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How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2018 Lexus RX 450h?

2018 lexus rx 450h; photos by angela conners

this car seat check was written in may 2017 about the 2017 lexus rx 450h. little of substance has changed with this year's model. to see what's new for 2018, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.

following a rear-seat-space expansion in 2016, the 2017 lexus rx 450h hybrid luxury suv gets even more family-friendly. the safety system plus is now standard, helping protect your brood with advanced features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and automatic high beams. it also gets safer where your child's car seat is concerned — scoring a little better than the rx 350 f sport performance variant last year, and a lot better than the last time we checked the hybrid in 2014.

how many car seats fit in the second row? two

related: more car seat checks

solid

  • latch, grade a: the two sets of anchors are exposed in the leather upholstery and easy to access after reclining the seat; three tether anchors sit midway down the seatback, clearly marked and easy to access under hinged covers.
  • infant, grade a: installation was easy, and the sit fit well with the sliding backseat moved all the way back; our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had enough legroom.
  • rear-facing convertible, grade a: installation was simple, and we moved the front passenger seat back a bit, further improving legroom.
  • forward-facing convertible, grade a: easy installation, and the seat fit well once we raised the head restraint.

so-so

  • booster, grade b: after raising the head restraint, the booster fit well. the seat belt buckle stalks are flush with the seat cushion, however, which could make it difficult for kids to buckle up independently.  

skip it

  • none

grading scale

solid indicates an a grade for optimum ease of use and fit. so-so indicates b or c grades for one to two ease-of-use or fit issues. skip it indicates d or f grades.

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: one room, fit or connection issue. some problems accessing third row when available.

c: marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. difficult to access third row when available.

d: insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

f: does not fit or is unsafe.

about 's car seat checks

editors jennifer geiger, jennifer newman and matt schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

for the car seat check, we use a graco snugride classic connect 30 infant-safety seat, a britax marathon convertible seat and graco turbobooster seat. the front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter 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. learn more about how we conduct our car seat checks.

parents should also remember that they can use the latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

's editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. in line with 's long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don't accept gifts or free trips from automakers. the editorial department is independent of 's advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

Source:Cars.com