2013 Lexus GX 460: Car Seat Check

Lexus' largest SUV is just that — huge inside and out. The 2013 GX 460 easily accommodates three child-safety seats in its second row, and accessible Latch anchors make them easy to install. Watch out for the GX's third row, however. It's much less hospitable thanks to tight confines and a lack of a top tether anchor. 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 infant seat in the second row's middle seat with the booster and convertible 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 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan did in Cars.com's Car Seat Check: Latch system: There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats. They sit under a long, leather flap that's Velcroed into place. Pulling the flap back and wedging it under the car seat is a bit of a pain, but once it's out of the way, connecting to the anchors was easy. There are three tether anchors midway down the second-row seatbacks. They're under hinged plastic covers and easy to use. There aren't any Latch anchors for the two-passenger third row. There aren't any tether anchors here, so it's not safe to install a forward-facing convertible. Booster seat: The second-row seat slides and reclines, and the booster had plenty of room. It installed easily thanks to the flat bench seat. The buckles are on rigid bases and somewhat recessed in the seat cushion. The third row's flat seat also helped with our booster installation (photo above). Although the head restraints here are fixed, they didn't interfere with installation. Legroom is a problem, though. With the second-row seat slid all the way back, legroom was tight. Convertible seat: The accessible Latch and top tether anchors made it easy to install our forward-facing convertible in the second row. We were unable to install it in the third row. In rear-facing mode, the second row offered plenty of room for the convertible, especially with the seat slid all the way back. The front passenger didn't need to move the seat forward to accommodate it. Infant-safety seat: We ran out of room for this rear-facing child-safety seat. It installed easily, but we had to move the front-passenger seat forward to accommodate it. As a result, the passenger's knees were pushed into the glove box. Third-row access: The second row slides forward easily, but a really high step-in and a narrow opening make getting to the third row tough. Kids should be fine, but adults will have to squeeze. How many car seats fit in the second row? Three How many car seats fit in third 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 Lexus GX 460 Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Lexus GX 460 More Car Seat Checks on Cars.com from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/

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