3rd Row with Diano Radian and Fold Down 2nd Seat?

[MarkS22]

Hey,

Can anyone confirm a Diano Radian car seat will fit in one of the two 3rd row seats and still allow enough room for the other seat to fold flat? I'd love to be able to fold it or use it without having to move the car seat.

Thanks in advance.

 

[yakking]

Yes, no problem. I can take a picture later to show you. Actually, that's how I used to install the seat: fold down half the 3rd row to pass the car seat into the car and place into position. However, keep in mind that the center cupholders will not be functional (they're half covered), so I had to install the dinky cupholder that came with the Radian when the other seat is down. Also another thing to note, I have the Radian on a Britax seat cover, and it does not trigger the seat occupancy sensor. That's both good and bad: good because I don't need a seatbelt extension or something to avoid the nags, but bad because the second row seat (I have a six-seater) will move all the wall back and I have to manually adjust the seat forward.

Interestingly, the Uppababy Mesa, just sitting on the seat by itself and loosely LATCHed, will trigger the seat occupancy sensor.

 

[MarkS22]

Yes, no problem. I can take a picture later to show you. Actually, that's how I used to install the seat: fold down half the 3rd row to pass the car seat into the car and place into position. However, keep in mind that the center cupholders will not be functional (they're half covered), so I had to install the dinky cupholder that came with the Radian when the other seat is down. Also another thing to note, I have the Radian on a Britax seat cover, and it does not trigger the seat occupancy sensor. That's both good and bad: good because I don't need a seatbelt extension or something to avoid the nags, but bad because the second row seat (I have a six-seater) will move all the wall back and I have to manually adjust the seat forward.

Interestingly, the Uppababy Mesa, just sitting on the seat by itself and loosely LATCHed, will trigger the seat occupancy sensor.

Thanks for the detailed response. I’m looking into the 6-seater as well.

Are you saying the car doesn’t know even if a child is sitting in it? Are you using LATCH? Maybe use the seatbelt install instead with a thinner seat cover? Could that potentially solve everything?

 

[yakking]

This is what it looks like with the second seat down.

Yes, the Radian is attached using LATCH and the top strap, but I think it straddles the seat sensor, so it doesn't think anyone is on the seat, even though kid+seat is easily 60lbs. Whereas the Uppababy Mesa is about 10lbs but I guess it's right on the sensor, so the car thinks the baby isn't seatbelted.

I might get seatbelt extenders anyway and keep them clicked into both kids' seats. The drawback is that if the car thinks there's someone sitting in the second row seat, you lose the ability to use 1 touch on the seat controls. That means you need to hold down the button to move the seat forward and backward. Eh...I guess I'll just live with it.

Oh one more thing: the Radian is pretty tall and the top digs into the fixed headrest. It seems to bounce back into shape, but just in case, I use a rolled up t-shirt to pad it. That way the indentation isn't as obvious.

 

[MarkS22]

This is what it looks like with the second seat down.
View attachment 322320

Yes, the Radian is attached using LATCH and the top strap, but I think it straddles the seat sensor, so it doesn't think anyone is on the seat, even though kid+seat is easily 60lbs. Whereas the Uppababy Mesa is about 10lbs but I guess it's right on the sensor, so the car thinks the baby isn't seatbelted.

I might get seatbelt extenders anyway and keep them clicked into both kids' seats. The drawback is that if the car thinks there's someone sitting in the second row seat, you lose the ability to use 1 touch on the seat controls. That means you need to hold down the button to move the seat forward and backward. Eh...I guess I'll just live with it.

Oh one more thing: the Radian is pretty tall and the top digs into the fixed headrest. It seems to bounce back into shape, but just in case, I use a rolled up t-shirt to pad it. That way the indentation isn't as obvious.

Many thanks. Looks perfect. Yeah, the Radian digs into the Model S headrests also. I have two kids in car seats and I’m trading in my P85D for a Performance 3. We’re leaning toward an X to compliment it. The 3 for quick trips around town. The X for when we want to bring more people or things (or the dog).

My thought was one Radian in the 3rd row and one in the 2nd with a 6 seat layout. This way an adult can easily hop in the 2nd row and I can lower one 3rd row seat flat for more storage.

 

[commasign]

Ditto. We do this (Radian RXT in one 3rd row seat, other 3rd row seat folded down) every week for Costco runs.

Yes, the Radian is attached using LATCH and the top strap, but I think it straddles the seat sensor, so it doesn't think anyone is on the seat, even though kid+seat is easily 60lbs. Whereas the Uppababy Mesa is about 10lbs but I guess it's right on the sensor, so the car thinks the baby isn't seatbelted.

I might get seatbelt extenders anyway and keep them clicked into both kids' seats. The drawback is that if the car thinks there's someone sitting in the second row seat, you lose the ability to use 1 touch on the seat controls. That means you need to hold down the button to move the seat forward and backward. Eh...I guess I'll just live with it.

We actually plug the seatbelt in first and then put the Radian over it. This enables leg protection for the 3rd row so when someone engages/reverses easy access, it doesn't crush my kid's foot. Not sure why yours doesn't work. One touch still works fine on mine. I guess at some point the kid may get too big to use the 5-point harness. Then seatbelt extender make sense, or else switch to a backless booster.

Radian is pretty tall and the top digs into the fixed headrest. It seems to bounce back into shape, but just in case, I use a rolled up t-shirt to pad it. That way the indentation isn't as obvious.

We use the front license plate holder to protect the headrest.