2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class: Car Seat Check

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV got a face-lift for 2013. This stylish five-passenger crossover's compact size shouldn't prevent families from checking it out, however. Although there's not a ton of room in the backseat, accessible Latch anchors mean it has a child-seat-friendly second row. For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the convertible seat 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. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Here's how the GLK-Class did in Cars.com's Car Seat Check: Latch system: There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats. They sit high up in the seat bight under hinged rubber covers. The covers are nice because you can just push the car seat connector through them when installing a car seat. Booster seat: We couldn't get the best fit for the booster seat. The seat bolster pushed booster on to its buckle, making it sit at a slight angle. The outboard buckles are recessed but stable in the seat cushion, but the middle seat belt buckle is floppy. Convertible seat: The forward convertible fit well and was easy to connect to the Latch anchors, though we did need to raise the head restraint to make the seat sit at the right angle. There are three tether anchors on the second row's seatbacks. The two outboard ones are midway down, and the middle seat's tether is at the base of the seatback. Connecting to these was not an issue, though the strap needs to be fed between the cargo cover and seatbacks. In the rear-facing position, this seat also fit well, though the front passenger seat needed to be moved up a few inches to accommodate it. Infant-safety seat: This seat was a tight fit. It was easy to install, but we had to move the front passenger seat forward significantly. The tester's knees were resting uncomfortably on the glove box. The middle seat folds down to become an armrest, so it's not a safe place for the infant seat. How many car seats fit in the second row? Two Editor's note: For three car seats — infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats — to fit in a car, our criterion is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat. Related Research the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class More Car Seat Checks on Cars.com More Safety News on Cars.com from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/

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