2014 Dodge Durango: Car Seat Check
Dodge has a hit with its updated-for-2014 Durango; sales of the three-row crossover continue to soar, and after spending some time inside the Durango, it’s not hard to see why. The Durango excelled in our Car Seat Check; its spacious cabin and easy-breezy Latch anchors should make this vehicle appealing to large families.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
How many car seats fit in the third row? Two
What We Like
- The second row’s captain’s chairs make it easy for kids to scoot to the third row; the chairs also tumble forward with ease, and the opening to the third row is adult-sized; watch out for a relatively tall step-in, however.
- The second row’s two sets of Latch anchors are exposed and easy to use.
- Both rows’ tether anchors were also easy to use, but there are several cargo hooks nearby. Parents should be careful not to connect the tether anchor to a cargo hook.
- Despite fixed head restraints, the booster and forward-facing convertible seats fit well and installed easily in the second and third rows.
- There was plenty of room for both the infant seat and the rear-facing convertible; neither seat impacted the front-passenger’s legroom.
What We Don’t
- There are no Latch anchors in the third row.
- The second row’s buckles are on short bases and sink into the seat cushion. This could cause the booster to sit on top of them, and kids might have trouble grasping the short stalks.
Grading Scale
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: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 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. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
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