Your 200's as family vehicles

[MeWantLC]

Howdy y'all !

After reading

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/355296-your-100s-family-vehicles.html

I thought it would be a great idea to hear from LC200's owners side !

Original question was "Just curious how many of you use your 100 to carry a family. How hard is Otto fold down the 2nd row to allow a child to get into je 3rd seat.
Any dislikes about it as a family vehicle?"

On top of that, does anyone have experience having three children car seats in the second row, and/or two children car seats and an adult on the second row? Pictures would be great !!!

Cheers !

MWL

 

[mark71]

3 car seats, very tight (only had to do once, after that decided better in the Tundra). Third row access, we usually open the back and let them jump in (love the tailgate).

Was working great for my four kids (only one in car seat now) until the boys hit their growth spurt: am trading in on Sequoia once my Red Rock gets delivered.

Overall: awesome rig while they are small.

 

[MeWantLC]

3 car seats, very tight (only had to do once, after that decided better in the Tundra). Third row access, we usually open the back and let them jump in (love the tailgate).

Was working great for my four kids (only one in car seat now) until the boys hit their growth spurt: am trading in on Sequoia once my Red Rock gets delivered.

Overall: awesome rig while they are small.

Thanks a lot!

Ever did a two seats one adult in the second row?

Also, I am surprised that three car seat in the second row is tight knowing that three car seat fit in the LC100 according to the thread I linked.

Cheers.

 

[saricbell]

No pictures... but we have two kids in car seats in the second row. We've taken some longer road trips and my wife appreciates the fact she can crawl back there if need be. She's sits relatively comfortably and we have two of the bigger car seats. Other than gas mileage, it is the perfect road trip car for us. Although gimicky, we've used the cool box multiple times to keep our daughters' drinks cold.

For reference - we had a 100, then bought a van, then moved back to a 200. After two months of owning the 200, my wife's finally stopped complaining about not having her automatic doors

 

[saricbell]

Oops, missed the other part of your original question. So with car seats on the two sides of the second row, you pretty much have to enter through the tailgate to get into the third row. Kind of annoying - but we don't need to put people in the third row very often (mostly our nieces).

 

[MeWantLC]

No pictures... but we have two kids in car seats in the second row. We've taken some longer road trips and my wife appreciates the fact she can crawl back there if need be. She's sits relatively comfortably and we have two of the bigger car seats. Other than gas mileage, it is the perfect road trip car for us. Although gimicky, we've used the cool box multiple times to keep our daughters' drinks cold.

For reference - we had a 100, then bought a van, then moved back to a 200. After two months of owning the 200, my wife's finally stopped complaining about not having her automatic doors

Thanks a lot!

Did you have the car seats in the LC100? How would you compare the two car seats + adult in the second row between the LC100 and the LC200?

Cheers!!

 

[patrickfinley]

The 200 would have a bit more room all around compared to a 100.

I've got a 100 and 2 child seats and an adult fit great in the 2nd row. I put the child seats in the rear driver and middle seat. Then I leave the rear passenger for the grown up. I've had adults sit back there for hours and be very comfortable. I get some rubbing but I can fold up the seat if I want to access the back, but usually we just scramble in the rear hatch if we need to sit in the 3rd row.

You could put the child seats on the exterior seats and leave the middle for an adult, but they would have to be fairly nimble to scramble over the car seat. It would be especially tough with little legs and bodies. The LC doesn't have spacious 2nd row leg room like other SUV's or Minivans.

If you would like to fit 2 seats next to each other, you probably would not want the child seats with the air cushions on the side. As much as I endorse any extra bit of safety for children, air cushion seats will probably be too wide to fit next to each other. I need 3 people in the 2nd row so they don't work for my needs.

If I had a 3rd child and a 200, I would want all of them in the 2nd row. It would be a pain in the arse buckling them up in the hard to reach 3rd seat every day. Apparently 3 across child seats in the 2nd row has worked for some, I just haven't seen pics yet.

