017 about the 2018 volkswagen tiguan. little of substance has changed with this year's model. to see what's new for 2019, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.

there are a lot of impressive suvs in the compact class, but volkswagen's traditionally hasn't been one of them. the previous tiguan was cramped and inefficient compared with just about any other vehicle in the segment. a redesign for 2018 changes much of that, and families will appreciate two key upgrades: the new tiguan grows in size and offers an available third row. 

how many car seats fit in the second row? two

related: more car seat checks

solid

  • latch, grade a: the two sets of lower anchors are exposed and easy to use. the three top tether anchors are clearly marked on the seatback and are also easy to use.
  • infant, grade a: installation was easy, and there was ample legroom for our 5-foot, 6-inch front passenger.
  • rear-facing convertible, grade a: again, installation was easy, and legroom wasn't a problem for the front passenger.
  • forward-facing convertible, grade a: the seat installed easily and fit well once we raised the head restraint.
  • booster, grade a: the booster fit well, and the buckles are on stable stalks that provide easy access for kids.

so-so

  • none

skip it

  • none

grading scale

solid indicates an a grade for optimum ease of use and fit. so-so indicates b or c grades for one to two ease-of-use or fit issues. skip it indicates d or f grades.

a: plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn't impact driver or front-passenger legroom. easy to find and connect to latch and tether anchors. no fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. easy access to the third row.  

b: one room, fit or connection issue. some problems accessing third row when available.

c: marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. difficult to access third row when available.

d: insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

f: does not fit or is unsafe.

about 's car seat checks

editors jennifer geiger, jennifer newman and matt schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

for the car seat check, we use a graco snugride classic connect 30 infant-safety seat, a britax marathon convertible seat and graco turbobooster seat. the front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. the three child seats are installed in the second row. the booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

we also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. if there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. learn more about how we conduct our car seat checks.

parents should also remember that they can use the latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

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