we already know the volkswagen tiguan is a car seat champ — it easily accommodates two car seats thanks to its generous backseat and easy-access latch anchors. what's new in this car seat check is that this tiguan had the optional third row. adding this feature means you'll lose just more than 2 inches of second-row legroom, but the tiguan is so spacious that it didn't affect our car seat check results.
the tiguan's third row should be viewed as an item that's only used occasionally. legroom is tight for kids in booster seats and older, and there aren't any latch anchors back there for a forward-facing convertible.
two
how many car seats fit in the third row? two, but only booster seats.
related: more car seat checks
solid
- latch, grade a: the volkswagen tiguan has two sets of lower latch anchors in the second row's outboard seats. they're easy to find and use. the three tether anchors are easily located on the second-row's seatbacks. there aren't any latch anchors in the third row.
- infant, grade a: with 36.5 inches of legroom in the second row, our rear-facing infant seat easily fit in the tiguan. we didn't need to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate it.
- rear-facing convertible, grade a: this rear-facing car seat also fit well in the tiguan. the easy-to-access latch anchors made installation a breeze.
- forward-facing convertible, grade a: in forward-facing mode, our convertible car seat installed quickly. we had no problems connecting the top tether strap to the anchor.
- booster, grade a: the booster fit well in the second row. the seat belt buckles are on hinged bases that were easy to grasp and use.
so-so
- third-row booster, grade b: the booster seat fits in the third row, though the head restraint pushed our booster's seatback forward slightly. the seat belt buckles are on stable, but low bases.
skip it
- third-row access, grade c: there's no path to get to the third row. while the second-row seat slides forward, it's not enough to make a small walkway. we had to fold the second-row seat and climb over the seatback, which was awkward.
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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