The Audi A4 is one of the most popular mid-sized luxury sedans (and station wagons in the case of the A4 Avant) sold today in the United States, competing head to head with fellow mid-sized luxury sedans (and hatchbacks) like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volvo S60, Volvo V60, and BMW 3 Series. It received the honorable distinction of being only the 4th car ever estimated by the IIHS to have had a driver death rate of zero during the 2008-2011 model years. In other words, it’s a very safe car as well as a very stylish one.
Given its well-deserved reputation for safety, it’s no surprise a number of parents turn to the A4 to keep their children safe on the road. I had the privilege of reviewing a few generations of the A4 this week to put through their paces in the very practical quest of fitting 3 car seats across its back row of seats. My results are below, and I was quite happy with them. Before reviewing them, however, a quick review of best practices in seating choices is always useful.
I always advocate beginning with rear-facing, and continuing to do so with young children for as long as possible (ideally until 4!). After rear-facing, next comes forward-facing in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once kids are too big for forward-facing harnessed seats, booster seats are the next step until they pass the 5-step test for using adult vehicle seats and adult seat belts (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The longer you keep your kids safely restrained, the better their odds of crash survival.
Keeping these principles in mind, I made it my goal to see just how 3-across friendly the back seat of the Audi A4 was. Given the lack of information about the A4 on the Internet when it comes to infant, convertible, combination, and booster-seat compatibility, I felt this list was way overdue. If you find it helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.
You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian car seat guide is here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.
2017 Audi A4 (B9)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco TurboBooster.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.
Britax Parkway SGL, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Graco Snugride 35, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Britax Parkway SGL, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Graco Snugride 35, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the A4, the B9, is just over 186 inches long and 72.5 inches wide. In other words, for practical purposes, it’s going to be about the same on the inside in terms of 3 across feasibility; you’re still not going to be able to fit 3 Rainiers side to side, for example. That said, with seat belts, I was able to make pretty much every seat from the previous generation fit into this generation, plus a few extras that I had on hand. Don’t be afraid to push hard against the fabric when working to get a snug installation; your kids are more important than the leather.
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Audi A4 (B8)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco TurboBooster.
Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.
Britax Parkway SGL, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Graco Snugride 35, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Boulevard G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Britax Parkway SGL, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Graco Snugride 35, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Marathon G4.1, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
This generation of the Audi A4 is 185 inches long and 72 inches wide in the sedan and Avant and 186 inches long and 73 inches wide in the Allroad, or souped-up wagon version. What this means is that both versions are about as wide as the average mid-sized car while being about as long as the average small car or SUV. To put it another way, you’re not going to have that much trouble finding a number of car seats that fit 3 across when it comes to side-to-side installations, but on the other hand, you might feel the pinch with front-seat occupants due to car seats that rob you of front-to-back space. Using seat belts will help with the first issue by giving you additional side-to-side space compared to what you’d get through the LATCH anchors.
If you’re using the Radians, you’ll definitely want to make use of the angle adjuster to get as much extra room between the car seat and the vehicle’s front seats as possible; this will give you extra leg room as a driver or front seat passenger.
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Audi A4 (B7)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2005-2008 generation of the Audi A4 is 181 inches long and 70 inches wide, or 4 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower than the following generation. This presents two problems: 1.) it’s going to be harder to get 3-across installations at all due to width, and 2.), you’re definitely likely to feel the pinch with front-seat occupants due to car seats that rob you of front-to-back space. Using seat belts will help with the first issue by giving you additional side-to-side space compared to what you’d get through the LATCH anchors.
If you’re using the Radians, you’ll definitely want to make use of the angle adjuster to get as much extra room between the car seat and the vehicle’s front seats as possible; this will give you extra leg room as a driver or front seat passenger.
2001, 2022, 2003, 2004 Audi A4 (B6)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2001-2005 generation of the Audi A4 is 179 inches long and just under 70 inches wide, or 2 inches shorter than the following generation. Once again, this presents two problems: 1.) it’s going to be difficult to get 3-across installations at all due to width, and 2.), you’re definitely likely to feel the pinch with front-seat occupants due to car seats that rob you of front-to-back space. Using seat belts will help with the first issue by giving you additional side-to-side space compared to what you’d get through the LATCH anchors.
As is the case with every generation of the A4, if you’re using the Radians, you’ll definitely want to make use of the angle adjuster to get as much extra room between the car seat and the vehicle’s front seats as possible; this will give you extra leg room as a driver or front seat passenger.
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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.