Ford's compact car was redesigned for 2012 and hasn't changed much since. The 2014 Focus sedan we tested was a no-frills base model, but that didn't hold it back from performing pretty well in our Car Seat Check. Although the backseat isn't as spacious as a few class rivals, easy-to-access Latch anchors made installation a breeze.
While we normally use a Britax Roundabout convertible car seat in our checks, we used a Britax Marathon convertible in this one. The Marathon is roughly the same width and height as the Roundabout, but the Marathon's depth is 21 inches while the Roundabout measures at 24.4 inches.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
What We Like
- The backseat's two sets of Latch anchors were visible and easy to connect to.
- The buckles are on stable bases, so children in boosters should have no trouble grasping them.
- After raising the head restraint, the forward-facing convertible was easy to install and had plenty of room.
What We Don't
- Room was an issue with both our rear-facing seats. We had to move the front passenger seat far forward to accommodate the rear-facing infant and convertible seats.
Grading Scale
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: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com's Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and a Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted 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 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. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
Related
Research the 2014 Ford Focus
More Car Seat Checks
More Safety News
from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment