Saab redesigned its 9-5 flagship sedan for the 2010 model year, but a limited number made it to dealerships. For 2011, the five-passenger sedan looks the same, but has added some additional trims. Regular MotherProof.com readers will notice that this Car Seat Check uses our old child-safety seats. This car was tested before we bought our new car seats. In this Car Seat Check, we used a Cosco rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Graco convertible and a Graco high-back booster 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 2011 9-5 did in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check: Latch system: The 9-5 has five lower Latch anchors, which allows for greater flexibility when installing child-safety seats. There are two Latch sets for the outboard seats and one anchor in the center position. With this setup, the middle Latch anchor can be used with the inboard anchor on the driver’s side to install a seat in the center seating position, and a second car seat can be installed with the Latch anchors in the seat behind the front passenger. The five Latch anchors can only be used for two car seats at the same time. If a third car seat needs to be installed, the seat belt should be used. All the anchors are buried behind stiff cushions. The three tether anchors, which can be found on the rear shelf behind the head restraints, are under hinged covers and easy to use. Booster seat: Our high-back booster didn’t fit well. The seat bolsters push the booster off of the side, and the slightly raised seat inserts are too narrow, making it difficult to find a stable fit for the booster. The seat belt buckles is anchored deeply into the seat cushion, making it difficult for kids to buckle up independently. Convertible seat: We had a difficult time installing the forward-facing convertible. The car seat’s foot, which is at the rear of the seat’s base, didn’t touch the seat cushion because the seat bight is so deep. The rest of the car seat’s base sat firmly on the bottom seat cushion. The seat bolsters also made it difficult to position the car seat. The rear-facing convertible fit much better because we used a rolled-up towel and swim noodle to compensate for the deep seat bight. We didn’t have to move the front passenger seat forward to get the rear-facing convertible to fit. Infant-safety seat: This car seat was also difficult to install because of the deep seat bight and seat bolsters. 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.
(more…)

Technorati Tags: 2011 Saab 9-5, car seat, saab car seat

The 2011 Ford F-150 won first place in the annual J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study in the Full-Size Pickup category.
(more…)

With a sporty exterior and arguably the most attractive styling for a hybrid auto, the 2011 Lexus CT 200h distinguishes itself from other hybrids. Even people not interested in a hybrid car noticed the good looks of the test Lexus CT.
(more…)

The Ram Truck brand is increasing the number of gears available for its 2012 light and heavy-duty pickups with the introduction of two six-speed transmissions.
(more…)

Although there are powertrain updates for 2012 Ram light and heavy-duty pickups, the only visible difference compared to the 2009-2011 models is this redesigned steering wheel.
(more…)

At the final presentation of the EU research project HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport), Prof. Dr. Jürgen Leohold, Executive Director Volkswagen Group Research, has presented the ‘Temporary Auto Pilot’ by Volkswagen: Monitored by the driver, the car can drive semi-automatically up to a speed of 130 kilometres per hour on motorways. It represents [...]
(more…)

Toyota Motor Corp. will launch a Prius hybrid wagon in the fall aimed at young families and expects to sell as many as 30,000 a year in the United States.
(more…)

Buyers of new or significantly redesigned cars and trucks are complaining of more quality problems — primarily in information and entertainment systems, engines and transmissions, according to a J.D. Power and Associates report issued Thursday.
(more…)

It’s been three years since Chrysler Group LLC rolled out its next model year lineup and let the media get behind the seat and take a few laps. Chrysler opened its proving grounds again Thursday and gave the media a sneak peek at its 2012 set of vehicles. This time, Chrysler is in the driver’s seat.
(more…)

Chrysler redesigned its iconic 300 sedan for the 2011 model year. The 300 and more powerful 300C are slightly wider and longer than the car it replaces. This allowed it to fit three child-safety seats in the backseat. For our Car Seat Check, we installed seats in the 300C. 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 300 and 300C did in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check: Latch system: We were pleasantly surprised to find three sets of lower Latch anchors in the sedan, giving each seating position its own dedicated set of anchors. The middle seat’s anchors are really recessed and the outboard sets are surrounded by dense cushions, making them somewhat difficult to use. There are three tether anchors on the rear shelf behind the head restraints. There’s not a lot of clearance around the anchors. Booster seat: Our high-back booster seat fit well and wasn’t impeded by the fixed head restraints. The seat belt buckles did cause some problems, though. The buckles are recessed and placed too close to the booster seat base. When buckling up the booster seat, the middle seat’s buckle got in the way. Convertible seat: This car seat’s rigid Latch connectors easily pushed past the stiff seat cushions to grab onto the Latch anchors. The fixed head restraint pushed the forward-facing convertible forward slightly, so its back couldn’t rest against the seatback. When in the rear-facing position, the convertible fit without having to move the front passenger seat forward. Infant-safety seat: With this car seat’s traditional Latch connectors, we had a harder time installing it. We had a difficult time pushing past the seat cushions to find the Latch anchors. Once installed, this seat fit in the second row. How many car seats fit in the second row? Three. The car seats just fit, but there was enough room for a child’s hand to fit between the booster seat and infant-safety seat when buckling up. 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.
(more…)

Technorati Tags: 2011 chrysler 300 car seat, car seat, chrysler 300 car seat