2015 Volkswagen Passat: Car Seat Check
When it comes to Car Seat Checks, some cars are memorable because of how easy it is to install child-safety seats in them. The Volkswagen Passat is one of those cars. With its roomy backseat and easy-to-access lower Latch anchors, this midsize sedan made quick work of the car-seat installation process.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
What We Like
- The Passat has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats. The anchors are exposed, making them easy to use. Three tether anchors are found on the Passat’s rear shelf under hinged covers.
- Both rear-facing car seats — the infant and convertible — installed easily in the Passat. There was no need to move the front passenger seat forward to fit them in.
- The forward-facing convertible also fit well in this sedan.
What We Don’t
- While the high-back booster seat fit well in the Passat, the seat belt buckles sit low in the bottom seat cushion, allowing the booster seat to slide over them.
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 Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians. Editor Jennifer Geiger is working on renewing her certification.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon 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, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
Cars.com photos by Evan Sears