Go Britax, they make very safe high quality seats that aren't too wide (except for the air cushion versions).

 

[MeWantLC]

The 200 would have a bit more room all around compared to a 100.

I've got a 100 and 2 child seats and an adult fit great in the 2nd row. I put the child seats in the rear driver and middle seat. Then I leave the rear passenger for the grown up. I've had adults sit back there for hours and be very comfortable. I get some rubbing but I can fold up the seat if I want to access the back, but usually we just scramble in the rear hatch if we need to sit in the 3rd row.

You could put the child seats on the exterior seats and leave the middle for an adult, but they would have to be fairly nimble to scramble over the car seat. It would be especially tough with little legs and bodies. The LC doesn't have spacious 2nd row leg room like other SUV's or Minivans.

If you would like to fit 2 seats next to each other, you probably would not want the child seats with the air cushions on the side. As much as I endorse any extra bit of safety for children, air cushion seats will probably be too wide to fit next to each other. I need 3 people in the 2nd row so they don't work for my needs.

If I had a 3rd child and a 200, I would want all of them in the 2nd row. It would be a pain in the arse buckling them up in the hard to reach 3rd seat every day. Apparently 3 across child seats in the 2nd row has worked for some, I just haven't seen pics yet.

Go Britax, they make very safe high quality seats that aren't too wide (except for the air cushion versions).

Thanks a lot !!!

I see in your sig that you have a Highlander for her. We currently have a 2009 Highlander for her too, but the space left after installing the two car seats is very small, just enough to put the diaper bag. The third row is not 50/50 as it is just one piece (I do not know what Toyota engineers were thinking while designing this part, and maybe they got slapped by the 2010 model, which does have 50/50 third row....), so using this third row really limits the cargo area use, plus is almost impossible to put a car seat back there. I also have a 2000 4Runner (6 speed ) and a BMW coupe. I am planing on selling the coupe plus the Highlander to get a Land Cruiser either a 100 or 200.

Cheers,

 

[patrickfinley]

If your cramped in an 09 Highlander you'd most likely want to skip the 100 and go 200. The hip room in the 2nd row of the 100 LC is only about 1 inch or so wider than the 09 Highlander. In the 200 it's about 2 inches greater.

Plus the Highlander has much better legroom for kicking feet than the LC's. I'm tall and the driver seat is far back. My girls can kick the hell out of my back seat in the 100. I've got an 07 Highlander which is smaller than your 09 and the girls always say how my truck is smaller than Mommy's Highlander inside.

Do you have Britax car seats or other brands which might be wider? Do you have the side air cushions? If you put your car seats right next to each other does that give you more passenger room for an adult in the back of your Highlander? Try doing Left and Middle for the car seats to see what's left over for an adult on the right.

 

[MeWantLC]

If your cramped in an 09 Highlander you'd most likely want to skip the 100 and go 200. The hip room in the 2nd row of the 100 LC is only about 1 inch or so wider than the 09 Highlander. In the 200 it's about 2 inches greater.

Plus the Highlander has much better legroom for kicking feet than the LC's. I'm tall and the driver seat is far back. My girls can kick the hell out of my back seat in the 100. I've got an 07 Highlander which is smaller than your 09 and the girls always say how my truck is smaller than Mommy's Highlander inside.

Do you have Britax car seats or other brands which might be wider? Do you have the air cushions? If you put your car seats right next to each other does that give you more passenger room for an adult in the back of your Highlander? Try doing Left and Middle for the car seats to see what's left over for an adult on the right.

Thank you Patrick,

Do the second row seats in the LC100 move back and forth? I know they do in the LC200. In the Highlander 2009, the second row can be move back and forth, therefore when there is no third seat up, the second row is all the way to the back creating more leg room in the second row, but decreasing cargo space on the back.

 

[patrickfinley]

No, there is no sliding of the 2nd row in the 100 LC.

Also, another thing that needs to be factored in is the size of the passengers in the 2nd row seat. I'm tall and skinny and my wife is short and skinny. We fit fine, but if someone where a fair amount larger it would be cramped in the 2nd row with 2 car seats.

 

[MeWantLC]

No, there is no sliding of the 2nd row in the 100 LC.

Also, another thing that needs to be factored in is the size of the passengers in the 2nd row seat. I'm tall and skinny and my wife is short and skinny. We fit fine, but if someone where a fair amount larger it would be cramped in the 2nd row with 2 car seats.

Thank you.

Well, I am 6' and skinny. Wife is shorter and skinny, same for mother in law, a little bit fatter .

Thanks a lot !!1

 

[saricbell]

I concur with Patrick that the 2nd row is a little wider in the 200... no real world experience to prove that though. we only had one kid with the 100 - hence the van in between the two LCs... that was an expensive mistake.

And we also have Britax seats. My wife sits in the middle seat as the kids are on each side. +1 for kids kicking the crap out of the seats from the second row. We got those $10 covers so it at least protects the seats.

Love the 200. But I must say I like the look of the 100 sooooooo much better.

 

[MeWantLC]

I concur with Patrick that the 2nd row is a little wider in the 200... no real world experience to prove that though. we only had one kid with the 100 - hence the van in between the two LCs... that was an expensive mistake.

And we also have Britax seats. My wife sits in the middle seat as the kids are on each side. +1 for kids kicking the crap out of the seats from the second row. We got those $10 covers so it at least protects the seats.

Love the 200. But I must say I like the look of the 100 sooooooo much better.

Thank you saricbell!

With all your comments it seems that the LC200 is big enough in the second row for two big car seats like the Britax and one adult.

Have you ever tried the two car seats next to each other plus the adult?


Thank you !!!

 

[topgun32]

3 boys (10, 7, 3) yearly trip to Vegas .. no issues with power, comfort, entertainment, cool box... and luggage space.

MPG.. is the only thing you pay the price..

I like that our truck is rare, plenty of power and yet it can go just about anywhere.

If we decide to get off the freeway on our way to LV and cruise in the desert trails (which we have plenty of times) we can do it all without any issues.

I would love to have a GL550 4.6biturbo.. but it has way too much chrome and fancy parts.. would hate to scratch them.

Around town for the family.. its super, but again MPG. Need to decide what is most important. (Space or MPG)

 

[Salesguy101]

I have 3 boys 1, 8, 10 and they all fit fine in the second row. We came from a yukon XL and no doubt this doesnt have the room, but the kids havent complained one bit.

Glad to get out of the longness of the XL. Plus the overall quality lightyears better.

 

[saricbell]

Thank you saricbell!

With all your comments it seems that the LC200 is big enough in the second row for two big car seats like the Britax and one adult.

Have you ever tried the two car seats next to each other plus the adult?


Thank you !!!

We've never done two car seats side by side... need to keep the two girls separated

Plus I don't know if the middle has the tether (it might, I can't remember). My wife is fanatical about using tethers, no idea why.

 

[soslo]

We just did the PINS run with 8 people in the truck. 4 adults and 4 kids (6,4,2,1) with 2 car seats and massive amounts of gear on the roof.

 

[MeWantLC]

We just did the PINS run with 8 people in the truck. 4 adults and 4 kids (6,4,2,1) with 2 car seats and massive amounts of gear on the roof.

Awesome !!!

Could you please share the seating configuration, and pictures of the location of the car seats?

Thanks a lot !!!

 

[soslo]

Awesome !!!

Could you please share the seating configuration, and pictures of the location of the car seats?

Thanks a lot !!!

I don't have any pictures that show the seating, but it was:
2 adults up front
2 adults in middle row, with large car seat in middle
1 car seat in rear (middle) with 2 kids on sides in booster seats