The Chrysler 200 was (until its discontinuation) one of the most popular American mid-sized sedans in the US market. It competes strongly with more established offerings like the Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan Altima, and Volkswagen Passat when it comes to safe, reliable, and mid-sized family-friendly transportation. The initial generation 200 was the template for the now-defunct Dodge Avenger, which means the 3 across guide below for the 1st generation 200 will also work for the Avenger, although the 2nd generation 200 guide is unique to the Chrysler 200.
I’ve been impressed with the Chrysler 200 for a while, given the fact that it’s one of few pre-2010 cars that debuted with a good small overlap score in its 1st generation. The current Chrysler 200 scores well in a variety of safety tests, including strong moderate frontal overlap scores, side impact scores, roof strength scores, and frontal crash prevention systems in the higher optional trims. In other words, this is one of the best examples of a safe mid-sized car on the market.
Given its good design, I wanted to find out how well the Chrysler 200 does as a family car when it comes to installing 3 car seats across the back seats. Before looking into the results, however, here is a primer on best practices in car seat safety.
First of all, car seat safety begins with rear-facing. It’s the safest position for both children and adults, and I recommend rear-facing your kids as long as you possibly can (ideally until 4!) before turning them forward. Once you start forward-facing, I also suggest keeping that up as long as possible (ideally until 8!) before you start using booster seats. When you do booster, I recommend keeping that up until your kids can pass the 5-step test for using the adult seat belt (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These suggestions keep your kids restrained in safer positions for longer periods of time, which increases their odds of survival in a crash.
With that in mind, I set out to try all of the car seats at my disposal to see which 3 across installations would fit well in a Chrysler 200, and put my list below together. The good news is that there are a range of infant, convertible, front-facing harnessed, and booster seats you’ll be able to get into the back row without trouble. If you find the list 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 and yours truly.
2015, 2016, 2017 Chrysler 200
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).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the Chrysler 200 is just over 192 inches long and just under 74 inches wide, giving parents a generous amount of side-to-side room for most 3 across car seat installations. You’ll definitely want to use your seat belts instead of LATCH lower anchors to take full advantage of this space however, as the LATCH anchors will rob you of outboard space due to their close placement.
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Chrysler 200
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2011-2014 generation of the Chrysler 200 is just under 192 inches long in the sedan (195 inches long in the convertible) and just over 72 inches wide, giving parents a decent amount of side-to-side room for many 3 across car seat installations, even though it’s 1.5 inches narrower than the following generation. You’ll definitely want to use your seat belts instead of LATCH lower anchors to take full advantage of this space however, as the LATCH anchors will rob you of outboard space due to their close placement.
Given the fact that the 1st generation of the Chrysler 200 is little more than a restyled version of the 3rd generation of the Chrysler Sebring, most car seats that fit in the 200 in this generation will also work in the Sebring, as well as in the Dodge Avenger, which is basically a Chrysler 200 with a slightly modified exterior and interior.
—
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.