clkcadet

Hi all

Its time for a new car, and the C-Class is attractive given its current lease rates and of course its track record of being an excellent all around car.

I am toying with the idea of either a GLK or C-Class, and I have to weigh all the options living in an urban area. I have to consider parking the car in tight spots, and of course any scratches that might occur etc.

We recently had a baby, and currently we drive a 2007 Audi A4 which is a bit tight considering the baby seat. We currently need to push up the front passenger seat to fit the baby seat which is probably painful to my wife!

I would like to know if anyone has experience with children(any age) in the C-class. I have to consider that I would be signing on to a 3 year lease so I don't want to be in an uncomfortable position for that long

Sportstick

The advantage of a GLK is the higher seating position. If struck in the side, in particular, height is a directional advantage, but there is no specific value to achieve.

A rearward facing infant seat will be needed for at least one year, to allow ossification of your baby's neck bones. The neck cannot sufficiently support the head in a frontal impact until AT LEAST one year. Longer is better.

So, get a top rated rearward facing infant seat and take it to the showroom and fit it in the CENTER rear position of the C and GLK and decide from there. Do not place it directly behind the driver or the passenger, as this makes your baby more susceptible in side impacts on that side.

You'll enjoy either vehicle...so pick that one which works better for your use!

AreL11

I can't speak for a c class, but my e class is small for a baby. I have a 6 month old and I have to move the seat up so far it's uncomfortable for my wife.

spoolIT85

i had to give a friend a ride and her baby on my car... it was ok, the trunk might be a little snug if you have a haul around a stroller

NickCats

I actually bought my car with the primary purpose of it being a baby hauler ( I traded in my 1999 Porsche Boxster and my 1998 C280 )

My daughter is now a year old and will soon be transitioning from the rear facing to a forward facing seat.

My wife and I have no problems transporting our daughter in the C. The rear facing baby seat fits fine in the rear middle, and I do not have to adjust my seat at all when all of us are together.

My wife has a 2005 Audi A4 and the back seat is smaller than my car. With the rear facing seat, the front seats must be moved forward almost to the point of being uncomfortable.

The trunk has more than enough room for carrying strollers and all of the other junk that goes along with transporting a child.

I have no regrets...

Hope that helps !

Nick

absolutleo

IF i had a baby or small child... i would go with an SUV.
being able to see further down the road (height advantage) is +1 for safety.
the cargo area will also probably allow you to put in the fancier strollers that are larger than the regular sized strollers.

clkcadet

Thanks for the responses thus far.

I am seeing some mixed responses, but I can see that having a smaller suv would be beneficial in the long run. But then again we don't drive much (4k miles per year) so its not as if we spend so much time in the car.

I will still have a look at the C and decide if it will be too small for my needs.

If it doesn't work out, its a shame because the lease rates are very attractive on the C300!

Sportstick

Nick,

Sounds like you're doing a great job!

One tip...if your daughter hasn't outgrown the rear facing position (feet going beyond infant seat into car seatback), keep her rear facing as long as possible. One year is a minimum, but the longer she faces rearward, the better!

racetested

Personally I have had no issues with my C Class being big enough for a child and child seat but everyone is going to be different on what is comfortable and tolerable for them for their lifestyles. I don't keep anything in my trunk so adding a stroller and other items when needed is not a big deal. My wife on the other hand works out of her car and has it filled all the time which needs to be emptied just for a stroller.

Keep in mind that the forward facing seats will allow more room once you move up to those. The angle of the rear facing seats does make things tighter and putting them in the middle as mentioned for safety also allows them to tuck between the 2 front seats a little.

You may also want to take into account if adults (wife for instance) want to sit in the back with the baby on a frequent basis and how much leg room do they have to be comfortable.

MBnewby

Ok, I feel like I can be of some assistance here as I have a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old and drive a 2008 C350 Sport. You should have no problem at all with the rear facing car seat in the middle position of the back seat, plenty of room. However, if you plan to have more kids and keep the C-class for years to come I would steer you towards a mid-size SUV. My car is primarily for daily commute and I pick up my kids from daycare about half of the time. My oldest son's front facing seat is behind my seat and baby boy's rear facing seat is behind the passenger seat. In short, there is plenty of room for me and my oldest son on the driver's side, however, any passenger over about 5'3" would probably be miserable in the passenger seat with my youngest son's carseat behind them. I tried to sit there to test it out and my knees were in the dash and I'm about 6' tall.

My wife has a compact SUV for all family outings which does provide a bit more wiggle room in the back seat and is easier to load the kids in and out of. I traded a 2007 Mazda CX-7 in for my C350 thinking that we didn't need two crossover type vehicles and I must admit that I really missed that car at first, primarily due to the room I gave up by going to the C-class. Now that my C is primarily my commuter and my wife's car is the family hauler, I enjoy my time in my sport sedan. However, if both of your cars are going to be sedans I would go for the GLK or something even larger especially if you're going to have more than one kiddo. We have a CR-V and we're going to trade it in for a new VW Toureg when it comes out this fall to have more room.

clkcadet

Its only 1 kid for now, but who knows in the near future

This would be my one and only car as the A4s lease is expired soon. Personally I have a car from work that I do not bring home for the weekend and my wife does all the driving during the week shopping and whatnot.

I have no problem with getting either car, but I want to keep the baby safe and my wife happy (this is why we buy a Benz I guess!)

whkento

I have a 2yo and 3yo. We bought the C class because of the kids (it was tough to get a baby in/out of the CLK). They fit fine in both rear- and forward-facing seats. The only issue we have is the kids kicking the back of our seats (they're almost always scuffed and dirty). My son also complains about the lack of leg space when I drive (he sits on the driver's side).

I also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd. It's SO much easier and more comfortable for the kids. Based entirely on the single criterion of kids' comfort, I'd probably suggest the GLK, though I've not driven one.

chamaile0n

So as someone about to be a parent, I've been buying all the baby gear to see what works, what doesn't, and what needs some adjustments. I purchased the Orbit baby system (stroller, carseat, etc.) which works well in the middle seat, but is tight and does require me to lean over to reach in to secure the car seat.

For those not familiar with the Orbit system, one of it's major benefits is the ability to "dock" (and rotate) the carseat with the stroller and rocker. Really a cool system, but in the back-seat of my C300 (middle seat is advised), it's not easy to take advantage of the dock-then-rotate feature. Never mind the fact that the passenger won't be able to take their seat back very far, and anyone sitting in the back with the baby (mom/grandparents/aunt/uncle) won't be comfortable.

My advice is to consider the M or GL class - both are stylish, both allow you more room to put the carseat in, and you won't be bending over and trying to balance.

Good luck!!

conman

Had a leased 2008 C230. The rear facing seat placed behind the front passenger resulted in moving the front seat up so far that it was uncomfortable for my wife to sit in. The next day we returned the C and moved into an R-Class. All I can say is wow...so much room and much more comfortable.

clkcadet

Thanks for the input. I am still on the fence, and will be taking my baby seat to a friend which currently has a C class.

I think I am losing interest in the GLK because its size is nothing spectacular when compared to an ordinary sedan. I am not concerned with trunk space, just interested in having the baby comfortable. We have been doing fine with the Audi A4 so if the C class is a bit larger I think I will be fine if not I can look into another brand that has a larger back seat.

mac911

You will enjoy driving the C Class. It's maneuverability is great and simply fun to drive.

The only factor will be to test out the special seat, to see if it fits to your liking.

MB300AMG

While I can't give any personal opinions or advice since I have no kids, I can point you to this:

http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...r-parents.html

Obviously not everyone's experience is the same, so i'd say you should go to the dealership with a baby seat or to someone who has a C-Class.

clkcadet

Heres another thing to think about... rear legroom is 1.5 inch less than a GLK... nothing crazy so I am just thinking that the only advantage is the trunk but thats not a big deal for me as the stroller fits back there as it is.

This is such a hard choice!

Edit
Just realized my 07 A4's rear legroom is 34.3 inches, while the c300 is 33.4 inches (GLK is 35.1inches)

Sportstick

If you have the tape measure out....measure from the ground up to about the height of where your child's hip would be in the infant seat. Then, measure a few different types of common other vehicles' front bumpers. See if things would line up much differently in a side impact...better to be above than at or below the striking bumper. I have not done this exercise, so I don't know if a significant difference exists.

The center rear provides a good bit of protection from side impact based on distance from door alone. But, C Class (at least my 09 model) does not have a LATCH attachment in the center rear position (just the two outboard seats), so you would need to attach the infant seat to the car with the car's seatbelt to use the center position.

who8888

I had a baby seat and a toddler seat in my car for a while. Most likely you would put the baby seat on the passenger side. Otherwise, you would not be enjoying your drive.

As one of the earlier post mentioned, any passenger would have to be really short. I now have two toddler seat and the issue now is with them kicking the back of your car seats.

One other item to note is the child proof lock if there is one is not as easy to find as a normal car.

To answer your question, it is a good idea...

NickCats

Sportstick,

Are you sure your 09 doesn't have the ability to install a car seat in the rear center ? I just removed the rear facing and installed the front facing child seat in my 08 and there is indeed three point LATCH attachments for the left, rear, and middle. Seems strange they would remove that option from 2008 to 2009 ?

Nick

Sportstick

Yes, and owner's manual confirms it. In addition, by inspection, in my 09, there are LATCH indicators (small logo tags sewn into the seat seam) on the right and left of each outboard seating position, Now, one might visually try to combine the inner tag of each rear outboard to assume that made one center LATCH position, but the dimensions don't work. Measure the spacing between LATCH attachment points for each outboard seat, and compare to the much wider distance between the inboard attachments for each outboard position.

I have not had hands-on with an infant/child seat in a while, but I would think the seat could still be effectively retained if properly installed with the center rear position belt.

NickCats

Sportstick,

Interesting - thanks for the response. Once more question, on your car, do you have tether anchorages for a top tether strap for each of the three rear seat head restraints ?

Just curious...

Nick

Sportstick

Yes, three tether anchorages across, which suggests the center position is expected to be usable with the vehicle belt retaining the infant/child seat. I am surprised that the 08 may have had 3 sets of LATCH attachments and that the middle was deleted. The middle is the generally recommended position in the industry.

NickCats

SS,

I had to go back and re-read your post, but I think I understand what you are saying now. There are a total of four LATCH type anchors for the installation of a child seat. You can use the two inner anchors to secure either a forward or rear facing child seat in the middle position ( the same set up exists in my wife's A4 ).

Even though the spacing is different between the anchors ( as you mentioned in your post ) a car seat can still be installed securely without impeding a passenger sitting to the left and right of the child seat ( and using the rear seat belts as well ).

( sorry all to beat a dead horse into the ground - I know this topic isn't as sexy as exhaust mods, wheel offsets, and lighting options, but I wanted to be sure we had the correct information in this thread in case someone was researching this issue in the future )

Nick