Access cab and kids?

Looking at trading my Reg cab in for an access cab. The wife and are curious as to who has an access cab that has kids and uses it for a daily driver. We are looking to start a family soon and she doesn't like the crew cab. Does a baby seat fit in the back of an access cab? Anyone have any photos as to how tight it is?


Thanks!

 

I don't have any photos of the backseat, I'll throw one up soon. I have a 3yr old and a 1.5 yr old. The little guy is still in the typical infant/3 in 1 seat. They're huge. As the kids get older and move into smaller seats and then a booster they fit better.

For the first year they have to face backwards in Washington state, if it's the same in NH then its going to be a tight fit.

My wife is 5'8" and was a bit cramped with the baby behind her facing backwards. We currently run with our 3 year old in a full seat booster behind me, I'm 6"1"-2" 250lb and it's a bit tight but perfectly comfortable. The little guy in the bigger seat is behind my wife, facing forwards and she has plenty of room now.

Important to me: I would not put my kids in the back of a 05-08. In 2009 toyota added a bunch of safety stuff and the crash ratings for kids in the back is very good now. It wasn't that great before. Also, you will need to remove the rear headrests in the 2009+ as they are huge and force the seats into an akward angle. Removing them is easy and they're not needed because the kids car seats all extend well above their heads for protection.

I'll put mine back in when they kids get into the typical booster seat. Almost all of my profile pictures are with all four of us in the truck, we fit fine and can fit diaper bags etc. on the floor behind each seat. There's a decent amount of space between the rear seats that we can also easily fit a diaper bag or two as well. I bought a locking black truck box, hard plastic, that I take in and out of the back when I need luggage carrying capacity etc. There's a couple pics of it in my profile.

I'll take some pics today ..

 

Britax Marathon: Safest of all car seats and also a very slim design. Out of 5 or 6 this one fit the best in the back. Currently what my youngest is in.



This is a Graco Nautilus, what my 3 year old is in. It's more upright and fits better than the other one. It becomes just a booster seat when he's ready for it.

 

I have a double cab. It seems like a tight fit with my 1.5 year old boy in the back. I have to move the seat up and forward so his feet dont cram into the seat back. I can't imagine a access cab with a safety seat in the back.

 

Get yourself a double cab. I've got 2 kids, 1 that's 7 months and the other 2 and a half and it's cramped. I'm not a big guy and my son is already at the point where he is kicking the back of the seat. Trust me you'll be kicing yourself later if you opt for the access cab.

 

It's perfectly suitable and safe for kids, I verified all of this through Toyota before purchasing and my insurance company. Ithink you'd be surprised with how much room there is.

Now adults, yes, short trips.

 

Not a ton of room obviously but it works fine. My wife got in and put the seat back one extra notch from where she normally is. Again, she's 5'8". My son has his feet on her seat, normally they just hang down fine.



The other side and the infant seat. Not as much room but his feet barely stick out past the bottom of the car seat. About 6" of room betweem his feet and the back of my seat.



Space between the seats. Easily fits two diaper bags or several grocery bags.

Also, plenty of room behind each seat for bags etc.

According to the people who have sat back there, couple work buddies, it's plenty comfortable. Not talking a several hundred mile journey of course ..

 

I probably get a little defensive I know, but when I asked on here when I bought my truck all I got was "dbl cab bro." The problem is double cabs are WAY more expensive. On average they run 5-8k more where I am for an equivalent model etc. I got mine for 23,500. The cheapest Dbl cab I saw was 27,00 and it had ridiculous miles. Most were 28k+

Is a Dbl cab better, of course. But that wasn't the question was it? The question was, does anyone have an access cab with kids and how do they fit. OP actually states they don't like the dbl cab.

We have an SUV that we take for long trips where off-road isn't needed. But even several hour trips over our mountain passes everyone is plenty comfortable. If they weren't, trust me, we would hear about it.

 

Last summer I took 2 teenage girls and their mother to Canada (500 miles) in my AC they lived through it. Their mother saw to that there were no complaints from the rear seats. If it was me in the back probably would have needed 2 people to help me get out. (I'm not big just old)

 

I guess the answer is if you can spring it, get the double cab. If not, get an access cab. Hopefully you have another vehicle for longer rides. My 2 year old's car seat takes up a lot of room. I have to move the front passenger seat up a bit so her legs have room. I didn't even bother putting in a seat for our 5 month old...there would be no room behind my seat. We have a Sienna for the Family trips.

 

At a certain age the small seats in an Access Cab become "just right" for children.

 

I have an xtra cab and move my daughter around just fine. She is almost 7 months. The little extended cup holder thing holds helps the edge of the rear child seat (doesn't hold any weight, just makes it way easier to put a child seat back there), and she is safe and secure.

 

i have a 1 yr old n his seat fits but the passenger seat has to be most of the way up. my wife is little so it works out pretty good.

 

There is plenty of room for kids in the access cab, its pretty much the whole point of it having the rear seats in my mind. I have had adults in the back for a 2.5 hour drive, its not that bad, especially with a couple pillows.

Its lighter and you get the full length bed with a short wheel base. Id have a regular cab if they were sold here.

 

I have a 7yo, and I wouldn't want to put her in a access cab, let alone an older child or two. Of course her kicking my seat has nothing to do with the amount of leg room. And she seems to be obsessed with opening the rear window while we're driving just because it opens...

 

It'll be cheaper to get rid of the kids....!!

Just kiddin'.... Get the DBL cab... the resale alone will pay the difference... (don't forget...they WILL grow up)..Nobody wants tha ACESS cab around here.... The dealer will not even bring one in to look at unless you buy it first...

OVer

 

Kids between the ages of 4 and 12 will fit better in the back of an access cab than infants and toddlers. It's the huge seats that create an issue.

So yea. Kids will grow up and fit better.

 

I totally agree. I was checking out double cabs at the dealership yesterday and was completely unimpressed. The back seat in the DC is TINY. I don't know how the DC owners get by....they must be short.

If I needed the additional seats, I would go straight to a full-size truck.

 

I set the driver's seat to where it would be if I was driving...and I couldn't get into the back seat without sticking my legs way out to the sides. Seems fine for little kids, but I don't see how adults fit back there.

 

Kids may grow up. They also move out lol. When they move out more space in the back. i personally couldnt handle being in the back. My cousin growing up had a Mazda b3000 and those back seats were small. I could never do it on a large trip.
I would personally not want anyone in the back of an access cab. I find they are too cramped and small. I also think in a crash that it wouldn't be good either. I drive a double cab and I love it. I get the same space in the back as I do in the front.
I think itss great that you have another vehicle for lomg trips because i know if i was in the back of an access cab, it wouldnt be an enjoyable drive.